Chapter 13 in which The Stories End

Now it has been said that, in one way or another, all good stories must come to an end. And so it is true with this wonderful tale of Ponyo's first days on land.

"What? It's over?"

Yes Ponyo. This is the last chapter of this story.

"But, but, but there was so much more that happened! Remember when I went to the aquarium and told the tour guide that he was wrong about the fishes?"

"Yeah. And what about when Ponyo left the bathtub running and the whole room flooded?"

"Or when I..."

Sorry kids, but I can only tell so many stories this time around.

"Well...(sigh)...okay Mr. Narrator. Does it really have to end?"

I'm afraid so...in a way.

"What do you mean?"

I'll tell you...after the story.

"Okay."

Now...as I was saying, this story draws to a close, but I want to end with one last event. Something very special happened, and it happened shortly after Lisa drove Ponyo and Sosuke home from the zoo.

At the house, Lisa and her children hopped out the car and walked into the house. Ponyo and Sosuke each held a small bag of groceries while Lisa carried the heavier bags.

"Ponyo," Lisa said, "can you get the door please?"

"Yes mom!" Ponyo called.

She ran to the door and opened it after Lisa unlocked it. Then they all went inside and worked together to put the groceries away. Lisa took that moment to teach Ponyo where the food went when it wasn't being used.

"Now remember Ponyo," Lisa instructed, "I will put the heavy things away. I don't want you dropping anything. Okay?"

"Okay mom," Ponyo obediently said.

After putting everything away, the three plopped down on the couch and relaxed.

"Ponyo," Lisa said, "I'm very proud of you for taking care of Kumiko. That was a wonderful thing to do."

"Thank you mom," Ponyo said. "I felt really bad for her."

"Mm-hmm," Sosuke commented, "and because you were so kind to her, now she's your friend."

"Yeah! I'm glad Kumiko is my friend now."

"Me too," Lisa said.

After a while of silence and thought, Ponyo suddenly got up.

"Mom?" she asked. "May I go down to the water?"

Lisa nodded in approval. With that, Ponyo nodded a thank you and ran out the door. Sosuke followed her and Lisa watched them go with a smile on her face.

Outside, the sun was nearly setting and everything was bathed in the golden light of the evening. The sky was pink and deep blue with gold surrounding the sun. A few clouds painted by the sunset light floated miles overhead. The sun shone in Ponyo and Sosuke's eyes as they descended the steep path to the shore below the house. They finally reached the beach and removed their shoes. Ponyo wiggled her toes in the warm sand and earth and walked out into the water. Sosuke followed her and the two gazed upon the sunset scenery.

"It's so pretty," Ponyo sighed. "It looks like a picture."

"Sometimes," Sosuke commented, "when the sky has the right clouds in it, the sky looks like fire. It's really cool."

"Can I see that?" Ponyo asked eagerly.

"Someday," Sosuke replied.

Ponyo smiled at Sosuke and then looked down into the water. She examined the sandy and rocky ground beneath the surface. Then, something remarkable happened. The water rose a little. Initially, the surface of the water reached to a little above her ankles. Now the water was up to her knees.

"Sosuke," she said with a little alarm, "the water! It's rising!"

Sosuke examined the horizon to see if a large wave was coming.

"I don't see any waves," Sosuke said.

Suddenly, the water seemed to solidify around Ponyo's feet. Then the water pushed her upward until the soles of her feet were on the surface of the water. She didn't know what to say, think or do. She just looked at Sosuke with an open-mouthed, surprised and perhaps a little fearful look on her face. Sosuke looked about as shocked as she did. With that, he rushed out to get her but the water did the same thing to him. Now they were both standing side by side. Sosuke grabbed Ponyo's hand and they held onto each other as tightly as they could.

"Don't worry Ponyo," Sosuke said with as much courage as he could muster. "I'll protect you."

"I'll protect you too," Ponyo said.

