Ponyo: First Days

A sequel to Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo," and a prequel to the upcoming grand adventure, "The Adventures of Ponyo and Sosuke," which is coming soon. In this short series of adventures, Ponyo adapts to life on land and learns lessons, finds unlikely friends and experiences events that serve as a prelude of what is to come. Now I've posted a poem before, but this is my first story I posted. The stories are rather episodic and are more like drabbles written in the style of A.A. Milne.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or locations from the film "Ponyo." All characters, locations and ideas from the Studio Ghibli film "Ponyo" are the creation of Hayao Miyazaki and are the property of Studio Ghibli, related production companies and pertinent filmmakers and producers. The plot, locations not mentioned or alluded to in the original film, and all additional characters are mine. If the plot resembles any other work of fiction, it is entirely unintentional.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these semi-drabbles. Constructive criticism is welcome. Have fun!

Soli Deo Gloria

Chapter 1 in which The Stories Begin and I Explain some Things.

Outside the lovely seaside towns of Shinura and Ura Town lives a girl named Ponyo. She lives in a house on a cliff with her foster family: a little boy named Sosuke and her foster parents Lisa and Koichi. She is a good little girl with a vivid imagination and a curious nature. But many people don't know that she was once a fish and getting used to life on land was quite an adventure, both for Ponyo and her adopted family. I should like tell you the tale of what happened on her first few days as a little human girl.

Our stories begin on the first morning she awoke on land. It was a beautiful morning with…

"Um, excuse me…mister? Mister?"

Huh? Oh, hello.

"Hi."

What's up? I'm kinda in the middle of telling a story.

"Um, okay. Uh, shouldn't you start at the beginning?"

But this is the beginning.

"No, no. I mean the REAL beginning. Where it all began. You're the narrator. You're supposed to start at the very beginning when I was still a fish. What if everyone didn't know what you're talking about?"

I'm sure everyone here knows.

"But some might not. Can you start when I was a fish? Please?"

Well…I guess you're right.

"Mm-hmm."

Okay. I'll start at the very beginning.

"Thank you. Can I listen?"

Okay but you have to be quiet.

"Yay!"

Okay. Now, I'm sure some of you are wondering who that was, or perhaps you already know. For those who don't I'll explain later, but I guess she's right. I suppose it IS only right to start at the very beginning.

Once there was a little fish named Brunnhilde. She was no ordinary fish, however. She was a magical creature, the daughter of the sea goddess Gran Mamare, and a sea wizard named Fujimoto (who used to be a human). The two had many daughters, but Brunnhilde was the oldest and the most magical of them all. She was a lot like her sisters: mischievous, well-meaning and cheerful. However, she had something her little sisters didn't have: a tremendous curiosity. Her sisters were quite happy not knowing about the outside world; but Brunnhilde wanted to see what wonders were waiting for her beyond the walls of her house.

Her curiosity grew as the months passed and she was ever ready to discover what was out there. I'm afraid Fujimoto didn't help matters any. He was far too busy to raise her properly. Indeed, when he noticed her great curiosity, he was unprepared. He didn't do the wise thing and teach her about the outside world properly. Instead, he panicked and tried to keep her from discovering more. He viewed it as his job to protect her from all risk of danger (especially from those "abominable humans"). He meant well, but he became overprotective and both father and daughter suffered for it. Fujimoto wasn't respected as he should have been, and Brunnhilde was locked up in her house with no opportunity to learn, discover and grow. So it is no surprise that the curious little fish was itching to escape from her overly restrictive life. Then, at last, the perfect opportunity came.

One day, her father took Brunnhilde and her sisters out in his magical submarine. He was so busy attending a great many sea creatures that he was distracted and Brunnhilde's moment came at last. She escaped the submarine, with the blessing of her younger sisters, and set out to see the world…at least for a while.

That "while" turned into a "long while" when she ended up trapped inside a glass jar. She wriggled and wriggled but only succeeded in getting herself more stuck than before. She finally fainted from exhaustion and hope seemed lost for her. Then the first thing she knew was that something or someone big was holding her. Whatever it was gently nudged her cheek and she licked in response. An odd taste of blood got into her mouth before she passed out again, but not before she heard an excited voice of a young boy: "IT LICKED ME! IT'S ALIVE!".

"Sosuke said that. (Gasp!) That's Sosuke! I love Sosuke!"

Yes, that was Sosuke, but you have to be quiet. I'm telling a story, okay?

"Yes Mr. Narrator."

Well, one thing led to another and Brunnhilde learned that her rescuer was a five-year-old boy named Sosuke (like I just said). He promised he would take good care of her and protect her. He fed her some ham, which she ate with relish and vigor; it was the most delicious meal she ever had. He even spoke affectionately to her and gave her a new name: Ponyo. She had never experienced this kind of love and care before, even from her own father. Aside from her younger sisters, this boy was the best friend she ever had and she grew to love him. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to be human.

Well, to make a long story short, she eventually became a human through her father's magic and the human blood she tasted. She reunited with Sosuke and they enjoyed an evening together along with Lisa, Sosuke's mother. Unfortunately, in her search for Sosuke, she accidentally triggered a massive storm that threw the earth out of balance. The whole town began to flood and ships were being lost at sea, including a fishing boat captained by Sosuke's father Koichi. Something had to be done to put everything back to normal. Gran Mamare (Ponyo's mother if you remember) told Fujimoto that Sosuke had to be tested in order for everything to become as it was. If his love was real, Ponyo's magic would depart forever and the balance of nature would be restored.

Through a long series of circumstances involving a magic boat, the temporary absence of Sosuke's mother and Ponyo becoming a fish again, Sosuke proved his love for Ponyo and everything returned to normal. The seawaters returned to where they belonged and the town and its citizens were okay. Lisa promised Gran Mamare she would take care of Ponyo and Fujimoto gave Sosuke his blessing, telling him to take care of his daughter. The ships lost at sea returned home (including Koichi's ship) and Ponyo became a human for good.

And that is where the backstory ends and Ponyo's new story begins.

So how was that? Did you like it?

"It was good. Are you going to tell the rest of the story now?"

I will…but that will have to wait for another time.

"Aww. I want to hear more."

But you know the story already.

"Yeah…but no one else does. I like hearing your story anyway."

True. But it will have to wait for another time.

"Okay. I'll bring Sosuke next time. He likes stories."

Sounds good. Now say goodbye.

"Bye."

Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first story. Okay, that little girl was Ponyo herself (but you probably already knew that). Well, stay tuned for the next chapter in this series of stories. Until next time, goodbye and God bless!