what_grows_in_the_dark raze "i remember having an upright piano at the yellow brick house where i lived until i was thirteen. it was giant and brown, with moving parts like some prehistoric creature. it was taller than i was. it was quiet most of the day, but in a matter of seconds it could be as loud as any of us. i would crawl all over it as if it were falkor the luck dragon from the_neverending_story. by studying its parts i could learn more about its purpose and where it came from. on our piano there were wood panels on the front you could slide open. the top lifted open as well. you could peer inside the chest of this strange creature to examine its heart, its rib cage, and its lungs. i also saw other organs that i did not recognize. some of my earlier memories are of me sitting on the piano bench, carefully pressing down different keys to see what happened when they moved. i would listen to the note and the thickness of the vibration. i would play a few notes at the same time quietly. loudly. would they melt together like a river, or would they repel each other and explode? some met me like a gentle breeze and some met me like a rumbling cloud of bees. due to its size, the upright piano was the only instrument we had that required us to also treat it like a piece a furniture. often the layout of a room would depend on where you could fit the piano. when it wasn't being used for musical purposes, it was busy holding up family photos, a few board games, some books, a pair of glasses, candles, and perhaps a half-finished bottle of beer. when an appropriate place to move the piano was decided upon and it was finally moved from its moorings, it left an imprint behind. the carpet and wallpaper were now a different colour than the rest of the room. there was a layer of dust, dirt, and dog hair making a home for a few many-legged insects. this kind of resembled what a rotting peach would leave behind after being pulled from the fridge. there were also lost toys. some you never knew had left your side. some army figurines, marbles, a bouncy ball, a few foam darts to a once-obsessed-over gun your brother got you for your last birthday. it's quite intriguing for a ten-year-old boy to witness. on one hand, the event of having moved something that previously seemed unmovable; on the other hand, observing the passing of time and learning about what kind of ecosystem can grow in the darkness of the underside of your upright piano." — richard_laviolette 231210 ... In_Bloom Armor too fragile to protect and provide healing Bitterness like a climbing, clawed vine, moving faster than hope and stronger than reality Cradling myself, calling for dreams to take me to where I can remember believing in being loved 231213 what's it to you? who go blather from