Then something rose out of the water about thirty feet away from them. Whatever it was Ponyo and Sosuke couldn't make out because the sunlight was directly in their faces when they looked at it. All they knew was that it was thin and it stood upright. Ponyo and Sosuke sheltered their eyes from the blinding sunlight so neither of them saw the whatever-it-was approach. Ponyo had her eyes closed when it stood over her, shading her from the sun's blinding rays. Then…it spoke. It only said one word, but it only needed to say one word:

"Ponyo."

Ponyo's eyes opened with realization. She recognized that deep and rich voice. She looked up at the figure before her and gasped.

"Father!" she exclaimed.

Fujimoto had come at last.

With that, Ponyo leapt forward and gave Fujimoto a great big embrace. Sosuke opened his eyes and smiled. His plan of sending Fujimoto that message in a bottle worked.

"I'm happy to see you," Ponyo said in a relieved and happy voice.

"I missed you my child," Fujimoto said.

"I missed you too," Ponyo said.

After a moment, Fujimoto looked at Sosuke.

"I see that you are taking good care of my daughter."

"Mm-hmm," Sosuke said. "We all love her very much."

"Good. Now Ponyo…would you like to see your sisters?"

Ponyo gasped with joy.

"Yes please!" she nearly shouted.

"Come with me," Fujimoto said with a smile.

With that, the solidified water started to take Fujimoto and Ponyo out to sea. Then Ponyo tugged on her father's arm.

"Can Sosuke come?"

"Not this time," Fujimoto replied.

"Yes father," Ponyo said reluctantly.

So Sosuke watched as the wave took Ponyo and Fujimoto out to sea. Then he saw a great submarine rise out of the depths to greet them. Ponyo set foot on the deck of the submarine with her father in tow. Then she looked back at Sosuke, who was being brought back to shore by the living wave he was standing on. The children looked at each other for a moment until Fujimoto gently placed his hand on Ponyo's shoulder. Ponyo waved to Sosuke, then father and daughter entered the submarine. After they went inside, the vessel submerged beneath the waves. Sosuke was left alone on the shore. He sat down and waited…and hoped that Ponyo would come back.

Inside the submarine, Ponyo ran around her father's workplace. She had never really explored her father's ship before and as you can imagine, she was really enjoying herself. She noticed with new eyes the wonders of her father's submarine. She felt the hard floor beneath her feet and touched the counters with her hands. Fujimoto looked on his daughter with a curious expression, a sort of cross between happiness and regret. The thought occurred to him that she was truly experiencing what used to be her home for the first time in her life. He was happy that he saw his daughter happy, but regretful that he never gave her the chance to experience this for herself. She asked many, many questions and Fujimoto answered them in a fatherly way, which was a way he had seldom spoken to Ponyo before.

"Careful," Fujimoto warned as Ponyo picked up a vibrating vial of potion.

"It's shaking a little," Ponyo said in wonder.

"It's full of powerful magic."

She gently set it back into its place and looked at her father with excitement.

"This place is fantastic!"

"It is indeed," Fujimoto said. "I'm very proud of it myself. Now, would you like to see your sisters?"

Fujimoto took Ponyo to a large living room in the center of the submarine. Lining the walls were wood shelves filled with books of every description. Close to the middle of the room was a table with parchments and a teakettle. In the very center of the living room was a very large bubble on pedestal. A lone armchair stood before the great bubble. Ponyo felt the rubbery surface of the bubble and pressed against it a little. Being a magic bubble, it didn't pop. Fujimoto then flipped a switch on a wall and, at that moment, the floor of the bubble opened and hundreds of tiny red fishes swarmed into the bubble. When the flow of fish stopped, Fujimoto flipped the switch again, closing the floor of the bubble. Ponyo looked at the fishes with glee.

"My sisters!" she exclaimed. "Hi!"

The little fishes saw Ponyo and swam in ecstatic circles. Then they all crowded around to greet their beloved sibling. Ponyo laughed at the wonderful scene. Fujimoto smiled and then took a small vial out of his coat pocket. He dropped a drop on the surface of the bubble, and where the drop fell a hole opened.

