Behind the torii, it waits. It does not move, it does not speak. Yet, it sees. In Japan, it is believed that gods or spirits reside in all things—from nature to everyday objects. I was a skeptic, a mere wanderer. The foxes were not stone; they breathed through silence. The paper charms trembled not with wind, but with a forgotten memory. I stepped across the rope and looked into the shrine. I thought I was alone, until the gaze came. It was not from eyes, nor from form, but from the stillness itself. It watched me as I turned away. This is not belief. It is not a myth.
