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an unnoticed pebble in a nameless mountain stream--barely a trickle when the rains were scarce--fell asleep one sun-dappled afternoon. oddly, it felt like an awakening. for the first time in its existence, the pebble felt curious, and also hungry. "what shall I eat?" it wondered. |
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Jul 12, 2020 02:57
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 19:49 |
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> eat tadpole
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Jul 12, 2020 03:00
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one day, wished the mountain, i shall scatter myself across the whole of the earth. shattered unto completeness.
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Jul 12, 2020 03:03
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Manifisto posted:an unnoticed pebble in a nameless mountain stream--barely a trickle when the rains were scarce--fell asleep one sun-dappled afternoon. oddly, it felt like an awakening. for the first time in its existence, the pebble felt curious, and also hungry. "what shall I eat?" it wondered. 
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Jul 12, 2020 03:04
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spotting an inquisitive nearby tadpole, the pebble opened its newly-discovered mouth as far as it could--and suddenly sputtered and coughed as cool mountain water rushed in. this was fortunate, as the tadpole's mother was sitting nearby, preparing to swallow the pebble. spooked, the mother hopped away upstream. |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:06
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Heather Papps posted:one day, wished the mountain, i shall scatter myself across the whole of the earth.
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Jul 12, 2020 03:07
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swallow some the mountain water and try to glean an understanding of the surroundings |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:07
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Luvcow posted:swallow some the mountain water and try to glean an understanding of the surroundings pure mountain water is as strong as liquor. the pebble glanced upwards at the trees, which seemed impossibly tall. "is anything taller than that?" wondered the pebble, drunk on mountain wine.
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Jul 12, 2020 03:09
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try to roll with the current and find new ground, follow the spirits of the stream |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:10
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having been buried in mountain silt for as long as it could remember, the pebble had no conception of moving on its own will. then it saw a murder of crows darting among the trees and felt inspired. it strained as hard as it could in first this direction, then that one. it seemed hopeless until, with a faint sucking sound, it became free of the sediment and tumbled downstream! |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:13
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what a shock, then, when a sharp-eyed crow dove into the water and snatched the pebble in its beak, then ascended swiftly into the sky! |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:16
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observe new surroundings and apologize to whatever pebbles or rocks or plants we struck on our way downstream oh observe our flight and thank the crow |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:18
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there's a 1 in 8792 chance of being a shiny mountain pebble, this is tremendous!
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Jul 12, 2020 03:21
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Heather Papps posted:there's a 1 in 8792 chance of being a shiny mountain pebble, this is tremendous! 
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Jul 12, 2020 03:22
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shockingly, a chorus of voices rise from the rapidly receding stream. "we forgive you" seemed to be the sentiment of the other rocks; "goddamn inconsiderate mineral" was the general mood of the plants, who, to be fair, had been somewhat battered and bruised. the crow, intent on flying upwards along the mountain slope, let loose a dropping in response to the pebble's thanks. to be fair, the bird had its mouth full and could not have responded otherwise.
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Jul 12, 2020 03:24
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Heather Papps posted:there's a 1 in 8792 chance of being a shiny mountain pebble, this is tremendous! the cycle of rebirth assures us that we will all be a shiny mountain pebble at some point. says the wise old boulder, do you think you know more than she? |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:25
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it may be possible to ask the crow where to go. should we suggest something? |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:26
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fly against the wind |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:31
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prepuce repurposed posted:fly against the wind
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Jul 12, 2020 03:34
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the crow circles gracefully and is now speeding high above the forested foothills. it seems there may be a large body of water, a vast lake or perhaps an ocean, just towards the horizon. to the south there lies what must be a large town, perhaps a city. never having seen or even imagined what a city might be or who might live there, the pebble is puzzled as to why it can even give it a name. on the other hand, having been in a small and intermittent rivulet on a mountain slope for millenia, the prospect of seeing large open water is intriguing, to say the least.