"Would you like to visit your sisters?" he asked.

She nodded and Fujimoto lifted his daughter up in his arms to put her inside the bubble so that she could be with her sisters once again.

"Up you go," he said in a good-humored voice.

She giggled and squirmed in her father's grasp.

"That tickles," she laughed.

Fujimoto gently placed her inside the bubble but did not seal her inside. After all, since she was human now, she couldn't breathe underwater. Instead, he kept the bubble open at the top, giving it the appearance of a great fishbowl.

Inside the bubble, Ponyo played and swam with her sisters. They played with her dress, her hair, her hands and her feet. She kissed some of them and even tried to hug a bunch of them. It was a moment of great joy for Ponyo as she reunited with a family that raised her but she hadn't seen in a while. The scene was so joyful that Ponyo started to cry a little.

"I missed you all," she said to her sisters.

Finally, Fujimoto lifted her out, sealed the bubble once more and used a magic spell to dry Ponyo off. Then she spent the next thirty minutes or so talking about life on land and the friends she made, the things she learned and the adventures she had. Fujimoto listened with rapt attention. He remembered a life like that, and now his daughter was experiencing it too. He couldn't help but smile a little.

After that, Ponyo stood up and looked out a very large window at the many forms of marine life outside. Fishes great and small swam by. Some hid in miniature forests of seaweed and others weaved among branches of coral. Ponyo sighed. This was the life she remembered best.

"Do you miss home?" Fujimoto asked.

"Mm-hmm," Ponyo replied with a nod. "Sometimes."

After a moment of silence, Fujimoto asked her a very important question:

"Ponyo, if you could some home for good, would you?"

"Huh?" Ponyo asked in a curious voice.

"Your mother and I thought about you getting homesick and wanting to return to the sea. We knew that it would be natural for you to wish to return at some point. So we have found a way to return you to your magical nature, allowing you to live with us once again without upsetting the balance of nature. If I promised to allow you to keep your human form, would you be interested in returning home? We all miss you Ponyo, and from the sound of things, you miss us. If you choose to stay, you will become a magician like me and learn magic once more."

"Does that mean I can't be human?" Ponyo asked.

"No, but you will keep your form just like me. You can still walk and use your hands and feet, just like you've always wanted. We would also allow you to visit your friends on land from time to time."

Ponyo paused for a moment and thought about it.

"I will not force you to return to us. The magic will only work if you wish it to work. The choice is ultimately yours. But I want you to know that no matter where you choose to live, I will always love you."

Ponyo stood silent for a while and then turned to her father. There were tears in her eyes. It had been a very long time since her father said those words.

"I love you too," she said. Then father and daughter embraced once more.

"Can you forgive me for not being a better father to you?"

"Yes father. I forgive you. Can you forgive me for running away and causing you lots of trouble?"

"Of course I do." Ponyo smiled. She knew where her true home was.

On the shore, Sosuke waited and waited for Ponyo to return. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon by now, but he was determined to stay until Ponyo returned, even if he had to spend the night. Ponyo still didn't appear. He began to worry that maybe Ponyo chose to stay with Fujimoto. Was she at least going to say goodbye? A storm of thoughts swam through the poor boy's head. Finally, he decided to stay calm and see what would happen. He determined that if Ponyo decided to leave, she would at least say goodbye to her adopted family. He hoped, however, that she would choose to stay.

Then, something caught his eye. He saw the submarine resurfacing.

"Ponyo?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

He started to wade out to the water but stopped when he saw Ponyo and Fujimoto walk onto the deck of the submarine. He then saw them give a short embrace. After that, his heart began to beat even faster as he saw one of Fujimoto's enchanted waves carry Ponyo back to his side.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Ponyo said.

"That's fine," Sosuke said in a nervous voice.

"Are you okay?" Ponyo asked.

