It was certainly very beautiful. The amulet was finely, almost painstakingly 
detailed, and the ebony and ivory flowed into each other as if they were cut from 
one stone. So strange, looking at it and being unable to recognize its beauty, 
seeing fine craftsmanship and archaic symbol as nothing more than a little carved 
stone that might, to another person, be aesthetically pleasing... 

Ambika shook her head, breaking her concentration from the amulet and feeling 
alone and confused again. She struggled, momentarily, and managed to calm her 
rising panic. No sense in overtaxing her new gift. 

The--what had the little girl called them? Twining Serpents?--gleamed softly in 
the light. Ambika turned the amulet over in her hand, thoughtfully regarding the 
small black snake that devoured its white counterpart's tail, and was devoured 
itself in turn. She felt a brief sense of kinship--which she dispelled once more 
by closing her hand around the amulet. 

Ambika was about to slip the amulet into her pocket when she got a better idea. 
She took off her hat, careful not to tear her veil, and gingerly pulled off one 
of the black ribbons that lined the brim. She threaded it through the center of 
the amulet easily, then tied it around her neck, making sure to make the knot 
sturdy. The Serpents slid easily under the high collar of her dress--people might 
not even notice the new affect without a close examination. Good. 

So many possibilities...so many second chances, so many reassurances. She might 
never again collapse with fear, lash out in anger, beg people not to leave her 
alone, laugh manically over something nobody else could see. She was...free. A 
saying from her homeworld passed through her mind..."Fortune presents gifts not 
according to the book." 

Ambika walked off into the darkness, unaware. Behind her, somebody cried out in 
his sleep.