It’s going to be a wild ride so strap in and hold on.
by Yurie Kiri
Genre: Supernatural Murder Mystery, Paranormal Thriller
Winner of the 2020 Hollywood Book Festival’s award for Genre Fiction.
Chick lit Café Awards First Place toMoonlight Beach: Murder and Magic by Yurie Kirifor best Paranormal Thriller, Crime & Mystery - April 2023.
What Is Shattering The Idyllic, Seaside Community Of Rancho, California?
Grisly death. Bodies washing up on nearby Moonlight Beach. It’s downright disconcerting to the privileged one percent living in their gated communities in one of SoCal’s ritziest enclaves. Worse, they have no idea what or who is behind the slaughter.
Is It Sharks? Something Supernatural? Greedy Venture Capitalists?
Maneaters are known to inhabit the waters off Moonlight Beach, but shark attacks are rare. What about black magic, satanic rituals? A coven of witches lives nearby. Or could it be the venture capitalists, whose latest company harvests human organs for transplant, exploiting the vulnerable to save the wealthy elite?
The Violence Shows No Signs Of Ending
Two more people are killed on a cliff overlooking the beach – and all their organs are missing. This bloody terror isn’t slowing down. It’s accelerating. What the hell is going on? They better figure all this out before more people get butchered or, God forbid, Rancho’s inflated property values plummet.
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Excerpt from Moonlight Beach by Yurie Kiri, copyright 2019
Roy Vasquez parked his Cadillac convertible at the edge of the beach, got out, slammed the door shut and walked towards the sound of the crashing surf. As he walked he concentrated upon breathing in all the natural scents of salt water, sea weed and the beach environment. Suddenly he caught a scent of expensive perfume and he looked around for the source. Roy smiled when he saw the young woman walking alone at the water’s edge. How had she gotten there? His was the only car parked along the deserted coast road. Maybe she was alone?
The large flat screen TV over the back of the bar at the Rancho California Inn was playing the early evening news showing an attractive young news woman standing in front of a rugged California beach with waves crashing on a rocky shore.
“This is Monica Jones, Channel 7 News at 5. We’re continuing our coverage on the string of brutal murders plaguing our little community. Some people think that as many as five victims, all women have been killed over the last six months by the same person who left another battered body on Moonlight Beach just last week. Like the others, there’s been no progress with the recent victim, another young woman who is still unidentified…” The scene on the TV screen quickly shifted from Monica’s carefully made up face to a shot of a something lying on a deserted beach covered by a sheet and then it switched to a drawing of a young woman’s face. “Anyone with any information about the victim….”
“What?” Beverly said shocked, staring at the screen. “There’s a serial killer in this neighborhood?” She put her drink down on the bar and stared at the man sitting next to her. He was a local she’d just met. “I never heard about that! I thought it was safe here…”
“Hey! Jose!” the man shouted at the bartender, a slender young Latino. “Turn that shit off! It’s disturbing the lady! She’s from back east and doesn’t need to hear that crap! Everyone knows Monica is full of shit! Remember that alien abduction story? It went on for a whole week!”
“Sorry Mister Goldman,” the bartender said glancing over at the compact, tough looking man with short cropped, curly brown hair. He switched the TV off and looked back at Dicky Goldman and at the startled attractive, dark-haired woman sitting next to Dicky. “Okay now? Or shall I put on some sports?”
“I never watch the local news,” Dicky said to the woman, he thought that her name was Beverly but he wasn’t sure. “Monica always says such stupid shit. You would have gotten a kick out of her alien story… Hey, you okay, baby? Want another drink?” She looked frightened but he wanted to get her drunk and up to bed in her room as quickly as possible.
“I’m fine,” Beverly said wishing that she’d never stopped at the bar after checking in. She didn’t think that she’d go to that beach either after seeing the news. “Why do you think Monica is wrong? What happened out there?”
“She’s trying to turn a shark attack into a murder,” Dicky said with a smirk. “What a bunch of bullshit! Another drink?”
“No thanks, I’m feeling a little jet-lagged,“ Beverly said thinking that sharks were just as bad as human serial killers. “I think that I’ll go back to my room now. Can I call you tomorrow after my meetings, when I’m free?” Dicky was starting to creep her out and she was glad that she’d kept her room number secret. She hoped that she could see more of Monica’s news broadcast up in her room and a lot less of the local men, one of whom could be a serial killer, if Monica was right.
