Chihiro reaches the river and finds that it is no longer just stones but has filled up with water. She is confused and looks across the river, which appears to be extremely wide now, and sees the glowing lights of the amusement park tower far in the distance. She tells herself, “I’m dreaming! I’m dreaming!” (94) and crouches with her hands between her knees in distress. A massive riverboat appears, glowing reddish yellow in the night, and as Chihiro wishes for this bad dream to disappear, she notices that her own hands begin to vanish. She still believes she is dreaming.

The riverboat pulls up to shore beside Chihiro, and countless spirits in matching white masks come floating out of it and move toward the bathhouse. Chihiro runs for cover and begins to cry. Haku finds her there and attempts to comfort her. He tells Chihiro not to be afraid and then hands her some food, explaining, “You have to eat some food from this world or else you’ll disappear” (103). Chihiro refuses, believing she will turn into a pig like her parents, but Haku assures her she will not.