Kimi no Na wa: Echoes from the Future

Furtive Encounter

The crescent moon was peeking over the mountains, appearing and disappearing at times through dark clouds, at times breaking the darkness of the night. The icy November autumn wind blew through the trees, causing small ripples on the surface of Lake Itomori, which shone silver as the moon peeked through the clouds again.

Walking slowly, a cloaked figure cautiously approached the Tori arch that welcomed the steps of the Miyamizu Shrine. He was looking in all directions, showing a clear nervousness of being discovered. The light of a couple of torches that illuminated the entrance was the only sign of life, so the hooded man, after waiting a minute at the trees near the stairs, decided that no guard was nearby, and began the ascent towards the sanctuary.

He was already a few dozen steps away from reaching the main esplanade, when the moon hid behind the clouds again. The sudden darkness helped the hooded man's presence to go unnoticed as he moved stealthily towards the trees on the side of the stairs, because he realized that one of the sanctuary's servants approached the beginning of the stairs carrying a lamp in his hand.

The servant, an old man in his 60s, stood for a while looking down the stairs and toward the lake, feeling an unease he couldn't explain. He tried to sharpen his worn senses, but he couldn't hear or see anything unusual. The cry of a woman calling to him behind his back broke the silence of the night and took him out of his concentration.

"Koba-san! Dinner will be served soon."

"I'll go right away, start without me," replied the old man, placing one of his hands like a horn to his mouth.

With a sigh, the old warder decided to finish his rounds and returned to his house, which was at the back of the temple. A gust of icy wind flickered the flame of the lamp. The old man tried to close the kimono around his neck, and retraced his steps, walking slowly through the center of the esplanade, dimly lit by oil lamps hung on the corners of the main buildings. The familiar voices of people preparing for dinner escaped into the night as from one of the pavilions a woman opened the door to fetch something from the common kitchen.

After a few minutes the hooded figure, who had been quiet and hidden in the trees, moved again. Poking his head above ground level, he peered to make sure neither the old man nor anyone else was watching his progress. Then he made a quick, silent run off the stairs into the trees to his left, behind a large building. He continued through the trees, until he was hidden behind the thick trunk of a katsura tree, a few meters away from the pavilion.

For several minutes, the figure remained in the shade of the trees, moving from time to time to avoid going numb, but always watching for movement in the building in front of him. When a side door burst open, he hurriedly ducked back as he watched one of the temple's Miko priestesses hurried out carrying trays full of dishes and headed down the side corridor toward the back of the temple, where the kitchen was located. The middle-aged woman walked a stone's throw distance from the hooded figure, unaware of his presence. A few minutes later, the priestess returned walking much more slowly, this time carrying a tray with a steaming pot, disappearing through the same door from which she had left minutes before.

The cold breeze brought the scent of freshly prepared food to the hooded man, who squirmed in sudden hunger. But he kept lurking, waiting.

After about half an hour, the voices began to get louder, until a group of people, men and women dressed in temple attire, came out the side door. Two older men, dressed in the shozuku garb of Shinto priests, led the group, conversing animatedly. Behind them they were followed by a woman in her 40s who was leading a girl of about 10 by the hand. The woman walked with some difficulty due to her swollen belly, which showed an advanced pregnancy. After taking a few steps outside, the woman stopped, looked back, and went back to the door, speaking to the inside.