“Sure baby,” Dicky said glaring at Jose, the bartender again. He blamed the bartender for screwing up his chances with the attractive out-of-towner. “You’ve got my number, right? Don’t worry about Monica’s wild stories, she’s just trying to pump up her ratings. Anyway, call me tomorrow when you’ve got more time. I’m going to be tied up later on tonight…”
"Tell me again,” the young woman said. "I don't understand what you mean...." She looked at her host, a smiling, but intense and fit, brown-skinned man with a short black pony-tail. She had just met him at Moonlight Beach where he’d introduced himself as Roy and she hoped that he was rich. He drove a nice car, he certainly lived in a rich area and he had a big house but he looked sort of weird sitting on the floor shirtless and shoeless, just wearing a pair of tight designer jeans.
"You want to have a real psychic experience, don't you?" Roy Vasquez asked looking closely at the young, brown-haired woman he’d picked up on the beach. "You said that you did on the beach, didn't you... Fay?" He hoped that he got her name right. He went through a lot of women and their stupid names like Tammy-Fay or Mary-Jane all kind of ran together in his mind.
"Sure, what you told me before at the beach sounded cool and trippy,” Fay said with a smile. "Nothing like I ever heard before.... but now that I'm here, you have to explain it to me all over again."
"Sure! What I do is based upon old Indian ways,” Roy said with a knowing smile. "See this house and land?" He waved his hand at view out the window of the rolling hillsides that separated his house from the vacant neighbor’s house. He hoped they never sold it; he liked the privacy.
"Yes, your place is beautiful,” Fay said. She felt a little out of place however. She was barefooted and still dressed for the beach. "And... this big house, it’s all yours? You live here, all by yourself?” She hoped he wasn’t married. Meeting a rich, single guy was her dream.
"Yes, but this land, all of it used to be Indian land,” Roy said proudly. "The ancient ones explored this land and discovered, then used the various hidden power places! Under the right conditions, in their sacred spots, they met powerful spiritual guides..."
"Really?" Fay said. She was interested but she was also hungry. She had skipped lunch and it was almost dinner time.
"Really,” Roy said. "Do you want to try it? Meet a spiritual guide? Or an ancient Indian soul?"
"Sure,” Fay said. "You know I do. That's why I let you bring me here. I don’t usually go places with a stranger but I studied American-Indian stuff in school. And I do know a little about their religious practices... but didn't they have to wait for the right time or something? You know, like a special moon rise?”
"Tonight’s the full moon, but it's always the right time in my house,” Roy said with a grin. “You’re not from around here, are you? Where’d you go to school?”
"Back east. Anyway, why's your place so special?" Fay asked glancing around at Roy's decorations. His house was filled with Indian artifacts that looked fit for a museum. Maybe Roy was an Indian, she thought; he looked like one at times, but she couldn't tell how old he was. Sometimes he looked old, and sometimes he looked young, but he was certainly brown and strong looking, and almost devoid of body hair. That was what had impressed her when she met him at the beach. He had been wearing nothing but a tight speedo-style swimsuit and his bare, brown body had rippled with god-like power when she’d seen him walking towards her among the deserted sand dunes. “Tell me why.”
"Because this house was built, with solid adobe bricks, right on top of one of the best of the old Indian power places,” Roy said with a confident smile. "Power is always available here, you just have to be open to exploring it..."
"Cool,” Fay said staring at a large stuffed rattlesnake in a lighted glass cabinet. "Where is it? Your power spot?”
"I'll show you in a moment,” Roy said. "First you have to be prepared... you know, like we discussed on the beach.”
"You mean take some magic mushrooms?" Fay asked. "Sure, give me some. I'll do it with you.” She shook her head affirmatively and smiled. She liked drugs.
"You ever do mushrooms before?" Roy asked looking into her innocent blue eyes.
"No, but I know it's a part of the Indian religious experience,” Fay said smiling. "So, I want to try it. It’s a lot like pot, isn’t it? I smoke pot.”
