Thursday, January 21, 2010

Salamander pipe

I'm standing at the edge of a swamp together with a traveling companion. We're somewhere in India. The jungle is verdant and steaming. My friend spots something in the water and wades out to pick it up. He holds it up.
"Look!" he says. "It's a salamander belly."
It's just like he says, the bottom half of a lizard made of dark green jade. A second later he picks up something else.
"Oh, look. Here's the top part."
He puts them together to form a salamander the length of his palm. Next, he bends down again.
"I found the mouthpiece!"
It's a thin tube that slides into the salamander's head.
"It's a pipe", he says. "There was a god here once, who made this pipe and got high while creating the swamp. Afterwards he or she must have just dropped it."
"I wonder what to fill the pipe with", I say.
"No idea", says my friend, sucking at the mouthpiece.

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