white silk, silver fur

Summer is the season for ghost stories, but winter is when people die. They die of cold, of hunger, of disease that curdles their lungs, of fights over a handful of rice and a shred of burdock.

Abe no Seimei found the child's ghost under the tree at the bottom of his garden, led there by her crying. He brought her to his veranda and made his paper dolls dance for her before sending her on her way.

When Mitsumushi asked why he troubled himself to make the effort, he said, "Winter is cold even for foxes and their children."

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