At first, Akiko was just running, but she soon realised that she was running to the shrine. She had no idea why, but she didn’t care. She didn’t have anywhere to go.

She didn’t stop running at the bottom of the steps, climbing them as quickly as she could, her feet slipping repeatedly on the slick, wet surface, but somehow she avoided falling. As she climbed her tears slowed and finally stopped, and she could see clearly by the time she reached the torii.

She paused just outside it, looking into the shrine precincts. The rain was a silver veil here, softening the edges of the shrine building without concealing it, making it seem more of a natural part of the environment. Drops of water collected on the undersides of both of the torii’s crossbeams, sparkling as they dripped to the ground below, a thin curtain of jewels.

Akiko’s panic fell away from her, leaving the anger and despair behind. Ducking her head, she walked through the torii, and towards the water basin. Angry as she was, she couldn’t make herself go before the kami without purification. As she poured the water over her hands, it felt as though the contamination was washed from her body, and as she spat out the water from rinsing her mouth, she felt clean again. She looked, and there was no stain on her sleeve where the thing had touched her, although she was soaking wet.

Shivering a little, she hurried to the shrine, and rang the bell before bowing, clapping, and bowing once more. Then she just stood there for long moments, looking into the shrine, her emotions churning. She wanted the kami to appear so that she could shout at him, but there was no sign of the snake. She decided to shout at him anyway.

“Tamao! What do you want with me? Why did you want to wreck my life? Do you even care? Do you even know what you have done? Is it just a game to you, sending dreams to people, interfering with their work, wrecking their homes? I thought kami were supposed to protect the places where they were, not destroy people. What have I ever done to you? I even picked up the litter. I cleaned your shrine for you, and all you did was threaten me! You have no gratitude. I hate you!â€

She finished on a scream, breathing heavily, with an uncomfortable feeling that she was being childish, and that she had not been fierce enough, that Tamao still didn’t understand her problems.

She remained standing, looking into the shrine, sure that the kami would appear to berate her, or that there would be some kind of curse, but there was nothing. Just the drip of the water from the eaves, the flickering lights in the depths of the shrine, and the smell of wet earth.

She heard someone climbing the steps behind her and turned to see Mr Takenaka, his face grim. He nodded to her.

“You’re right, you know. This shrine is cursed.â€

Akiko was looking beyond him, to the figure who had just appeared at the torii.

Naoyuki.