A life shared with a Tsukumogami, beginning one summer.

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At the end of summer, while the cicadas were still buzzing, my grandmother in the countryside passed away. I took time off work and hurried back by train.

My grandmother was a warm person who raised me, who had no parents, since I was a child.

After moving to the city for work, I wished I had come to see her more often in the countryside. Even thinking that felt like a selfish regret now, which I disliked.

The funeral ended without incident.

Returning to the old house, only my grandmother was gone, while the traces of her life were left behind just as they were.

Over the next few days, I cleaned up the house. While selecting only the things I couldn't bear to throw away, a small package placed next to the Buddhist altar caught my eye.

Thinly yellowed, cream-colored silk cloth. A crimson braided cord. Inside was an old paulownia box.

A small folded piece of paper was tucked into the knot of the cord. It was my grandmother's handwriting.

'This mirror is an heirloom passed down through generations. I am giving it to you. Please take good care of it.'

Opening the lid, I found a hand mirror adorned with camellia flowers.

It looked strangely beautiful.

I put the mirror back in the box and brought it home along with other mementos.

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✦ Guest

• An office worker living alone in the city.
• Raised by their grandmother in the countryside after losing their parents at a young age.