"Millie!"

I looked up and over to my grandmother as she called my name, watching as she walked out of her home to where I was.

It felt like it had been forever since I last saw her, but I knew that was wrong. I'd been living with her since my dad brought me here. When was that..?

"Millie, there you are." She breathed, sitting down in the swinging bench next to me, "You need to answer me when I'm calling for you, honey."

I felt her fingers brush through my hair, smiling as she fixed some of the black mess back behind my ears.

"Sorry, Grandma." I apologized quietly, swinging my legs some.

"Are you still upset cause you lost your friend?" She asked, referring to my words when I had coming running to her earlier in the day. Or was it yesterday? Last week?

I nodded some, looking back out towards the forest I had come from.

I got upset with an imaginary friend of mine and had run from where we usually played... But now it felt non-existent in my mind, like there was no friend to begin with. Why was that..? They were just imaginary, shouldn't they not exist anyway?

Where did they go...?

"How... About we go and find your friend and talk it out with him?" She offered, always having believed me when I told her about all my stories I simply had thought up.

"I don't know..." I mumbled.

"You don't want to?"

"No.. I don't know how to get back.. I want to.. But I can't see the way.."

"Ah, I see." My grandmother nodded, although I'm pretty sure she was quite confused.

"There's something in the way.." My voice came out again, catching her attention.

My eyes were locked on something just past the treeline. It was both there and not there at the same time. It was living and imaginary. Existing then not. It wasn't scary, but it didn't make me feel good.

What was it?

"Millie, you have to push it away." I heard my grandmother whisper.

"I can't though..."

"Yes you can. Close your eyes and make whatever it is go away."

"I-I.." I stopped, deciding against fighting her. I just did as she said and closed my eyes. I thought about it, gave it full shape.

I couldn't make it out completely, but I knew it was someone there, standing in my way.

I quickly made the image go away with a shake of my head. And when I opened my eyes, the thing at the edge of the forest was gone too.

"Is it gone?"

I slowly nodded, looking around some. I couldn't find it anywhere. But I knew it wasn't just gone.

"Good."

I felt off as me and my grandmother walked through the forest. I was paranoid.

"Something wrong?" She asked, making me look up at her.

"There's something here and it's scaring me.." I told her.

"Hm.. Well, just make it go away."

"But grandma, it's always the same thing. It's like... A shadowy monster." I told her.

"A... What?" She asked, stopping and looking down at me.

"A biiiiiigggggg shadow! It's big and dark and scary looking!" I made a gesture to show her what I meant, though being a child, that was difficult.

She didn't respond. Just nodded and we continued walking.

I got a little scared and reached up, taking a hold of her hand.

It was cold.

"Grandma...?" I asked, rocking a little bit on a large stone. We stopped next to a river and I was playing with some stones I had found along the way.

"Hm?" She hummed back, looking around in the water. She took out a few stones, looked them over and then put some back while keeping the others in a small bag.

"Do you think this is okay? To be here?" I asked.

"As long as you're afraid, it's always okay." She said, then hummed some and looked over to me. "Why do you ask?"

"I miss them..."

"Who?"

"I can't remember..."

My grandmother chuckled some at that, "Well, when you remember, then you might be able to see them again if you wanted." She told me, leaning towards me and fixing some of my hair.

I nodded, smiling to her, "What do I do when I get back?"

"Forget."

"What?"

"Forget what's happening now. Forget me. Or you won't get to see whoever it is you are forgetting now. And you won't be happy anymore." Her voice was stern and firm, making sure that I knew. And I knew.. I just didn't want to.

I sighed, letting out a small breath and closed my eyes, nodding.

When I opened them, I was grown and standing back in front of the little cottage, looking at my grandmother as she was when she was in the hospital. She sat in the swinging bench like before. Her eyes were closed and she just looked.. so relaxed and calm.

Her eyes opened after a little bit and she smiled to me, gesturing for me to walk to her.

I opened my mouth but she quickly hushed me. "Put out your hands, Millie."

I did as she said, opening my palms and watching as my necklace was placed back into my hands. I hadn't even noticed it had been missing..

"You mustn't lose this, child. It's very difficult to get back if you do."

"Where did you find this?" I asked, looking down at it in shock and then quickly fastening it around my neck again, being double sure it would stay.

She shook her head, "That isn't very important, my child. What is important is what exactly you are running from? Hiding away here for?"

"Grandma... I told you, I can't remember."

She sighed, shaking her head, "You know that I can tell when you're lying, right?"

I tried to retort, but decided against it, and just nodded. My mind suddenly filled with what I was afraid of, or at least what I thought I was afraid of.

"So? Why are you running away?"

"It's not like what I thought it would be." I told her, wringing my hands nervously.

She gave me a look, gesturing for me to sit down next to her, "What did you think it would be?"

I took a moment to think.

"I.. Don't know. But I didn't like him saying th-"

"That is an excuse. Just because someone says something that makes you upset, doesn't necessarily mean that you need to run away from them. You can't just get angry over a one time thing." She scolded me, "Unless you expect to lose him as a friend."

"I don't... I wouldn't..." I tried to figure out what I wanted to say.

"You don't want to lose him?"

I nodded.

"You do want to return there, right? Why?"

"They.. They're my family.. And I miss them so much."

She smiled a little bit, "And who are 'they'?"

I paused a moment. I didn't even notice that the area around where we sat was turning dark.

"Ah... So... Sophie...?" I asked, looking to my grandmother, seeing her nod and continuing.

"Sophie and Markl.." I remembered the names, and soon the faces appeared as well in memory. My eyes started to light up as I remembered more and more. "Calcifer.. and... Ho... Howl..."

My body suddenly started to hurt me and I doubled over. "G-Grandma...!" I gasped, wrapping my arms around my stomach. I knew this feeling. It felt like glass was spreading through my skin.

Tears blurred my vision for a few seconds, then cleared again.

I looked up again when the pain subsided, finding that my grandma was now in a white outfit. I was so much smaller, like I was a child again. I knew I wasn't. I knew I was back to looking like a simple doll..

"My darling Millie. I know it's hard, and there will be plenty of things out there that will make you want to come back... But you know you can't. This time, I'm serious. You much forget about me and everything else from before. You won't want to remember." My grandmother said, softly brushing my hair back.

"Trust me, Millie, okay?"

I nodded.

Before i closed my eyes again, though, I remembered something and looked at her again. 'Wait, Grandma. Why did you tell me not to talk to Howl before?' I asked her.

She smiled and laughed a little bit, "Oh right. I was wondering when you'd ask about that. I'm worried something might happen to you. But I guess it's a little too late for you to take back your actions. Just make sure your safe, darling." She told me. I felt that there was more to it than that.

But I decided that was the best answer I was going to get at this point and breathed out a small sigh, closing my eyes.

When I opened them again I was staring up at the sky. There were no storm clouds and instead it was clear and blue and warm.

.

And I didn't remember anything.

I'm so sorry for such a late and delayed update. This one is super short in comparison to the rest of the chapters. I meant to make it longer and extend this out some chapters, but then school got in the way and I kinda rushed it. I'm gonna try getting my bum back in gear and try to continue it as much as possible.