Akiko put her bags down on the road and shook her aching arms, wishing, for the fifth time, that she had called for a taxi. Again, she considered doing it now, but she didn’t know how to give directions to where she was, and anyway, she was very close to the shrine now.

<em>Why did I think trying to carry all my worldly possessions from the storage room to the shrine was a good idea?</em> She knew the answer, of course; a taxi cost money, which she didn’t really have, while carrying them only took time and energy. And she had thought she had plenty of both of those. Groaning, she settled the rucksacks, back and front, once more, and gathered up the other bags, grabbing the handles of the cases. Feeling like a pack animal, she started off again.

At least the weather was good. The rain had stopped soon after the sun came out, but some clouds remained, keeping the temperature pleasant. The streets were still damp, but they were drying out quickly, although the river had been high again when Akiko passed it. She wondered whether she should be thanking Tamao for giving her good weather to move in, and, with a shock, realised that that was a serious question.

After two more pauses for breath, she finally reached the bottom of the shrine steps. They looked twice as steep and three times as high as she remembered, and she carefully unloaded all the luggage, piling it at the bottom.

<em>I am not trying to get everything up the steps at once,</em> she told herself.

In the end, she did five trips, heaping everything just outside the torii so that she didn’t have to go through and bow so many times. On the last journey, Shiraishi appeared, having apparently heard her.

“Do you want any help?â€ Breathing hard, Akiko put the last bag down on the pile, and stood there for a moment, trying to catch her breath.

“Yes… thank you. Help… would be… very good.â€ <em>A bit earlier would have been better,</em> she thought, but she knew she couldn’t say it, not to someone who was offering her free accommodation. Shiraishi picked up a couple of bags, taking them to the house, and Akiko followed. They stacked everything in the entrance to start with, then Shiraishi stepped out of her sandals and up into the house.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your room.â€

She led the way down the hall, and slid a door open, indicating that Akiko should go in.

The far wall of the room was large windows, overlooking the pond in the garden, with the shrine wood as a backdrop. There was a large alcove, with shelves, and the door panels were painted with scenes of mountains, dragons, and waterfalls. Akiko had no idea what to say.

“This was the main guest room. It seems a real shame for it not to get any use, so…â€ Shiraishi sounded almost apologetic. Akiko was still trying to get over the sheer size of it; her whole flat would have fitted inside. “There are futons in the cupboard, but I’ve put a couple out on the veranda to air.â€ Akiko could see them, and she slipped out of her slippers to walk into the room. The sun sparkled off the surface of the water, and the iwakura came into view beyond the other wing of the shrine house.

She still had no idea what to say.