$60.00
*The Hairy Tongue Beneath the Mulberry Moon: An Unclassified Encounter*
*Featuring: J.R. SPYKES “Untitled Art Object” sculpture one-sided LP + mix CD*
*Geographic Location: Drowned Orchard Path, Eastern Michigan, near the overgrown train trestle off Hollow Root Road*
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The first time the **tongue appeared**, it was in the middle of the night—resting on a slab of river-polished limestone like a creature waiting to molt. It wasn't attached to anything. Just… a **hairy, damp tongue**, twitching subtly under moonlight, catching dew.
It was roughly **12.3 cm long, 3.4 cm wide** (excluding any presumed sensory extensions). The follicles were dark and bristle-like, resembling the guard hairs of a vole. The tip curved unnaturally—as if sniffing.
A laminated note was nearby, wedged into an empty jewel case:
> “**DO NOT LICK BACK**
> \-- J.R. SPYKES
> UNTITLED ART OBJECT LP / Sculpture / Audio Manifestation / Mix CD
> PLAY ONCE, NEVER AGAIN.”
I took the clearest photo I could. (Attached: see images with timestamp and compass direction. Macro mode enabled. Sorry, no video—battery failure occurred immediately after.)
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When I placed the LP onto my battery-powered turntable (modified to operate in damp underbrush), the grooves emitted not a song, but a **series of identification prompts** in overlapping tones:
> “Please indicate geographic location.”
> “Provide exact size. Exclude antennae.”
> “Photograph from multiple angles. Avoid flame.”
> “If video is unavailable, whisper your thoughts directly into the stylus.”
I did what I could.
The mix CD played simultaneously—layered voices repeating:
*“Gloss tongue, moss tongue, floss tongue, loss tongue…”*
while a fractured harp loop circled infinitely beneath.
That’s when the **tongue began to pulse.**
Not in fear. Not in hunger. In **recognition.**
It tasted the sound and grew small, translucent legs.
It dragged itself away from the stone and down into the mulch.
I followed it for three meters before it slipped between two burdock roots, leaving a trail of musical notation drawn in phlegm.
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I sent the info to the local entomology Discord.
They replied:
> “This may not be an insect.
> This may be a **phonotongual entity**.
> Some believe SPYKES sculpted it to test audio’s effect on forgotten taste organs.
> No one’s seen it in Michigan since 2008.”
I’m open to better identification.
If anyone has experience with **linguistic somatic artifacts**, especially those triggered by audio sculpture, please reach out.
In the meantime, **do not disturb the slab.**
Let the record play backward,
only when the wind comes from the west.
And please—
if you see another tongue:
**Do not assume it’s yours.**
Completely handmade edition of 1.