“One of the girls saw her, then did a double-take. Her eyes sparkled. Not a bright sparkle, but a dull, dark sparkle, like the twinkling of a lantern at the bottom of a deep well. Here’s something fun, her eyes said. Here’s something freakish. Let’s play with it and see if we can make it cry.”

“One of the girls saw her, then did a double-take. Her eyes sparkled. Not a bright sparkle, but a dull, dark sparkle, like the twinkling of a lantern at the bottom of a deep well. Here’s something fun, her eyes said. Here’s something freakish. Let’s play with it and see if we can make it cry.”

— Miyuki Miyabe