"Sort of,” Roy said. He stood up and went into the kitchen. Young girls were so gullible and trusting, he thought. Good thing she’d hitched a ride to the beach alone, there’d been no one else to deal with when he’d scooped her up.
"Got anything to eat in there?" Fay called out. "Or drink?"
"Wine and fruit okay?" Roy asked loudly as he rummaged around gathering up the supplies. He knew that if she was hungry, her empty stomach would let the mushrooms act quicker. He carried a tray back towards the young woman and found her still sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“Fruit sounds good,” Fay said watching Roy come back into the room with a tray balanced on one hand like a waiter.
"Wine too?" he asked, looking at her. She looked good enough to eat, he thought. She wore skimpy shorts over a bikini and had tousled brown hair. Her firm young body was sunburned in some places and pale in others.
"Wine is fine,” she said, giggling in anticipation.
"Good,” Roy said setting the tray down. He handed her a shriveled-up piece of dried mushroom. "But take this first. Wash it down with some wine." He poured wine into a glass and handed it to her.
"You taking one too?" she asked as she tossed the dried mushroom into her mouth and started chewing.
"I already did,” Roy lied, sipping wine and watching her. “You need to catch up!” He saw that she had swallowed the mushroom and chased it down with wine. He refilled her glass as she made a face at the mushroom’s bitter taste.
"That was pretty nasty,” Fay said. "How long until it kicks in?"
"Not too long so don't worry,” Roy said smiling. He picked up a piece of fruit and nibbled on it. "Those are good ones..."
"So, where's your Indian power place?" Fay asked. She picked a piece of apple off the dish Roy had sat on the floor and crunched upon it while watching him. She wondered what the mushrooms would feel like but then she wondered when Roy had taken his piece. She didn't recall seeing him eat one, but maybe he had done it in the kitchen.
"Outside by the fire pit,” Roy said waving his arm towards the back yard. "But let's wait until the moon starts to rise before we invoke any power. That should make the spirits more receptive to us, providing you do the right thing..."
"What kind of spirits are there?" Fay said excited. "And what else do I have to do to meet them? I mean, I ate your mushroom, is there anything else I need to do to get ready?”
"I'll help you,” Roy said expansively. "I'll be your guide, just do exactly what I tell you and everything will be fine...." He smiled at her.
"But what kind of spirits are they?" Fay asked while chewing noisily on another piece of sweet, tasty apple.
"Indian spirits of course. One in particular is the powerful spirit of a departed Indian Shaman... killed on this very spot by a snake,” Roy said with a wide grin pointing at the floor. He watched Fay’s blue eyes widen in surprise and he smiled broader. Actually, the Shaman he’d described had been killed outside but he wanted to impress Fay. Her expressive face had a glow of anticipation.
"A snake?" Fay asked. "I didn't think that a powerful Shaman could be killed by a snake. He must not have been that strong..."
"It wasn't a he,” Roy said, looking into Fay’s eyes. "According to legend this powerful Shaman was a woman. You know, Indian women could be even more powerful witches than men in those days. Anyway, one day, this woman was walking through the grass when the snake bit her. No matter what she did, she couldn't shake that snake off and she couldn't get the poison out."
"It probably wasn't a snake. Maybe it was another Shaman or a medicine man who wanted to kill her,” Fay said. "That's the kind of stories I’ve studied in college..."
"I'm sure it was,” Roy said shaking his head affirmatively. "Anyway, after the snake killed her, she vanished.... turned into dust right," he pointed towards the outdoor fire pit like he knew exactly where it had happened. "Out there."
"Wow..." Fay said slowly. She suddenly felt rather weird and detached. Maybe it was the wine on an empty stomach or maybe it was the mushroom kicking in, she couldn't tell which.
"Really wow?" Roy said amused by the look on Fay's innocent, expressive face. She looked dazed yet happy. In a little while he could do anything he wanted with her. But first he wanted to use her to contact that departed spirit. He had an ancient score to settle with that old witch and the spring full moon was the perfect time.
Roy Vasquez parked his Cadillac convertible at the edge of the beach, got out, slammed the door shut and walked towards the sound of the crashing surf. As he walked he concentrated upon breathing in all the natural scents of salt water, sea weed and the beach environment. Suddenly he caught a scent of expensive perfume and he looked around for the source. Roy smiled when he saw the young woman walking alone at the water’s edge. How had she gotten there? His was the only car parked along the deserted coast road. Maybe she was alone?
