The sky was clear the following night, but the wind was picking up as Akiko boarded the train. She didn’t care. She had slept with no dreams to speak of, and, despite being very tired she had got through the day without seeing any giant snakes. And now she was going to go home without going anywhere near the shrine.

The train drew into her usual station, and Akiko stayed there, holding on to the ring and peering out of the window. The chime sounded and the doors closed, but the train didn’t move. As the time stretched out, Akiko felt her nerves in her stomach. Why wasn’t the train moving?

“Your attention please.â€ The public address system sprang into life. “There appears to be a fault with the train. We will be opening the doors again, and we will make further announcements as we have more information. We apologise for inconveniencing you this evening.â€ Ripples of muttered conversation passed through the train, and Akiko realised that her fingernails were digging painfully into her palm. As time passed, some people got off the train, but Akiko refused to move.

“Our deepest apologies, but this train is no longer in service. We would like to ask everyone to get off. At this point, we do not know when services out of Tokyo will resume on this line.â€

Even then, Akiko was the last off the train, not wanting to admit what had happened. The station announcement said that trains would be run from three stations up the line, and that a bus service would be provided, but even as people began to flow off the platform Akiko found herself accepting her fate. The bus would break down. The roads would be blocked. At least if she just went, it wouldn’t cause trouble for everyone else.

She walked out of the station, and started walking towards the shrine. The wind was still strong, and seemed to be getting even stronger, blowing from behind her as if helping her along.

By the time she reached the shrine, the leaves on the trees were surging like waves at sea, and some had been torn off to dance on the wind, circling round her as she reached the base of the steps.

And the wind changed direction so suddenly that Akiko staggered, lurching towards the steps as the gale started blowing straight into the shrine. She grabbed the central railing to steady herself, and looked up the steps at the torii.

<em>I’m not going in,</em> she thought, and turned away to the path home.

As soon as she started walking the wind shifted again, blowing directly into her face. It was hard to keep her eyes open, and when she did the wind blew grit into them, forcing her to blink and look down. Step by step, she pushed her way forward against the wind, slowly descending the hill.

Abruptly, the air was still, and Akiko stumbled forward, nearly falling. She looked behind her, but the shrine was out of sight already. She stood still for a moment, but then found herself running home, heart pounding.