Kits and Kaia shared the world-hopping dragonfly problem, which was complicated in itself. Sometimes they wound up separated. This world greeted Kaia with bells. She was in fox form and remained as such, which meant a child preparing for a festival saw her materialize out of thin air and scurry under the cover of frosted bushes.

“A god,” said the child, pulling on his mother’s sleeve. “My bell summoned a god!”

“It did, did it?” The mother sounded tired but indulgent. “And what did your god look like?”

“Fluffy and red.”

They rang their bells. Kaia listened to the chimes.