The large flat screen TV over the back of the bar at the Rancho California Inn was playing the early evening news showing an attractive young news woman standing in front of a rugged California beach with waves crashing on a rocky shore.
“This is Monica Jones, Channel 7 News at 5. We’re continuing our coverage on the string of brutal murders plaguing our little community. Some people think that as many as five victims, all women have been killed over the last six months by the same person who left another battered body on Moonlight Beach just last week. Like the others, there’s been no progress with the recent victim, another young woman who is still unidentified…” The scene on the TV screen quickly shifted from Monica’s carefully made up face to a shot of a something lying on a deserted beach covered by a sheet and then it switched to a drawing of a young woman’s face. “Anyone with any information about the victim….”
“What?” Beverly said shocked, staring at the screen. “There’s a serial killer in this neighborhood?” She put her drink down on the bar and stared at the man sitting next to her. He was a local she’d just met. “I never heard about that! I thought it was safe here…”
“Hey! Jose!” the man shouted at the bartender, a slender young Latino. “Turn that shit off! It’s disturbing the lady! She’s from back east and doesn’t need to hear that crap! Everyone knows Monica is full of shit! Remember that alien abduction story? It went on for a whole week!”
“Sorry Mister Goldman,” the bartender said glancing over at the compact, tough looking man with short cropped, curly brown hair. He switched the TV off and looked back at Dicky Goldman and at the startled attractive, dark-haired woman sitting next to Dicky. “Okay now? Or shall I put on some sports?”
“I never watch the local news,” Dicky said to the woman, he thought that her name was Beverly but he wasn’t sure. “Monica always says such stupid shit. You would have gotten a kick out of her alien story… Hey, you okay, baby? Want another drink?” She looked frightened but he wanted to get her drunk and up to bed in her room as quickly as possible.
“I’m fine,” Beverly said wishing that she’d never stopped at the bar after checking in. She didn’t think that she’d go to that beach either after seeing the news. “Why do you think Monica is wrong? What happened out there?”
“She’s trying to turn a shark attack into a murder,” Dicky said with a smirk. “What a bunch of bullshit! Another drink?”
“No thanks, I’m feeling a little jet-lagged,“ Beverly said thinking that sharks were just as bad as human serial killers. “I think that I’ll go back to my room now. Can I call you tomorrow after my meetings, when I’m free?” Dicky was starting to creep her out and she was glad that she’d kept her room number secret. She hoped that she could see more of Monica’s news broadcast up in her room and a lot less of the local men, one of whom could be a serial killer, if Monica was right.
“Sure baby,” Dicky said glaring at Jose, the bartender again. He blamed the bartender for screwing up his chances with the attractive out-of-towner. “You’ve got my number, right? Don’t worry about Monica’s wild stories, she’s just trying to pump up her ratings. Anyway, call me tomorrow when you’ve got more time. I’m going to be tied up later on tonight…”
"Tell me again,” the young woman said. "I don't understand what you mean...." She looked at her host, a smiling, but intense and fit, brown-skinned man with a short black pony-tail. She had just met him at Moonlight Beach where he’d introduced himself as Roy and she hoped that he was rich. He drove a nice car, he certainly lived in a rich area and he had a big house but he looked sort of weird sitting on the floor shirtless and shoeless, just wearing a pair of tight designer jeans.
"You want to have a real psychic experience, don't you?" Roy Vasquez asked looking closely at the young, brown-haired woman he’d picked up on the beach. "You said that you did on the beach, didn't you... Fay?" He hoped that he got her name right. He went through a lot of women and their stupid names like Tammy-Fay or Mary-Jane all kind of ran together in his mind.
"Sure, what you told me before at the beach sounded cool and trippy,” Fay said with a smile. "Nothing like I ever heard before.... but now that I'm here, you have to explain it to me all over again."
"Sure! What I do is based upon old Indian ways,” Roy said with a knowing smile. "See this house and land?" He waved his hand at view out the window of the rolling hillsides that separated his house from the vacant neighbor’s house. He hoped they never sold it; he liked the privacy.
