Making offerings at Takenaka’s small shrine became a part of the daily routine, as they waited to see whether the curses would stop. After two nights with no dreams of him, Akiko became more confident that the enshrinement had worked. News of the fever continued, but now there were fewer new cases and more people being released from hospital. After a few days the council lifted its recommendation to avoid travel, but the number of cases continued to decline.

Akira came to the shrine most days, keeping them up to date on his progress with the business as well as making offerings to his father.

“Mr Sugiwara has been in touch; he’s hired us for a building project.â€

“That’s great!â€ Akiko was really pleased to hear it; Akira’s answering smile, however, was a bit weak.

“It’s not a big job, and won’t last long. But it is a job; it breaks the drought. And the fever seems to be finishing.â€

“Yes; that’s really good news.â€

“Mm. I guess the ceremony worked.â€ Akira’s lack of enthusiasm puzzled Akiko, and it was only after he had gone that she had an idea of the cause. The fact that the fever broke after the ceremony almost proved that Hideo Takenaka had been causing it; accepting that your father had become a tatarigami was the sort of thing Akiko could see being difficult.

Akiko’s miko training continued, with Shiraishi now devoting a bit more time to having Akiko read introductory texts on Shinto, as well as practising the ritual motions. Akiko still found it all difficult, and hard to connect to the vision that had started it all, so when she had free time she spent it outside the shrine, just walking around the area.

Every time, she came up with another excuse for why she had to go out, even as she looked around, all her senses alert for any sign of kegare, or one of the warped spirits.

For a few days she saw nothing out of the ordinary, just mundane litter and occasional patches of graffiti, and she started to hope that enshrining Takenaka had solved that problem, as well. But then, one overcast, gloomy afternoon, she tripped over something, grazing her hands and knees as she fell. She felt the first drops of rain before she could get up, and winced slightly as she put her weight on her right leg.

And then her mouth went dry, her heart pounding, as she looked around.

Kegare lay over almost all the houses, like some mould or creeping vine, mostly dark in colour but sometimes a dead white, pulsing with an unwholesome life, one part bursting in a cloud of spores that moved purposefully through the air. Creatures prowled among it, cats with too many limbs, twisted crows flying from one roof to the next, worms spilling out of cracks in the pavement.

For now, they seemed to be ignoring her. Akiko turned, and, walking as quickly as she dared, headed back to the shrine. She felt the eyes of a couple of spirits light on her, a sense of slime dripping down her body, or a sudden shortness of breath.

It was only when she was back in the shrine grounds, away from their gaze, that she realised her cell phone was ringing.