Akiko felt much better after the bath, better enough to wonder why it had been so important to her. She put a yukata on, and went looking for Shiraishi and Akira. She found the priest in the office, on the phone.

“…I see. Thank you anyway.â€ Shiraishi put the phone down with sigh, and turned to look at Akiko.

“Are you feeling better now?â€

“Yes.â€ Akiko paused for a moment, trying to analyse her reactions. “I really don’t know why I was so desperate for that bath.â€

“Purity is important to the kami,â€ Shiraishi replied. “And that does include simply not being physically dirty. Anyway, it’s not as if there’s anything much you could have been doing instead.â€

“No,â€ Akiko agreed. “How is it progressing?â€ Shiraishi threw her hands up, frustration suddenly clear on her face.

“We should really use a small stone hokora for this, but I can’t find anywhere local that has one. A couple of places said that they had stopped doing Shinto-related things altogether. The others were even less willing to talk.â€ She shook her head, clearly puzzled. “We’re offering a significant amount of money; it’s very strange. They don’t even offer to make one.â€

“We don’t have time to wait for that!â€ Akiko felt panic rising at the very thought.

“Oh, I know, I know. But they don’t even offer. And I can hardly start by saying that I need one urgently, can I?â€ Akiko calmed down a bit, acknowledging the priest’s logic.

“Where’s Akira?â€

“He’s gone to get something suitable for use as a goshintai. Hideo had a Buddhist funeral, of course, so we can’t use any of the funeral things. Still, he was confident that he’d be able to find something.â€

“What are we going to do about the shrine for him, though?â€ Shiraishi pulled a face.

“I think we’re going to have to use a miyagata for a kamidana.â€

“A what?â€ Shiraishi rolled her eyes.

“You know what a kamidana is, at least?â€

“Um, the place of the kami in a house, right?â€

“Yes. There’s one in the reception room; haven’t you noticed?â€ Akiko shook her head, she hadn’t. “Hmm. Anyway, the miyagata is the thing on a kamidana that looks like a shrine building.â€

“Oh, right. I think I’ve seen those.â€

“I just hope it can survive being outside long enough for us to find a stone one.â€

“Outside? Does it have to be?â€ Shiraishi stared at her for a moment.

“You want to invite a tatarigami into our house?â€ Akiko thought for a moment, and then shook her head. Put like that, it didn’t sound like a good idea. “And anyway, a shrine has to be resting on the earth and under the sky. We’ll just have to hope.â€

“So, when will we do the ceremony?â€

“As soon as Akira gets back. So I need to take a bath as well; could you go and get a miyagata while I do that? It’s not far to the shop.â€

When Akiko got back, getting out of the taxi and starting to struggle up the steps with the miyagata’s box, Akira was already there. He came down to help her, and Akiko explained the plans. Shiraishi, in full vestments, came out of the shrine house to meet them.

“Oh, good. You have something suitable?â€ That to Akira, who nodded. “Right, bring them round here.â€ The priest led the way round the side of the house, to a spot just inside the woodland. “I decided it would be best to put it somewhere with a bit of shelter,â€ she explained.

They unpacked the miyagata, and set it on the ground where Shiraishi indicated. The priest took the front off, then took a small brocade bag from Akira. She looked at him quizzically.

“His seal,â€ he explained. “He used it for everything, business and personal.â€ The priest smiled.

“That’s perfect. Excellent choice.â€ She put it inside the miyagata, then replaced the front, carefully opening the doors.

“Right, we should get started.â€

Shiraishi had prepared all the ritual tools, and some straw mats for them to sit on. As she spoke the words of the purifying prayer, Akiko felt briefly dizzy, as dancing lights gathered on the ohnusa again. She glanced around, and half-failed to suppress a gasp.

Tamao had left the shrine, and was sliding across the grass towards them. As she watched, the snake came in among the trees, and slid behind the tiny shrine, settling behind it, looking out beyond them, his eyes shining gold in the shade of the trees.

Akiko suddenly felt a lot calmer. Tamao was there to protect them, she was sure of that. In case something went wrong. She glanced at Akira and Shiraishi, but neither of them seemed to have noticed anything. Not that Akiko was surprised by that.

Shiraishi waved the ohnusa to purify the shrine and them, and then returned to kneel in front of it, taking a folded piece of paper from the breast of her vestments and carefully unfolding it.

“Kakemakumo kashikoki…â€ Akiko couldn’t follow the words, but she could feel something changing in the air around her, and glanced round.

Hideo Takenaka was standing framed by the torii, still outside the shrine precincts, but looking much calmer than before. As the norito continued, Akiko saw the coloured clouds around him thin out, ceasing to swirl as they vanished. His appearance gradually reverted to human, to the appearance of the man she had met in the shrine.

The priest stopped reading, but Akiko couldn’t take her eyes off Takenaka. He seemed to be waiting for something.

Shiraishi started moaning, a single, deliberate note.

“Ohhhhh.â€

As the sound started, Takenaka started walking forward, crossing the shrine precincts towards them, but at the same time somehow not there. He paused in front of the miyagata, looking at Tamao, and bowed. Shiraishi was still there, kneeling and continuing to make that sound, but although Takenaka had to be in the same place as her, somehow he wasn’t. Akiko started to feel slightly ill, as if she were dizzy, and quickly put her hands to the ground to steady herself.

Then Shiraishi fell silent, and in that moment Takenaka vanished. Tamao relaxed, and started sliding round them, apparently returning to the shrine. Shiraishi got up, and picked up a stand carrying standard offerings, which she placed in front of the shrine.

There was nothing to see, but Akiko suddenly felt all her tension leave her. This was right; somehow she knew it. As Shiraishi carefully closed the doors to the miyagata, Akiko was confident that the problem had been solved.