Akiko could feel the approaching footsteps through the ground, as well as hear them, but she didn’t want to move just yet

“Akiko? Are you all right? Akiko?â€ Shiraishi sounded really concerned, so Akiko gathered her will and pushed herself up to a sitting position, looking round at the priest and nodding.

She really did seem to be all right. In fact, physically she felt great; she wasn’t at all tired, and nothing hurt. She nodded again, and slowly got to her feet. The memory of the agony was still too fresh, however, and she glanced nervously at the iwakura. The stones were just stones, standing there as normal. She didn’t even feel a presence within them.

“Are you sure? You look… strange.â€ Shiraishi still sounded worried, but slightly less urgently than before.

“I’m OK.â€ Akiko finally found her voice. “Really.â€

“What happened?â€

“Tamao’s…â€ She stopped, glancing back at the iwakura. “Let’s talk in the house.â€ She didn’t want to risk drawing the aramitama’s attention again, and talking about it while standing so close to the iwakura seemed like a good way to do just that.

Shiraishi just nodded, and stayed near her as they walked back, as if afraid that she would collapse at any moment. Akiko smiled at her, trying to be reassuring, but from the priest’s expression, it wasn’t very convincing.

Sitting in the reception room, with tea and sweets in front of them, Akiko prepared to tell her story. Shiraishi was sitting quietly, apparently ready to listen to anything.

“I think it was the aramitama,â€ Akiko began. “I had been practising with Yoshiko, and when I was coming back, it was as if the aramitama was watching me. Something drove me to dance, well, I suppose it was more run, really, around the stones, and then…â€

She drew her breath in sharply, the memory suddenly becoming more vivid. She closed her eyes, and picked up a manju; eating something sweet distracted her for a moment.

“I think I was in hell.â€ The priest looked surprised, and Akiko shook her head. “No, that’s not right. Not hell. Maybe I was in the aramitama? There were storms, earthquakes, volcanos… I could feel anger.â€ It was getting hard to speak again, now, and Akiko picked up the tea to have something to do.

Shiraishi just waited in silence, watching her.

“I saw a festival. It was as if I was in the shrine precincts, watching it. There were two mikoshi, one carried by men and the other by women, and they were racing to be first back into the shrine. It was night time; the grounds were lit by braziers. And the men and women were wearing nothing but loincloths. The mikoshi… The mikoshi were beautiful, gold-plated with red lacquered torii on them.â€ Akiko managed a smile. This part of the vision was rather easier. “I think Tamao’s aramitama might want that festival.â€

Shiraishi nodded, but remained silent as if waiting for Akiko to continue. Akiko just sipped her tea; she was not going to deliberately remember the rest of the vision.

“Well,â€ Shiraishi said, “I’m not sure what we can do about that. We couldn’t hold such a festival; quite apart from the cost of mikoshi, topless women running around is hardly appropriate, and would get them, and probably us, arrested.â€

Akiko nodded.

“I’m not even sure what the vision means. But Yoshiko also suggested that holding a festival might be a good way to strengthen the kami and encourage the ujiko to come back.â€

“Yes,â€ Shiraishi said, nodding slowly, “it might. But not one involving naked women, I think. We don’t need <em>that</em> sort of attention.â€