Reading Japan - "The Month without Gods"

It is the middle of the night in October, and Kannazuki, or "the month without gods," has just begun. A deep boom awakens two brothers from bed, and they climb onto the roof and peer into the distance. They see lantern-like lights along the horizon. The younger brother climbs down and calls out to his brother to follow, but the older brother keeps staring at the horizon. Just then, they hear another boom and a gust of wind stirs up a dust cloud. The boys raise their arms to shield their eyes from the dust particles, but the next morning the older brother has something that looks like a sesame seed in the white of his left eye. Day by day, more of these strange specks appear in his eye...