The Melody of the Koto

The morning after the storm brought a fragile, crystal-clear serenity to the rooftop of Takahashi Tower. The rain clouds had parted, revealing the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji glowing rose and violet on the western horizon beneath the pale autumn sun. Maya sat on a woven tatami mat inside the open-air cedar tea pavilion, surrounded by the raked white gravel of the rooftop rock garden. She wore an oversized dark…