~1~
"Sota, you're not supposed to play in the well house."
"But Onee-chan, Buyo ran inside."
"Well, then, you better hurry and get him out, before he gets gobbled up by evil spirits!"
Sota suddenly had a look on his face, lost somewhere between fear and "what utter nonsense".
"Okay, okay, I'll go with you." his sister conceded.
Fifteen years old should have been too old for it to have been Kagome's first time in the shrine without adult supervision, but following her grandfather around like a duckling, devouring every story about demons, spirits, exorcism, and magic left Kagome less inclined to go into the well. If she did so, she might discover that it was all folly, a fear which kept her all the more engrossed in the strange tales.
Kagome planned on descending into the shrine, retrieving the cat in a swift and tidy manner, and giving her brother a lecture about how evil spirits can attack you, even if you've done nothing wrong to them, but... well, we wouldn't have a story if that was the end of it.
Poor girl, her plan was going so well, too. She did indeed descend into the shrine and find the cat. As she turned and began walking up the stairs she said to her brother:
"Sota, we must be careful about evil spirits. This shrine is locked because if you enter they may attack you, without cause or warning." And Mistress Centipede did just that.