"then there's the legend" she ntued, as if this story was repeated to a thoand different guests on a thoand different days "about the ke on the other side of the foothill a ke of holy water, frozen to create a irror half a ile wide a irror to heaven"

a irror to heaven

"and that is why those spirits are here, to protect that irror"

those spirits

"and the ancient tale also talks about their arrival! here you shall see how the gods truly do care about "

their arrival

"it has been passed down by word of outh, sce few of our ancestors uld write (after all, this is a rural area filled with farrs) that heaven's ary sent its fest warriors to protect that holy water"

fest warriors

and then she bent down, lowerg her voice to a re whisper

"we tell the children never to leave when the ghosts are out, for fear that their souls ay be stolen if they anger the godsbut one tii did go out i t have been elve or eleven at that ti i snuck out of y ho and went to the ke even though the warng bell had already sounded and i saw the! i swear to it on y own life i saw the with the arks the iddle of their foreheads they lgered on the ke like ist, but i uld see the! and unt the! thirty i saith y own young eyes thirty"

thirty of heaven's fest warriors

chopsticks fell to the wooden floor