"Yes, your place is beautiful,” Fay said. She felt a little out of place however. She was barefooted and still dressed for the beach. "And... this big house, it’s all yours? You live here, all by yourself?” She hoped he wasn’t married. Meeting a rich, single guy was her dream.
"Yes, but this land, all of it used to be Indian land,” Roy said proudly. "The ancient ones explored this land and discovered, then used the various hidden power places! Under the right conditions, in their sacred spots, they met powerful spiritual guides..."
"Really?" Fay said. She was interested but she was also hungry. She had skipped lunch and it was almost dinner time.
"Really,” Roy said. "Do you want to try it? Meet a spiritual guide? Or an ancient Indian soul?"
"Sure,” Fay said. "You know I do. That's why I let you bring me here. I don’t usually go places with a stranger but I studied American-Indian stuff in school. And I do know a little about their religious practices... but didn't they have to wait for the right time or something? You know, like a special moon rise?”
"Tonight’s the full moon, but it's always the right time in my house,” Roy said with a grin. “You’re not from around here, are you? Where’d you go to school?”
"Back east. Anyway, why's your place so special?" Fay asked glancing around at Roy's decorations. His house was filled with Indian artifacts that looked fit for a museum. Maybe Roy was an Indian, she thought; he looked like one at times, but she couldn't tell how old he was. Sometimes he looked old, and sometimes he looked young, but he was certainly brown and strong looking, and almost devoid of body hair. That was what had impressed her when she met him at the beach. He had been wearing nothing but a tight speedo-style swimsuit and his bare, brown body had rippled with god-like power when she’d seen him walking towards her among the deserted sand dunes. “Tell me why.”
"Because this house was built, with solid adobe bricks, right on top of one of the best of the old Indian power places,” Roy said with a confident smile. "Power is always available here, you just have to be open to exploring it..."
"Cool,” Fay said staring at a large stuffed rattlesnake in a lighted glass cabinet. "Where is it? Your power spot?”
"I'll show you in a moment,” Roy said. "First you have to be prepared... you know, like we discussed on the beach.”
"You mean take some magic mushrooms?" Fay asked. "Sure, give me some. I'll do it with you.” She shook her head affirmatively and smiled. She liked drugs.
"You ever do mushrooms before?" Roy asked looking into her innocent blue eyes.
"No, but I know it's a part of the Indian religious experience,” Fay said smiling. "So, I want to try it. It’s a lot like pot, isn’t it? I smoke pot.”
"Sort of,” Roy said. He stood up and went into the kitchen. Young girls were so gullible and trusting, he thought. Good thing she’d hitched a ride to the beach alone, there’d been no one else to deal with when he’d scooped her up.
"Got anything to eat in there?" Fay called out. "Or drink?"
"Wine and fruit okay?" Roy asked loudly as he rummaged around gathering up the supplies. He knew that if she was hungry, her empty stomach would let the mushrooms act quicker. He carried a tray back towards the young woman and found her still sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“Fruit sounds good,” Fay said watching Roy come back into the room with a tray balanced on one hand like a waiter.
"Wine too?" he asked, looking at her. She looked good enough to eat, he thought. She wore skimpy shorts over a bikini and had tousled brown hair. Her firm young body was sunburned in some places and pale in others.
"Wine is fine,” she said, giggling in anticipation.
"Good,” Roy said setting the tray down. He handed her a shriveled-up piece of dried mushroom. "But take this first. Wash it down with some wine." He poured wine into a glass and handed it to her.
"You taking one too?" she asked as she tossed the dried mushroom into her mouth and started chewing.
"I already did,” Roy lied, sipping wine and watching her. “You need to catch up!” He saw that she had swallowed the mushroom and chased it down with wine. He refilled her glass as she made a face at the mushroom’s bitter taste.
"That was pretty nasty,” Fay said. "How long until it kicks in?"
"Not too long so don't worry,” Roy said smiling. He picked up a piece of fruit and nibbled on it. "Those are good ones..."
"So, where's your Indian power place?" Fay asked. She picked a piece of apple off the dish Roy had sat on the floor and crunched upon it while watching him. She wondered what the mushrooms would feel like but then she wondered when Roy had taken his piece. She didn't recall seeing him eat one, but maybe he had done it in the kitchen.
