I knew that eventually, my curiosity would get the better of me. I would start researching, digging deeper, trying to understand the secrets hidden within the fused sculpture and the history of the Lim Ling and the Lin Xiao.

And when that time came, I knew it would lead me back into the unknown, into the places where the veil between the ordinary and the extraordinary is thin. Where the ancient powers of nature and the creatures of darkness still hold sway.

My journey into the heart of the mystery had just truly begun. And I was ready to face whatever awaited me, armed with a mysterious sculpture, newfound knowledge, and a spirit forever changed by the secrets of the rain forest.

本章完

我的生活似乎恢復(fù)了正常，回到繁忙的都市節(jié)奏中，寫作、交稿、咖啡、熬夜。但內(nèi)心里那個從雨林里帶出的種子已經(jīng)悄然萌芽，并且以 surprising 的速度生長。那個融合了木雕和石頭的小型雕塑，我把它放在書桌最顯眼的位置，每次抬頭都能看到。它不再散發(fā)強烈的光芒， but 總是帶著微溫，仿佛有生命一般。

白天，我繼續(xù)扮演好我的“設(shè)計狗”角色，和同事們插科打諢，應(yīng)付著難纏的客戶和修改意見。但到了晚上，當(dāng)我一個人面對著電腦屏幕，我的思維就會 uncontrollably 回到那個 remote 的雨林，回到那些扭曲的林魈，回到那個 ancient 而 benevolent 的聲音。

我開始著手調(diào)查。首先是關(guān)于我去的那個雨林區(qū)域的資料。官方的文獻非常 sparse，只提到那里是原始森林保護區(qū)，人跡罕至。當(dāng)?shù)氐?guide book 會提一些關(guān)于土著部落和 their 獨特文化，但關(guān)于林靈和林魈的 recorded ?? almost 沒有，if any，usually dismissed as superstition and folklore。