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Jul 12, 2020 03:35
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*meditate* |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:39
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Luvcow posted:*meditate* realizing that stones do not need to breathe, the pebble slows its excited hyperventilation at being higher in the world than it has ever been. it half closes what passes for its eyes and begins to count its breaths, going from one to ten, then returning to one. the pebble neither shuts out the world passing beneath it nor becomes attached to it, simply being mindful of its surroundings, cultivating an inner calm which proves beneficial, because another crow, perhaps a mate or rival, passes too close to the one who is carrying the pebble, and in an instant it tumbles from the crow's beak and plummets earthward. in its meditative state, the pebble merely observes this development without fear or passion.
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Jul 12, 2020 03:44
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the thrill. i bet the pebble has never moved so fast before!
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Jul 12, 2020 03:50
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So hopeful, this newly born rock! The pebble high on the mountain does not yet realize it’s existence will end in only one way. The rains will come, the snow will melt, and the stream will become briefly a torrent rushing down to river, carrying the pebble with it, rounding over it’s still sharp edges. The flood will subside, and leave the pebble in a different place, a slightly smaller pebble in a much bigger river. Again and again and again, the rains will come and the pebble will shrink and the river grow slower and wider until finally the pebble will be but a grain of sand in a broad, brown and sluggish tidal creek, waiting for one last storm to wash it out to sea like all its kin. I wish I could be a pebble once again, dreaming high in a mountain stream
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Jul 12, 2020 03:52
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Heather Papps posted:the thrill. i bet the pebble has never moved so fast before! the pebble perceives only stillness. perhaps it is the world that is rushing. |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:52
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THUNKKK!! |
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Jul 12, 2020 03:52
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Jul 12, 2020 04:08
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darkness |
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Jul 12, 2020 04:12
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but . . . movement? yes, there is a trembling, a thrumming. some kind of vibration. |
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Jul 12, 2020 04:13
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look around, feel around |
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Jul 12, 2020 04:14
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Oh my gosh, I'm so enthralled. What next lies in weight for our intrepid hero?
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Jul 12, 2020 04:26
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delicately, ever so delicately, the pebble takes stock of its situation. it is still awake (asleep). it is in one piece. having learned from its experiment in the stream, the pebble wriggles with a gentle rocking motion. it turns out it is embedded in soft soil, but only up to its hips. after a long time (but what is time to a pebble?) it rights itself and discovers that it is in a patch of dirt next to a forest road. every once in a while a car will whiz past. eventually a logging truck lumbers by; that was the vibration that the pebble felt. |
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Jul 12, 2020 04:27
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roll to the road in hopes of hitching a ride in tire tread |
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Jul 12, 2020 04:28
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look around to see if there is a tiny plant to help shade/ help bring water to it's roots |
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Jul 12, 2020 04:28
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prepuce repurposed posted:roll to the road in hopes of hitching a ride in tire tread oh gently caress, maybe that instead |
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Jul 12, 2020 04:29
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it turns out there is a small, parched looking weed very close nearby. the sun is indeed hot, and out of pity the pebble rolls over to the weed so that the plant is in shadow. "thank you friend!" says the weed. "it's loving brutal out here today." "I wouldn't know," says the pebble. "I'm usually in a stream." the weed gasps. "holy poo poo, that sounds amazing! I've never known anything but sandy soil, bright sunlight, occasional rain and snow, and those loving logging trucks." pebble pauses a moment to consider. "well, have you ever thought about trying to go somewhere else?" "somewhere else?" asked the weed. "where is there to go?"
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Jul 12, 2020 04:33
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either shade the weed and let water gather under our shade or roll with the weed to find better ground 
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Jul 12, 2020 04:37
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smoke the weed 
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Jul 12, 2020 04:37
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ally with the weed. plants are not very fast movers, but they are cheetas compared to pebbles.
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Jul 12, 2020 04:39
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 19:49 |
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"I will be honest," said the weed. "and don't judge me on this. I have always had sort of a dream . . ." "really?" asked the pebble. "I don't recall ever dreaming before, but now it seems like the only thing I do. please go on." "even though I am just a weed, I have always wanted . . . to dance!" pebble was struck dumb at this notion. it had never occurred to pebble that this was something that anyone could do, let alone a weed . . . or a small rock.
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Jul 12, 2020 04:40
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