ᵐᵃⁿ ᵖʳᵒᵖᵒˢᵉˢ, GOD disposes

Tampere, Finland

Adeline's eyes widened as she looked up at the spirit clad in white from behind her door. The little window allowed her to see out, seeing her in all her glory.

"You're...you're real." She whispered out, mostly to herself.

Her sad eyes had brightened for a moment as a grin slowly spread on her lips.

"You're real! M-my dad told me you were! H-Hello! Hi!"

What was the game you had to play with her? You found different reasons not to let her in, and you went back and forth with her until you couldn't find anymore reasons?

But just as Adeline was about to say her first line, she stopped. She looked back at the living room behind her.

There were no decorations. No cookies set out for Santa, no stalkings hung up by the chimney with care. Some presents, but no tree.

For it was their first Christmas without her father you see. And with his unfortunate passing so soon, her mother simply hadn't been in the festive spirit.

Adeline then looked down, her lower lip trembling just a tad.

the grey mare lifts her head to the voice , colorful bulbs that make her eyes seem to gleam all the brighter as she is met with happy greetings . little children often screamed or hide away behind their mothers when mari lywd came a'knocking , but that never discouraged the jolly spirit . a little fear makes way to good fun , & soon the little ones are screaming in joy !

but there's something off . firstly , the house is decisively empty . neither soul nor spirit except the child has come to greet her . were they hiding from grandma ?

her hard muzzle seeming to sniff at the child as a real horse would . nay , this was a house of sorrow , still fresh into mourning . an ashen hand rises from within the white garment to kindly pat the girl's sable head , the horse's long , black mouth opens as if to speak . the name is breathed out as though it came from the depths of thing thing's gullet .

“ .̷.̶.̵.̸ ̸Ả̷͔D̶̹́D̷̞͠Y ̶.̷ ” it rasps . “ W̶͙̉Ḯ̷̦'̷̮͛Y̵͇͝Ȇ̸̜ ̵͖͝ ̴̐ͅ Ľ̸̝Ḙ̸͆T̵͎͆ ̴̨̍M̷̹̍Ê̸̜ ̷͓͗ ̵̶͕͠ ̶̥̄ ”

she stops mid-sentence , coughing loudly before shaking her horses head with another raspy sigh .

Ponyo 崖の上のポニョ(2008)