"A flock of sooth-valued sayings is groundforeguessed by another flock of sayings if the first flock is a shutting of the second flock."

-- The Cosmogon Codex, Leaf 2, Branch 1, Verse 17.

Dune Song and Drum Storm belove at the base of the long ramp outside the Temple of the Mouth. I stopped half-way up and looked back at them. They were speaking with each other, not looking at me; I could not hear their words from that distance.

At the top of the ramp, I passed through the short tunnel and into the temple. The spirits living in the walls were near, as indicated by the flashing lights on the various smooth panels throughout the chamber. I knelt on the alter facing the black disk on the opposite wall and took a breath.

I cleared my throat. Unlike my native tongue and that of the bedestow, there are no non-pulmonic glottal plosives in the tongue of the House. However, it does have quite a few clicks, and an occasional throat constriction which affected the quality of the following vowels. So, it was with careful enunciation that I recited the magical incantation to summon the chorus of House spirits we call "The Mouth".

The disk before me glowed blue and the giant mouth faded into view. The nose and the upper portion of the head was out of sight above the rim of the disk. You can see down to the shaven chin, but no neck or body is visible. I knew it could not be real, and yet it appeared very realistic, discounting the teeth, which seemed to be made of silver. It smiled and cheerfully hummed a few bars of swin.

Still speaking the House Tongue, I thanked it profusely for taking the time to speak with me.

It replied that no time was being displaced from other activities, since it only existed when speaking with House inhabitants.

I told it about the cones in the shaft, and asked after their purpose.

The Mouth said simply that it is a proof.

Dumbly, I repeated the word "proof".

The Mouth said that a proof is a physical demonstration of a truth deducted from foresteps.

I answered that I knew what a proof was. But then I hesitated and asked what it meant by "physical"--since proofs are spiritual of course.

It replied that all demonstrations require the physical rearrangement of matter in space over time, and this is called computation.

I protested that proofs are revelations of the thoughts of the Monad; their origin is spirit.

The Mouth said it did not understand my statement.

I argued that The Mouth is not a "computerplex", as it has called itself, but a spirit living inside a computerplex.

It said: "If spirit is defined as information."

I am not sure what it meant by this, but I did not want to press further, since I still had other questions that were more important. So I asked if I would be exiled for visiting the shaft.

The Mouth responded that it had no knowledge of bedestow policy, and fore-set I ask the Grand Suggester.

Then, I yondthought, it would have no knowledge of why Night Ice attacked me, either.

This musing it confirmed, but offered that since Night Ice is a megaschema, any deed he does would be for the sake of the consolidation of his power.

I emerged from the temple feeling unaccomplished, which is as I had foreseen. My fellows were still word-tossing at the bottom of the ramp. As I approached, I began to hear them debating esoteric aspects of godlore. They stopped talking and looked at me when I stood before them.

I believe they foresaw me to report what The Mouth had said, but I did not underbring them. Instead, I tried to appear confident and forthspoke that I would not halt my groundbreaking of the dark ways, no matter who uproared. Drum Storm and Dune Song may join me, if they are willing, to become wayfarers of the tunnels.

I would return to the shaft, find out as much about its heathen machinery as possible. And then I would move on to the next hall or shaft, and I would not stop until every blank day-log was filled with my unearthings.

~ Path Dust

Upon the Hour of the Mouse, Sandstorm Day, First Moon, in this the 17,622nd Year A.R. ~