Spirited Away: The Return Home

Chapter 12

I woke up the next evening feeling new and improved. Somehow the moment Haku and I had shared made me less insecure about the whole him and Luna thing. It was amazing what a difference communication could make. 

Another thing I felt the moment I woke up was that my angry jog yesterday left me aching. All manner of joints protested loudly as I pulled myself up, even my muscles in my arms sore. Though that was less likely from the running and more likely from the pulling myself out of the water. 

Tutting like an old woman, I heaved myself out of bed, half-way through a stretch when a knocked sounded at the door. "May I come in?" Lin's voice soon followed. 

Not ready to take so many steps, I simply called for her to open the door. The distance seemed impossible far with my sore limbs. 

"Good morning," she greeted with a bright and cheery smile. Before I could open my mouth to greet her back, she continued. "Now, let's get down to business." 

"I wasn't aware there was business," I answered as she headed over to the balcony, throwing open the door. A cool breeze swept into the room, stirring my strewn sheets and cooling my skin. 

"The witch returns tomorrow," Lin explained, turning to face me. "Meaning it's time to party."

I raised an eyebrow. "Party?"

Lin gave her a wink, "Indeed." 

"Okay, but what has that got to do with me?" I probed, wanting her to get to the point. Or, well, the business she had mentioned. After all, I couldn't imagine that Yubaba wanted some mouthy human there.

Reaching into a small bag slung across her shoulder, it's contents hanging low on her waist, Lin pulled out an envelope. "An invitation with your name written on it."

I nearly choked. "Yeah right. Yubaba would never invite me to anything she's in charge of. She barely wants me in this building." Barely wants me in this world. 

Lin rolled her eyes, placing the invite on the desk. "Since the letter has her seal on it, we'll just have to have faith," she assured me, once again reaching into the bag. This time she came up with a measuring tape.

After rummaging around on the desk for a while, she called me over. I did so begrudgingly, looking at the desk to see what she had written on the paper she had food. It didn't take more than a glance to realize she was here to take my measurements.  

"A dress? Is that necessary?" she asked, but a small part of her grew excited at the idea. She rarely ever got to dress up and, besides the dress given to her by Haku, she didn't have many nice things. Though she was slightly concerned by what was considered formal in the spirit world. She'd worn a geisha's kimono once and could hardly breathe in the blasted thing.

Lin wrapped the measuring tape around her waist first, adjusting it once or twice. "Trust me, you don't want to pass up on this opportunity. Yubaba's parties are very much over the top and the spirits come dressed in their finest." 

Again, I didn't even want to imagine. "And you'll be making the dress?"

Lin laughed, nearly losing her grip and the tape. "Heavens no. I may as well have two left hands when it comes to sewing. As for who will be making it," she coiled the tape, "it's a surprise." 

About an hour later, after yet another bath, I was being pulled down and out of the front entrance. Haku's white dress fluttered around my shins as we descended the steps to the water, a familiar brown object bobbing lightly against the shore. 

"Okay, right now we are on our way to Zeniba," she started and already I liked the plan. "She said that she can make you a dress by tomorrow evening so start thinking about what you want on the way there."