ABSTRACT
As frost crept forward during the night they kept moving the mat on which they sat closer to the dying embers of the fire. Dressed only in thin work clothes Kanji and Otsugi were keenly aware of the cold behind them and the heat ahead. The night air bit into Yokichi’s burns, but the heat only increased the pain. Each time they edged towards the fire he burst into tears. Eventually he grew too tired to cry and began moaning. Somehow they found that even more disconcerting. Neither of them slept at all.
