This isn't my first written fanfic, rather the first I've decided to inflict
on the list.  C&C are more than welcome.  Hopefully I'll be able to post more
than just a prelude relatively soon.

Also, I really hope this shows up formatted alright.  If it doesn't, could
someone please be kind enough to suggest how I can get it to show up decently?

Lastly, I especially hope this title isn't taken already, as I'm quite fond of
it.  If so, please let me know.

	"Beauty & the Spring of Drowned Beast" - Prelude.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Inventory~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a beautiful day on Mt. Bayankala in the Quinhai range.  It was
unseasonably warm, despite the onset of winter.  The small valley of springs
known as Jusenkyou was particularly picturesque.  Unfortunately, this didn�t
improve the Jusenkyou guide�s sour mood - it was inventory week.

"Inventory," he muttered.  �How on are are you supposed to do an inventory of
cursed-springs,� he wondered.  �It�s not like they�re apt to dissapear!�
Well, with one
possible exception.  No one could ever seem to find that Spring of Drowned
Man. 
�Perhaps it will turn up during inventory,� the guide thought dryly.

Inventory was a tiresome process.  Each one of the hundred springs needed to
be attended to over the course of a 6-day period.  Of course it wasn�t a real
physical inventory as with most standard businesses - rather, it was more of a
census.  Which springs had gone dry, what new springs had come into being, how
many unpatterned springs remained, that sort of thing.  Most important,
however, was the Annual Curse Distribution (ACD) for each spring.  At least
half of the springs were used at least once a year, claiming insects and other
small creatures as victims.  Some of the springs provided quite interesting
results, however.  In the very first day, the guide noted that the ACD for the
SoD-girl was up by 60% from last year.  The ACD for the SoD-man was
drastically lower than average.  Another notable result was the fact that, by
the fifth day of inventory at least, not one of the springs had gone unused
over the course of the year.  The guide frowned.  Very interesting.  Quite a
rare occurence, that.

The next day, however, the guide finally happened across a spring which hadn�t
been used since its creation a few weeks ago.  This was even more surprising.
The guide was pleased, however.  Without some variation in the figures, he
would be required to fill out numerous paperwork explaining the anomaly.  He
hated bureacracy.

The guide whistled cheerily as marked the spring with an ACD of zero.  He was
almost finished - just another half dozen springs to go!  Still whistling, he
turned toward the next spring, when all of a sudden he heard a familiar and
dreaded sound.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh!!!!"  <SPLASH!!!>

The guide stopped in his tracks for a moment.  He looked down at his clipboard
and
thought for a moment.  Then he shrugged his shoulders and continued walking.
He had inventory to see to, after all.

As far as he cared, the Spring of Drowned-Sumo Pig didn�t even exist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end~prelude~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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~QuestionMark
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