Akiko woke up lying on the bed in the love hotel, her cell phone still clutched in her hand. She pushed herself upright, looking at the time: six am. She felt empty, utterly drained, and tired as she was she could tell that she wouldn’t sleep. Struggling to her feet, she stretched and looked around the room. The bath was inviting, and the sight of her tear-stained face in the mirror convinced her that she really wanted to freshen up.

<em>Might as well take advantage of the facilities,</em> she thought, as she started running the bath.

It was only after she had got in, and begun to relax in the hot water, that she noticed that the whole wall was a mirror, including the portion that formed one side of the bath, so that even the parts of her that were underwater were reflected. She smiled slightly, thinking that Naoyuki would really like it.

Sobs rose in her chest again and, wrapping her arms around her legs, she let them come, let her tears fall into the bath, let herself go completely.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed before her breathing settled and the tears stopped flowing, but the water was still warm. She took a few deep breaths, and brushed the tears from her eyes, glancing into the mirror.

There was no reflection. Instead, she saw the water of the bath continuing, uninterrupted, until it reached a boundary of natural stones, large ones. Beyond them was a grassy area, crossed by a stone path and surrounded by towering trees. Sunlight fell through the leaves, sparkling off the surface of the water, and making the roof of the small open hut beside the pool almost glow, the straw thatching turning gold. Inside the hut she could see a yukata, hanging from a hook, and a white towel lay on one of the stones, as if she had abandoned it there.

Akiko quickly looked the other way, confirming that the bathroom of the love hotel was still there, and unchanged. She turned back to the mirror, where the pool was still visible. She realised that she couldn’t see any reflection at all, and watched as ripples in the surface of the water crossed the line where the mirror should be, uninterrupted. Cautiously, she stretched a hand out towards the mirror, reaching forward, expecting to feel it any moment, but her hand just kept going.

She snatched it back, as she realised that she could smell pine needles, and hear the wind in the branches. She was about to reach out again, when she heard voices from the mirror, women’s voices, coming from further down the path where it disappeared into the woods.

Stung into action, Akiko scrambled out of the bath, back into the love hotel, and grabbed a towel from the rack, wrapping it round her. She turned back, to be confronted by her reflection, wrapped in a white towel, her face almost as pale as the fabric.