From our position, we could look down on the place where the summer festival would be held. Stands and carts lined the narrow path to the shrine, with two rows of paper lanterns hanging over them like runway light strips that brought a low red glow to the shrine grounds. The people milling about ™‡”‡ ‹ Š‹‰Š •’‹”‹–•ǡ ™Š‹…Š ™ƒ• ™Š› ™‡ …‘—Ž†ǯ– ‰‘ †‘™ –‘ „‡ ƒ‘‰ them. Neither of us said anything, because we knew that if we did, the tears would spill over. So we kept our mouths shut and patiently sat there, bottling our feelings inside. What Himeno and I were waiting for was something that would back us up and help everything make sense. Perhaps we really were praying to the god of the shrine at that moment, with the droning of the cicadas flooding the air around us. As the sun began to cross the horizon, Himeno rose to her feet, brushed the dust from her skirt, and stared straight ahead. Dz–Š‡ˆ—–—”‡ǡ™‡ǯ”‡‰‘‹‰–‘„‡˜‡”›‹’‘”–ƒ–’‡‘’Ž‡ǡdz•Š‡•ƒ‹†‹–Šƒ– clear voice of purpose only she possessed. As if she were speaking a simple fact that had just been set in stone. Dzǥ‘™ˆƒ”‹–Š‡ˆ—–—”‡ƒ”‡™‡–ƒŽ‹‰ƒ„‘—–ǫdzƒ•‡†Ǥ Dz”‘„ƒ„Ž›‘––Šƒ–•‘‘Ǥ—–‘––Šƒ–ˆƒ”ǡ‡‹–Š‡”Ǥ„‘—––‡›‡ƒ”•ǡ„‡–Ǥdz Dz‡›‡ƒ”•ǡdz”‡’‡ƒ–‡†ǤDz‡ǯŽŽ„‡–™‡–›„›–Š‡Ǥdz At ten years old, twenty was the age of adulthood and ultimate maturity. •ˆƒ”ƒ•…‘—Ž†–‡ŽŽǡ‹‡‘ǯ••–ƒ–‡‡–was practical, even probable. Š‡ …‘–‹—‡†ǡ DzSomething will happen during the summer. Ten years ˆ”‘ ‘™ǡ •‘‡–Š‹‰ǯ• ‰‘ƒ Šƒ’’‡ ˆ‘” —•Ǥ ‘‡–Š‹‰ ‰”‡ƒ–Ǥ † –Š‡ ™‡ǯŽŽˆ‹ƒŽŽ›„‡‰Žƒ†–‘„‡ƒŽ‹˜‡Ǥ…‡™‡ǯ”‡‹’‘”–ƒ–ƒ†”‹…Šǡ™‡ǯŽŽŽ‘‘ back on eleme–ƒ”›•…Š‘‘Žƒ†•ƒ›ǡǮŠƒ–•…Š‘‘Ž†‹†ǯ–‰‹˜‡—•ƒ›–Š‹‰ǡ‘– even a negative example to avoid. They were all idiots. It was just a terrible •…Š‘‘ŽǤǯdz Dz‘—ǯ”‡ ”‹‰Š–Ǥ Š‡› are nothing but idiots. It is ƒ –‡””‹„Ž‡ •…Š‘‘Žǡdz  repeated. Back then, that was a very fresh point of view for me. When ›‘—ǯ”‡ ‹ ‡Ž‡‡–ƒ”› •…Š‘‘Žǡ ‹–ǯ• ›‘—” ‡–‹”‡ ™‘”Ž†ǡ ƒ† ‹–ǯ• †‹ˆˆ‹…—Ž– –‘ …‘•‹†‡”‹–‹–‡”•‘ˆDz‰‘‘†dz‘”Dz„ƒ†Ǥdz DzŠ‡’‘‹–‹•ǡ™‡‡‡†–‘„‡”‡ƒŽŽ›‹’‘”–ƒ–ƒ†”‹…Š‹–‡›‡ƒ”•Ǥ‡ can make our classmates so jeƒŽ‘—•ǡ–Š‡›ǯŽŽƒŽŽŠƒ˜‡Š‡ƒ”–ƒ––ƒ…•Ǥdz Dz‘Œ‡ƒŽ‘—•ǡ–Š‡›ǯŽŽ…Š‡™‘ˆˆ–Š‡‹”‘™Ž‹’•ǡdzƒ‰”‡‡†Ǥ Dz–Š‡”™‹•‡ǡ‹–™‘—Ž†ǯ–„‡ˆƒ‹”ǡdz•Š‡•ƒ‹†ǡ‰”‹‹‰Ǥ †‹†ǯ––Š‹‹‡‘™ƒ•Œ—•––”›‹‰–‘ƒ‡‡ˆ‡‡Ž„‡––‡”Ǥ••‘‘ƒ• she said it, it felt as real to me as a vision of the actual future. The words had the ring of prophecy to them.