Shiraishi was equally quiet during breakfast the following day, and when it finished she turned to look at the sake cupboard, fixing her gaze on it for long moments before sighing and turning back to Akiko.

“I’ll deal with any visitors today. Thank you.â€ Akiko nodded. She had been thinking about looking for jobs again, but she felt very lethargic, as if the close atmosphere was draining all her vitality.

“Oh, Akira Takenaka visited yesterday. He wanted to see whether we were all right.â€ Shiraishi looked at her, surprised, and Akiko nodded. “He also warned us about a fever that might be going around.â€ The priest sighed and shook her head, looking down at the table for a few moments.

“I’d better get on,â€ she said, standing up. “You do… whatever you feel you need to.â€ Akiko just nodded, not at all sure what she did want, or need, to do. She went back to her room, and looked out of the window, but the pond seemed to be covered with a layer of scum, with the bright colours of plastics mixed with the bodies of dead fish.

<em>Plastics? How could they have got in there?</em>

She looked back, and the scum was gone, although the plants around the pond looked unhealthy, spotted with fungus. Akiko felt her heart speeding up as anxiety gripped her stomach, and twisted. She got up and went out of the front of the house, looking at the shrine.

Something scuttled over the roof, something a bit like a monkey, and dropped out of sight in the back. Akiko went round, noticing that the shrine seemed to be leaning slightly, twisted. At the back, however, there was nothing to see. The shadow in the heart of the iwakura seemed deeper than normal, but it wasn’t big enough to hide whatever she had seen. Akiko wasn’t surprised, but her concern didn’t lessen.

She heard the doorbell, and went to see who it was, arriving at the same time as Shiraishi, from the opposite side.

Mr Wakabayashi was very formally dressed, but Akiko could smell burning around him, ash, and greasy black smoke seemed to be rising from his suit, forming a dark cloud in the air around him. Akiko glanced covertly at Shiraishi, but she showed no signs of seeing anything amiss. A call from the trees drew Akiko’s eyes, and she realised that dozens of crows were perched there, watching them.

“Revd Shiraishi, I heard about your loss.â€

“Thank you for your concern.â€ The priest bowed formally, but her tone was no more sincere than Mr Wakabayashi’s.

“I was wondering whether you wanted to reconsider my offer?â€ Shiraishi’s face changed in an instant, flushing red with anger.

“No! I will <em>not</em> sell you the shrine grounds! Never! How many times? How dare you come at a time like this, with such a suggestion?â€

“A time like this?â€ Mr Wakabayashi was still calm, but the smoke coming off him had thickened, and Akiko could now see small flames on his suit, flames like eyes that seemed to be watching her. “You have just lost the last person supporting the shrine. Do you really have any choice?â€

“Get out! Get out before I call the police!â€ Shiraishi was screaming, but Wakabayashi only sighed, bowing to her again before turning to leave. The flames Akiko could see were now like giant centipedes, crawling over him and looking back at her, while the smoke cast a pall over the whole precinct. As she watched him leave, she saw that the grass he had crossed was blackened to ash, the destruction spreading out.

“Damn that man!â€ Akiko looked back at Shiraishi, who was still fuming in the porch, and when she looked back the grass and air were free of smoke or signs of burning.