<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The area of smoke had disappeared when they returned the following day, and although the houses it had covered had been heavy with kegare, a harae performed from the park had cleared away a lot of it. Not quite all, though.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The problem was that, while everyone was worried, no-one had any suggestions for action. Even Yoshiko had had nothing useful to add, although she did approve of their plan to hold the wild festival, and had mentioned that she needed to teach Akiko something. What Akiko thought they really needed to do, and Shiraishi agreed, was talk to Tamao.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The kami, however, seemed to be avoiding them. Akiko was starting to suspect that it was because he was too embarrassed to admit that he had no idea either.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The preparations for the festival were almost complete, and a few of the ujiko were participating enthusiastically. The plans for the simple, cheap, and light mikoshi had been made, and an ujiko with a carpentry business was making them right now. They’d seen the samples for the happi, and the loincloths had arrived; Shiraishi was fretting that they’d ordered too many, and that no-one would want to help carry the mikoshi, particularly the women.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">That morning, the posters they had ordered had come back from the printers. Akiko thought they looked really good, with a photograph of the iwakura against a background of trees and a reproduction of the men’s mikoshi from the book. Now, she was out in her miko’s vestments (Shiraishi’s idea) trying to convince people to put them in windows.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Akiko kept checking the kegare as she walked around the area. It was heavy, getting heavier, and she could see more damage, and more vandalism, when she looked at the mundane world. The kegare spirits she saw seemed to be running away from her; that was, she supposed, a good thing.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The first place she tried was a post office, where a number of community posters were displayed in the lobby.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I’m sorry, we don’t display religious posters.â€ The manager didn’t sound very apologetic.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“There’s a poster about Zen there at the moment,â€ Akiko pointed out.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“That’s scholarship, not religion.â€ At that point, Akiko was sure she wouldn’t win, but she couldn’t let herself give up just yet.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Well, this is more of a community event than a religious thing. We don’t require any prayers or anything.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“No. We won’t advertise it. Sorry.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">On impulse, Akiko checked the kegare. The whole building was heavy with it, blackish slime running down the walls and hanging in ropes from the ceiling to drip onto the desks. The manager seemed to be covered in flies, their droning whine filling Akiko’s ears. She quickly switched back, apologised, and left.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The next stop was the supermarket across the road.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh, is this for the wild festival?â€ the manager asked, before Akiko could say anything. “Can I see?â€ He took a poster from her and held it up. “Looks like fun. Yes, we can put one or two of these up for you.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Thank you.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh, no problem. It should liven the area up a bit. Actually, are you having businesses sponsor lanterns or anything? We’d probably want to do something like that.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Ah, good point. I’ll have to check with Revd Shiraishi and get back to you.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Now, that was more like it.</p>