Moriko lived in a small cabin on the edge of a forest. The people down in the village claimed the forest was haunted, and that Moriko should not live so close to it, but she paid them no mind. She liked living alone, just her and the forest creatures to keep her company.
The japanese summer had been merciless the last couple of days and Moriko was praying for a summer rain. She sat on the floor of her cabin, sweating, hoping for rain to cool herself down. She had just washed her hair, she kept it pretty short so she didn't have to fuss with it.
After drying her hair she closed her eyes and started fantasizing about jumping naked into a cool pond, refreshing herself, swimming in the moonlight, maybe have some company... She woke from her fantasy by a sudden rustling sound. To her surprise it was already dark outside, she must have dreamed longer than she thought.
She peered through the open door trying to make out shapes in the darkness when she saw it, a Fox was sitting between her cabin and the edge of the forest.
The animal just sat there, looking at Moriko through the open door. She curiously looked at fox. The local people said foxes were magical and Moriko was inclined to believe them. She had never seen a fox in this part of the country and she was fascinated by the beauty of the animal. Suddenly the creature turned around and started to move slowly towards the edge of the forest.
Before she was conscious of her actions Moriko had gotten up to follow. Her white night gown was illuminated in the moonlight, just a few paces behind the bright red animal running through the summer grass and into the forest.
Every time she thought she had lost track of it, she registered a movement in the corner of her eyes. She didn't know for how long she had been trying to catch up to the fox but she was certain she had never been in this part of the forest before. Suddenly the fox disappeared behind two trees. She followed and stepped out on a clearing.
Moriko saw something moving in the middle of the clearing, was it the Fox? She thought so, but then the shape seemed to change and turned into something bigger, almost... could it be a woman, kneeling there in the clearing? It couldn't be, could it? I must be dreaming, Moriko thought to herself.
Still hiding behind the tree she watched the creature stand up and there was no doubt anymore, it was a woman, she was naked, her back turned to Moriko. Her movements were slow and delicate. A light summer rain was starting to fall from the night sky and the woman seemed to welcome the wet drops as if cleaning herself from the transformation.
The woman slowly turned around, her eyes fixed on Moriko!
Moriko's first instinct was to run, but she could not take her eyes of the woman. The woman lifted her hand as if to invite Moriko. Moriko surprised herself by stepping out from behind the tree and walking into the clearing, the rain falling harder now, soaking her night gown.