There was a moment of silence as Sosuke was torn between asking her if she was staying and keeping his mouth shut. Finally Ponyo started to speak.

"I have to tell you something."

Sosuke knew what that meant. His eyes started to water. He turned away from Ponyo, wiped his eyes and desperately tried not to cry.

"Sosuke?"

"It's okay Ponyo," he said. "Will you visit often?"

Ponyo looked at Sosuke with a quizzical look.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Aren't you going home?"

"Yeah," she said cheerily. "It's almost time for dinner."

Sosuke did his very best not to cry.

"What's for dinner?" Sosuke asked, not knowing what else to say. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to his best friend and sister.

"You know what's for dinner," Ponyo replied. "It's ham sandwiches with pudding for dessert!"

"But that's…that's what mom is making."

"Yes silly," Ponyo said in a sisterly voice. "I said I was going home."

Sosuke's heart leapt and beat even faster than before. "You're not going back to the ocean?"

"No Sosuke!" Ponyo replied, perhaps a little taken aback at the very idea. "I love the ocean, but it's not my home now. My home is with you and mommy. I just want to tell you that my father will be visiting often. I hope that's okay."

"Oh it's fine," Sosuke said, his voice a cross between a nervous laugh and a heavy sigh of relief.

"You didn't think I was going to leave, did you?"

"I thought maybe you missed your old home and you wanted to go back."

"Yeah, but now that father will see me often it won't be so bad. I love living with you and mommy more than any place in the world."

Sosuke smiled a joyful smile. Then Ponyo wrapped her arms around Sosuke.

"I love you Sosuke," Ponyo said.

"I love you too," Sosuke replied as he embraced Ponyo.

Then from high above the cliff, the two children heard their mother's voice calling.

"Sosuke! Ponyo! It's time for dinner!"

"Coming mom!" the two siblings called back.

Then they slipped their shoes on and ran up the cliffs hand in hand while Fujimoto watched them leave. He smiled a sad smile. He knew his daughter was where she needed to be: with a wonderful family that would teach her the lessons of life and love her forever and ever. He re-entered his submarine and disappeared beneath the waves while Ponyo and Sosuke entered the house to enjoy another delicious dinner together.

So kids, that's the end of this part of the story.

"That was wonderful."

"Yeah. I was so afraid Ponyo was going to leave."

"That's okay Sosuke. I won't leave until I become a grown-up."

"Me neither Ponyo."

"But, Mr. Narrator, why did you say it was the end of 'this part?'"

Well Ponyo, it's because your story isn't finished yet. This last part happened maybe…wasn't it last month or two months ago?

"Mm-hmm."

So you see, when I said the story was over "in a way," I meant that this particular story was finished. But the bigger story of your life is still before you.

"Wow."

"That's fantastic. But there's something that makes me wonder."

What is it Ponyo?

"The living clouds?"

"Yes Sosuke! I still wonder about those cloud things I saw when mommy took me on that walk. The clouds were alive, I just know it!"

"Do you know what happened Mr. Narrator?"

To be honest…I don't. I've never heard of such a thing happening. Did your father say anything?

"No, but he looked really curious."

Hmm. Well, someday I'm sure you'll figure it all out.

"I hope so."

"Well, we have to go. We're going to Karen's birthday party."

"She's turning six today!"

Oh that sounds fun.

"Yeah! I've never had cake before."

Oh, I'm sure you'll love it Ponyo. It's delicious.

"Karen's mom makes really yummy cakes and Karen likes to help make them."

Okay, well I won't keep you. Have fun you two.

"Goodbye Mr. Narrator, and thank you for the story. I loved it."

Any time. I had fun telling it. Goodbye!

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

And so this story ends…and a new adventure of life on land begins. I'm sure it will be a grand adventure for Ponyo and Sosuke as they grow, experience new things, face certain trials and learn life lessons. I'm looking forward to more adventures for our two young friends…but that's another story.

Goodbye my friends and God bless!

The End