"Outside by the fire pit,” Roy said waving his arm towards the back yard. "But let's wait until the moon starts to rise before we invoke any power. That should make the spirits more receptive to us, providing you do the right thing..."
"What kind of spirits are there?" Fay said excited. "And what else do I have to do to meet them? I mean, I ate your mushroom, is there anything else I need to do to get ready?”
"I'll help you,” Roy said expansively. "I'll be your guide, just do exactly what I tell you and everything will be fine...." He smiled at her.
"But what kind of spirits are they?" Fay asked while chewing noisily on another piece of sweet, tasty apple.
"Indian spirits of course. One in particular is the powerful spirit of a departed Indian Shaman... killed on this very spot by a snake,” Roy said with a wide grin pointing at the floor. He watched Fay’s blue eyes widen in surprise and he smiled broader. Actually, the Shaman he’d described had been killed outside but he wanted to impress Fay. Her expressive face had a glow of anticipation.
"A snake?" Fay asked. "I didn't think that a powerful Shaman could be killed by a snake. He must not have been that strong..."
"It wasn't a he,” Roy said, looking into Fay’s eyes. "According to legend this powerful Shaman was a woman. You know, Indian women could be even more powerful witches than men in those days. Anyway, one day, this woman was walking through the grass when the snake bit her. No matter what she did, she couldn't shake that snake off and she couldn't get the poison out."
"It probably wasn't a snake. Maybe it was another Shaman or a medicine man who wanted to kill her,” Fay said. "That's the kind of stories I’ve studied in college..."
"I'm sure it was,” Roy said shaking his head affirmatively. "Anyway, after the snake killed her, she vanished.... turned into dust right," he pointed towards the outdoor fire pit like he knew exactly where it had happened. "Out there."
"Wow..." Fay said slowly. She suddenly felt rather weird and detached. Maybe it was the wine on an empty stomach or maybe it was the mushroom kicking in, she couldn't tell which.
"Really wow?" Roy said amused by the look on Fay's innocent, expressive face. She looked dazed yet happy. In a little while he could do anything he wanted with her. But first he wanted to use her to contact that departed spirit. He had an ancient score to settle with that old witch and the spring full moon was the perfect time.
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"A Wild and Crazy Ride."
"... if you're not used to the writer, buckle up."
"This book has very great character development with a plot so great that you can’t ignore nor get enough..."
"The author’s use of religion to push the plot forward and develop characters is so masterfully crafted and unique – I’ve personally never seen in done in a novel like it is portrayed in Moonlight Rocks."
Amazon 5-star Reviewers
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About the Author
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Yurie Kiri speaks Japanese, English, French and has studied Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish and a smattering of other languages such as Korean and Russian along with binary and hexadecimal machine language. Why? Because if you really want to get to know someone, you need to speak their language no matter if they’re machine or human.
Yurie lived and worked in Asia for decades before recently coming to America. Yurie went on an extensive backroad journey all across the US and Canada. Yurie also sailed (single-handed) from Mexico to the Canadian border, retracing a well-traveled road journey by sea in a small, live-aboard sailboat.
Yurie has been traveling and gathering story ideas from Asia for the Game Series, which covers Japan and other Asian countries, and North America for the Murder and Mystery Series which covers the American Southwest.
And, yes, Yurie does not use pronouns (for a reason). For one thing, it keeps the reader guessing – is Yurie male, female, non-binary, or even a machine? No one really knows for sure…
Yurie Kiri speaks Japanese, English, French and has studied Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish and a smattering of other languages such as Korean and Russian along with binary and hexadecimal machine language. Why? Because if you really want to get to know someone, you need to speak their language no matter if they’re machine or human.
Yurie lived and worked in Asia for decades before recently coming to America. Yurie went on an extensive backroad journey all across the US and Canada. Yurie also sailed (single-handed) from Mexico to the Canadian border, retracing a well-traveled road journey by sea in a small, live-aboard sailboat.
Yurie has been traveling and gathering story ideas from Asia for the Game Series, which covers Japan and other Asian countries, and North America for the Murder and Mystery Series which covers the American Southwest.
And, yes, Yurie does not use pronouns (for a reason). For one thing, it keeps the reader guessing – is Yurie male, female, non-binary, or even a machine? No one really knows for sure…
