<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">As they reached the top of the steps, several of the guards gasped.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“That wasn’t there before!â€ one of them said, and they looked towards Shiraishi.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh, the pool? No.â€ For a moment, it seemed that she didn’t know what to say next. “It, er, appeared during the wild festival.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Is it a natural pool?â€ another guard asked.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“It certainly seems to be. A natural hot spring.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Wow. That has to be a sign of the favour of the kami,â€ the first one said, and the others nodded in agreement.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">When the harae was over, and the guards had gone back down the steps, Shiraishi turned to Akiko, her eyes shining.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“We can use this!â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Sorry?â€ Akiko was completely lost.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“The hot spring!â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“You want to open a hot spring resort?â€ Akiko was getting more confused by the moment, and Shiraishi seemed to realised.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“No, of course not. This is a shrine, after all. No, I meant we can use it to publicise the shrine. How often do new hot springs appear in Kawasaki, after all?â€ Akiko couldn’t think of any other examples, so she just shrugged. Shiraishi nodded excitedly. “That’s right. It’s really unusual. Just the sort of story that local news organisations like to cover, and that people might stop by to see for themselves. I think I should make some phone calls.â€ The priest turned and hurried into the house, going into the office where she sat down with the phone.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Akiko, left standing in the precincts, wasn’t entirely sure what to think. Yes, it was a reasonable sort of thing to publicise. And more people coming to the shrine was basically a good thing. But was it quite right? They wouldn’t be coming for the kami, after all.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">She still hadn’t reached a conclusion when Shiraishi came back out, beaming, and announced that the newspapers and a couple of TV stations were going to send reporters round.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Then an expression of panic passed over the priest’s face.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“We need to tidy up!â€ Akiko looked round; the shrine was pretty clean and tidy, really, but she could see what the priest meant; fallen twigs, one or two pieces of litter — a bit of evidence of the aftermath of the festival.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Then let’s get started,â€ she said. “Cleaning the shrine is something I’ve had lots of practice at.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">It didn’t take long to get the shrine to a state that Akiko thought was properly clean; the sort of condition where Tamao had stopped bothering her, back when he was demanding that she clean up. But Shiraishi still wasn’t satisfied, and was still bustling about when the first reporter arrived.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">They served him tea, answering most of his questions in the reception room, and then going out so that he could take photographs of the iwakura and the pool. That was when he asked about the missing shrine building, and Shiraishi quickly explained about the fire, and mentioned that they were collecting for rebuilding. Akiko was nervous and on edge the whole time, and it was only when the reporter was leaving that she suddenly thought to check him for kegare.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">It was heavy about him, a cloud of dust that rose from his clothes and hair, turning the air black and gritty. His footprints were filled with it, but within the shrine they were quickly dispersed by a wind that the grass didn’t feel, leaving the shrine pure again.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Revd Shiraishi, we have to…â€ Akiko began.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Excuse me?â€ She turned at the interruption to see a TV crew. This time she looked first. Spirits like winged spiders crawled all over them, jumping from one to another, disappearing inside the camera, picking at the blouse of the young reporter.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Harae!â€ Akiko whispered, urgently. Shiraishi looked at her, slightly surprised, then nodded in understanding, before going over to welcome them.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Welcome to Tamao Shrine. Thank you for coming.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“No, thank you. Is that the pool?â€ the reporter asked, while her two technical staff looked around the shrine.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Yes,â€ Shiraishi replied. “How do you want to do this?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“We should talk through it first; we need to film something for the report.â€ She paused for a moment. “This <em>is</em> the shrine that burned down, isn’t it. I thought so. Should we mention that, as well?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“That would be helpful; we need to collect money to rebuild.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The reporter smiled.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“It’s always good if you get something out of it as well. So, what should we do?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;"><em>Harae harae harae</em> Akiko thought furiously, hoping that she’d somehow developed psychic abilities.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Well,â€ Shiraishi said, “I could perform a short purification ceremony and you could film that. Thanks to the fire, there’s no other evidence that this is a shrine.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;"><em>Revd Shiraishi, that was very slick,</em> Akiko thought.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh, that’s a good idea. Would that be near the pool?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The priest nodded, and the reporter quickly looked at the other two staff, who nodded back, and started setting up the camera.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Right, and after that, we could interview you.â€ She paused and frowned slightly. “But the pool and the rocks would be a bit boring as background.â€ She looked around, and then smiled as she saw Akiko. “Aha! Could you be in the pool while we do the interview? Half out of the water?â€ Akiko could feel herself going bright red, and the reporter hurried on. “Oh, with your back to us, of course. This would be going out on local news.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“No, sorry.â€ Shiraishi answered for her. “This is a shrine, not a hot spring spa.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh, good point.â€ The reporter looked a bit disappointed, and then looked around again. “It’s still a bit static…â€ she said, at least half to herself. “Oh, I know. You mentioned that it appeared during a festival. Do you have any footage of the festival we could use?â€ Akiko could feel herself blushing again, instantly guessing which footage they would choose, but Shiraishi was already offering to ring round the people who attended the shrine to see if anyone had any good film.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;"><em>It’s just another sacrifice for the shrine,</em> she told herself, and went to help Shiraishi set up for the purification.</p>