“So. What does it mean?â€ Akiko sat at the kitchen table, looking at Shiraishi as the priest stirred her coffee.

“It means you were possessed by the kami to pass a message on to us. Which, incidentally, is probably what miko originally did. I have to admit that I didn’t think it was still part of the job, however.â€

“And the dance?â€

“Dancing while possessed by a kami goes back over a thousand years; it’s mentioned in the <em>Kojiki.</em>â€

“That’s the old collection of legends, right? Not the collection of norito?â€

“Right. The collection of norito is the <em>Engishiki.</em>â€

“Er, didn’t you mention something about dancing when you were talking about the designs for the new shrine?â€

“Right. You remembered that? <em>Kagura,</em> sacred dance, is still an important part of Shinto, but it’s not much like what you did just now. Much slower and more restrained. No, your dance was definitely possessed dancing.â€

“So it was all perfectly normal, then?â€

Shiraishi burst out laughing, and Akiko found herself joining in. When the priest got herself under control, she shook her head.

“No, it wasn’t normal. But it does fit with the legends.â€

“Maybe they aren’t just legends.â€

“Let’s not go overboard. I doubt that a kami literally gave birth to the islands of Japan. Still, some bits may be a lot closer to simple accounts of the facts than I thought. We’ve had Hideo’s angry ghost, calmed by being enshrined, and now possession by a kami conveying warnings about pollution and telling us what to do. I doubt this is the only time it’s happened.â€

“But you’ve not heard about it before?â€ Shiraishi shook her head. “So why now? And why me?â€

“I have no idea,â€ the priest admitted. “Maybe you could ask Tamao?â€ Akiko was about to snap back an irritated response, when she realised that Shiraishi was entirely serious, and that it might actually be a possibility.

“Maybe I could. I’m just not sure…â€ Akiko tried to remember how she had felt when Tamao possessed her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “No, I’m not sure how to do that. In any case, what do we do about Tamao’s message?â€

“Well, it doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know already.â€

“That’s true,â€ Akiko had to agree. “Although it does confirm what Tamao is angry about.â€

“Yes. And it seems that the pollution and the direct threat to the shrine are separate, at least as far as Tamao believes.â€

“So, if we can purify the surrounding area and save the shrine, Tamao will be happy and stop causing floods and earthquakes.â€

“I think that’s about it,â€ Shiraishi agreed.

“It would have been nice if Tamao had given us some hints as to how to do that.â€ Shiraishi nodded.

“Well, we can get on with rebuilding the shrine as quickly as possible. And think about purifying the area.â€

“That would be a good idea. The kegare seems to cause accidents. Or maybe accidents cause kegare.â€ Akiko thought back over what she had seen, remembering the motorcycle crash and the flood. “Or maybe both. In any case, places with kegare seem to be bad, so cleansing them should be good by itself.â€

“But what do we do? Go around performing harae everywhere?â€

Akiko imagined the two of them, in full vestments, performing ceremonies around Kawasaki while people stared at them, and shook her head, blushing.

“I don’t think that’s the best way to do it. We need to think of something else. What is causing it?â€

“What, indeed.â€ Shiraishi also seemed to have no answer to that question.