You’re walking home at night on a deserted road when a woman in a surgical mask approaches. It’s not such a strange thing, as many people in Japan wear masks when they’re feeling under the weather or trying to prevent pollen-induced allergies. She stops.

“Am I pretty?” she asks. She has long, shiny black hair and is wearing a beige coat cinched at the waist.

“Yes,” you say.

And that is when … Continue reading →