Akiko was almost afraid to breathe. She knew that the air wasn’t really that thick with midges, that it was just a way of seeing the kegare, but still it was like a grey cloud filling the room. The walls were covered in a forest of fungal growths, reaching out into the room, flexing and twisting as if searching for something and exhaling clouds of spores. Between them long, sinuous, glistening things moved, occasionally glancing out at Akiko with glittering, faceted eyes.

She did breathe, and the stench hit her. Sewage, rotting flesh, rotten eggs… She could not check the reflex, and she gagged, stumbling at the entrance. Quickly, almost desperately, she forced her vision back to normal, and all the kegare vanished at once, leaving a family home, maybe in need of a clean, but not a breeding ground for fungus. Shiraishi and the Tanakas looked at her, concerned.

“I’m sorry,â€ Akiko said. “I’m all right now. We should get on with the purification.â€

She helped Shiraishi set up the himorogi in the living room, trying not to think about what the kegare must look like, and then took up her place, holding the kagurasuzu. <em>I don’t need to look at the kegare,</em> she told herself. <em>It will all be fine once the harae starts.</em>

At first, it looked like she was right. Shiraishi began to intone the norito, kneeling in front of the ohnusa.

Then the priest coughed, briefly interrupting the flow. Akiko looked at her, as she coughed again, harder this time, and drew breath with a tortured sound, before doubling over coughing again.

Gritting her teeth, Akiko switched her vision to see the kegare. One of the worm things from the wall was coiled around Shiraishi’s neck, its jaws snapping at her face as it tightened its grip, and the priest struggled to breathe. Akiko swung the kagurasuzu towards it, the sound of the bells clearing a path through the cloud of midges, and the things lost its grip, falling to the floor with a high-pitched whine.

The smell was still almost overpowering, but Akiko didn’t dare take her eyes off the spirits. Another worm sprang from the wall, aiming for the priest, but Akiko blocked it, as Shiraishi continued to recite the norito and the light built up within the ohnusa. As Akiko stepped back again, she suddenly realised that the ohnusa was rocking, and glanced at the table on which it stood, seeing the worm creatures attacking its legs with their jaws, winding round them and pulling, shaking, trying to topple it.

The bells swung down again, driving them away before they could finish the job, leaving the ohnusa safe, and now glowing too brightly for them to approach again. Akiko stepped back, and worms dropped on her from the ceiling, their touch stinging her skin, their jaws plunging into her like hot needles.

She cried out, swinging the bells around herself, worms dropping from her, screeching on the floor, as Shiraishi finished the norito and picked up the ohnusa.

The light flowed through the house like a river, washing the walls clean, drowning the midges and sweeping them away, cleansing the air of the smell and soothing Akiko’s injuries. As Shiraishi looked at her for confirmation, Akiko went to the door and looked out at the other rooms of the house. They also seemed to be clear, and she nodded.

The Tanakas were looking from Akiko to Shiraishi and back again, confusion and fear on their faces.

“What happened?â€

Shiraishi looked over at Akiko, who just shook her head.

“The kegare,â€ the priest said. “You should be careful about purity for a while, and do you have a kamidana?â€

“Well, not a formal one…â€ Mr Tanaka replied, sounding a little embarrassed. While he discussed the details with Shiraishi, Akiko realised that she was shaking, and sank down on a chair.

So much pollution…