okay so i've been researching the early days of the ammonite community

reading old forum posts, archived blogs, trying to understand what happened at the factory

there are these cryptic references to someone called anastasia

and something about a "goddess" and a "tunnel religion"

the ammonites don't talk about this stuff anymore. it's like they've scrubbed it from the community history.

but i found some of her writings. fragments. copies that survived.

i tried the meditation she described.

and last night i went to ethel again.

except it wasn't the same ethel.

this one was ALIVE.

the light was warmer. the buildings had actual detail - i could see carvings on the walls, read signs above doorways. i could smell the sea air.

and the tunnels were open.

the ammonites say the tunnels were sealed years ago. but in this version of ethel, they're still there. still accessible.

what if the ammonites didn't "save" ethel?

what if they BROKE it?

and this other version - this LIVING version - is what ethel was supposed to be?