On the fourth night, the townspeople performed Obon rites. Lanterns floated upon the water like drifting souls, and the moon hung high above the shrine roofs, cold and flawless. Mei joined the crowd, but when she turned her camera toward the lights, every photograph came back blank. The innkeeper said it meant the boundary between worlds had thinned.Following the sound of a koto from the beach, Mei saw the silhouette of Lady Akane standing ankle-deep in tide, her hands outstretched. "You saw me first beneath the moon," the spirit murmured, voice like sea wind passing through reeds. "Now show me what I have become."Mei raised her camera; the shutter clicked once — and everything went dark.
