The journey was longer and more strenuous than she had anticipated. Dusk was already falling when she reached the campsite. The reception was closed; only an elderly couple was inside the store, preparing for the next day.

"Can I camp here for a few nights?" Yangtao asked the elderly man. He regarded her for a moment, unusually direct and pointed for someone from this culture. Then he turned his gaze to the woman, who registered her protest with a twitch of her eyelid.

"There's a quiet and very beautiful spot at the back of the grounds. There's a fire pit and direct access to the lake," he said, declining her request to check into the campsite. Someone will come this evening and light a fire for her.

Yangtao easily found the spot and set up camp. It wasn't long before a young man appeared, stacked firewood, and lit a fire. Afterward, he sat by the fire and watched the flames grow stronger. The night by the lake was damp and cold, and the fire radiated warmth, so she sat down opposite the man.

He began to speak softly:

"I come from a city in India. I grew up there in a diamond-trading family. We weren't rich, but we made ends meet. When I finished school, I started my own business cutting and polishing small diamonds, which weren't profitable on the world market. My business was very successful, and after a few years, I started a family with a school friend.
"She was very beautiful, very, very beautiful." He paused for a few minutes. "We Indians, you must understand, believe in the power of Charma and in eternal rebirth. My wife became pregnant, and the doctors said it would be a girl. Out of foolish paternal pride, I bought the child a pair of red shoes and gave them to my wife. At the time, as an up-and-coming young entrepreneur, I wasn't very empathetic, but I still noticed how my beloved wife froze at the sight of the shoes, and panic began to spread through her heart. I didn't want to ruin that moment, so I left her alone with her premonition. Meanwhile, it became known that my merchandise consisted mainly of blood diamonds, but I didn't want to let that ruin my business. One morning, the bed next to me was empty. It remained empty, and all inquiries came to nothing. The weeks passed without me seeing any sign of my wife. By then, my business had also collapsed, so I sought advice and help in my religion. It helped me understand that everything is interconnected and trapped in an eternal cycle. So it was probably predestined that I would..." I came across that internet documentary about Aokigahara Forest. The filmmakers showed close-ups of human remains, tents, clothing, and shoes. Small red shoes were visible on the half-decomposed body of a woman. I recognized her immediately.

I used the rest of my money to come here. I spent weeks searching for my wife's body. Then one afternoon, we were reunited. She had hanged herself; her head and parts of her spine were mummified and hanging from the rope. I placed her remains in a box and removed the rope and the other items I found there. I left only the small red shoes at the spot where she had died.

I arranged a cremation and the official declaration of her death. Afterward, I was summoned for a meeting by the park administration and another individual. They suggested that my intervention, let's say, stretched a number of conventions. Normally, Japanese authorities would have taken drastic action in comparable cases, which can result in lengthy prison sentences. However, in their view, this was a special case. The district was bothered by the fact that Aokigahara Forest was increasingly making headlines on social media as the "Suicide Forest." The desecration of burial sites, as it's legally termed, was a particular concern for them. There were even organized tours through the forest now. Officially, they couldn't take any action in the forest—cleaning up, removing evidence, or covering their tracks. The potential for worldwide public outrage would be far too high. My case, however, had shown them a way out, and so they offered to pay me for a ranger's services, albeit without an employment contract.


These cases, however, had presented them with a solution, and so they offered to pay me for the services of a ranger, albeit without an employment contract.


The district was particularly concerned about the desecration of burial sites, as is the legally defined term. Since then, I've been working with the park, but why am I telling you all this?

My presence hasn't gone unnoticed, and I'm often asked for advice when people are here who, let's say, give a certain impression. For example, I can light a fire for them, listen to their story, or help them in any way I can think of."

Yangtao had listened attentively the whole time. It was late, and after the long journey, she hadn't yet fully grasped the message he had conveyed.