She grabbed the mirror’s frame tightly, trying to crawl inside. The rainbow-coloured light beyond it was wavering. ‘Wait! Don’t go away!’

With all her strength she heaved herself through.

WHEN THE SHAKING STOPPED, KOKORO found herself back in her own room.

The same bed, her familiar desk, the usual curtains.

Even though they were closed, she could sense how the atmosphere of the city had changed, now that it was November and winter was coming.

Her back and forehead were bathed in sweat; her heart was still pounding. She knew she was lucky. She’d only just escaped being eaten.

She looked over at her mirror – it was no longer glowing. Her knees shook as she remembered that deafening howl. Her bones were still reverberating.

She wondered whether the others had made it through.

She parted the curtains and spied a graceful crescent moon in the evening sky. For the first time in for ever, she slid open the window, and leaned out for a better view of the city.

Houses just like the one she lived in; tall condos, apartment buildings that looked, from where she stood, like matchboxes. In the distance, she could catch the lights flickering in the supermarket.

They are all out there somewhere.

Every one of them, in the same district as her.

December

THE CITY TWINKLED WITH Christmas lights.

She could feel it, even from inside her house. Kokoro’s family wasn’t the type to put up Christmas decorations, though the neighbours always festooned their house from top to bottom. She didn’t have to go outside to see them. She could pick up the flashing of their lights reflecting on the walls and windows of her house.

‘DON’T YOU THINK WE SHOULD do something for Christmas?’ Rion asked.

It was December and they were gathered in the castle.

On the sofa, Fuka raised her head from her book, and Masamune glanced up from his video game. They all looked at Rion.

‘I mean, we’ve got this space all to ourselves, so shouldn’t we get a cake or something to celebrate?’

‘Do they have Christmas in Hawaii too?’ asked Fuka. Christmas was about chubby old Santa Claus in his red outfit flying across the snowy sky. It was hard to picture this character on a tropical island.

Rion laughed. ‘Yes. Of course. Though they don’t have the image of a white Christmas like in Japan. There’s tons of posters with pictures of Santa surfing and stuff.’

‘Surfing?’ Kokoro didn’t mean to raise her voice, but Rion chuckled even more.

‘The holiday’s so big in America, much more than in Japan. It’s more like Very Christmas than Merry Christmas over there. You can’t get away from it.’

‘I see.’