There was someone in the precincts as Akiko dashed down the steps of the shrine, but she ignored them, running straight to the house and into the entrance hall.

“Revd Shiraishi! Revd Shiraishi!â€ It was only as she called for the priest that she realised who she had seen; Akira Takenaka. She turned back, and he nodded to her.

“Good morning, Ms Tanahata. Are you all right?â€ Akiko had some idea of how panicked she looked, and just shook her head. She was about to explain, but suddenly realised that she couldn’t tell Akira that she’d just had a vision of his father’s corpse.

Shiraishi came hurrying to the entrance.

“What is it? Oh, Akira. How are you?â€

“Revd Shiraishi, you have to purify the shrine.â€ Akiko couldn’t wait, couldn’t take time to explain. The priest looked at her, puzzled.

“What? What are you talking about?â€

“There are purification ceremonies, right? You have to perform one for the shrine.â€ <em>Don’t make me explain why,</em> she pleaded silently. <em>Not in front of Akira.</em> Shiraishi continued staring at her, puzzled, for a few moments, and then she paled, blood draining from her face, and nodded.

“Yes, yes, you’re right.â€ She turned back to Akira. “I’m sorry, Akira. How are you? And what can we do for you?â€ Akiko, her heart still pounding, turned to look out at the shrine. It looked as thought the ridge pole had collapsed, the centre of the roof drooping inwards as pus leaked from the cracks as if from a sore.

“I’m all right, thank you. I just came to make sure you were OK, because I didn’t see you yesterday.â€ Akiko couldn’t control herself any longer.

“Revd Shiraishi, you have to  purify the shrine <em>now.</em>â€ The priest looked at her, angry, and opened her mouth, before closing it sharply as fear chased anger from her face.

“Did you…?â€ She trailed off, glancing surreptitiously at Akira. Akiko just nodded, and she saw the priest swallow sharply, and then try to bring herself under control. Shiraishi turned back to Akira.

“I’m sorry, we have to perform this ceremony. Would you like to attend?â€

“I would be happy to.â€ Akira was very polite, but sounded slightly distant. Shiraishi watched him for a long moment, and then nodded.

“I have to get changed. Please wait here.â€ She bowed once, and then headed back into the house, leaving Akiko and Akira alone.

Akiko’s eye was caught by motion, by something like a centipede disappearing under the step up from the entrance into the house, and she turned to look out at the shrine again.

Everything seemed to be covered in cobwebs, great drapes of grey fibre cocooning everything, while a myriad spiders crawled over them, some of them as large as a dog, with venom dripping from their mouths. Akiko took a step back, and almost stumbled when she came up against the shelves for shoes.

“Ms Tanahata? Are you sure you’re all right?â€ Akiko realised she was shaking her head, but before she could correct herself her ears were filled with a hideous buzzing, like a million flies attacking a corpse, rising and settling in clouds of decay.

“Would you like to sit down?â€ Akira’s voice was solicitous, but Akiko still couldn’t get a reply together. Fortunately, Shiraishi chose that moment to reappear, in her full vestments.

“Right, if you would follow me to the shrine.â€

The spiders were gone when they stepped outside, but off the paths the grass seemed to have become a swamp, with ghostly lights flickering over pools of stagnant water where the scent of rot hung heavy in the air. The only noise was of <em>things</em> moving through the water, some splashing, some gliding, some paddling, but none sounding healthy to Akiko as she picked her way carefully along the stones.

<em>Akira and Revd Shiraishi haven’t noticed anything,</em> she told herself. <em>I won’t sink if I step off the path.</em> But still, she couldn’t make herself do it.

They climbed the steps to the shrine, steps that looked rotted and broken to Akiko, but which became solid again moments before the priest stepped on them, and then seemed to crumble again under Akiko’s feet. She looked back from the veranda, and the swamp had swallowed the path. The torii at the entrance, wreathed in mist, was leaning at a crazy angle.

Inside the shrine, Shiraishi went to kneel before a large stick with many strips of folded white paper fixed to one end, the ohnusa, and Akiko and Akira sat on the stools. To Akiko’s eyes they were heavy with mildew, and cockroaches scampered across them, but Akira seemed to have no qualms about sitting. Although her skin shied away from contact, Akiko followed suit.

“<em>Takamanoharanikamuzumarimasu…â€</em> Shiraishi started reciting the norito, the prayer, as darkness seemed to thicken around her. Akiko could definitely see things watching them now, clinging to the walls at the rafters, bats and lizards and monkeys and birds, all with injured or deformed bodies, all leaking pus, or drooling, some defecating on the shrine as she watched. Their eyes burned with an unwholesome light.

Akiko glanced at Akira, and had to suppress a gasp. She could hardly see him; he was wrapped in darkness, in threads that seemed to bind and conceal, that kept reaching for his mouth and nose as if they wanted to invade his throat. Choking back her words, Akiko turned back to Shiraishi.

The priest was continuing the prayer, and the ohnusa was shining. Gold and silver light ran along the edges of the paper like lightning, while a fire in red and green and purple seemed to burn at the head of the rod, consuming nothing.

<em>“…kashikomikshikomimomousu.â€ </em>Shiraishi finished the prayer and bowed before reaching for the ohnusa. As she lifted it, drops of light fell from the paper, bouncing on the floor and driving the darkness back. The priest stood and bowed once more, before walking to the rear of the shrine. She raised the ohnusa and shook it to the left, then the right, then the left again.

As she shook it, Akiko saw the light and fire flung off it, sweeping out to drive back the darkness, the fire consuming the things that clung to the walls, dissolving them to nothingness.

The priest turned to face them.

“Please bow your heads.â€

Even with her head bowed, Akiko could see the light flooding out from the ohnusa, scouring the corruption, bleaching the mildew from the seats and, out of the corner of her eye, burning away the threads that surrounded Akira.

“Please raise your heads.â€

Akiko looked up again. The room seemed empty and clean once more. She looked around, but there was nothing to be seen. She relaxed, the tension flowing out of her, and nodded to Shiraishi.

There was a sound from beside her, and she looked to see tears starting from Akira’s eyes, as he buried his head in his hands and began crying.