The dimly lit forest path ends in a small clearing containing a small, quaint cottage. A small rosebed decorates one side of the house, and an herb garden dominates the other. The tiny voice of a rocky stream can be heard from behind.

As you pass through the simple door, lacking lock or latch, you are ushered into a large living room. The walls are decorated with sheer purple and red silks, and the hardwood floor is peppered wth mats and pillows made from animal furs. In the middle sits a low table, meant for kneeling, with two Japanese teacups and a steaming teapot.

At the far end of the table, aging about 15 or 16 human years, reclines a young, child-like woman, dressed only in a sheer purple silk robe.

She gestures to the tea and a soft rabbit-skin pillow, and speaks in a low, sensuously gravely voive, "Welcome, I've been expecting you."

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keeping it in the family

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Peace for the honored dead.