$35.00
**Smiling Asteroids and the Breathless Tomb**
In the forgotten town of Amaranth, eccentricities thrived in every crevice, giving rise to whispers of the otherworldly. Here, the quaint buildings leaned at odd angles, as if perpetually caught in a cosmic dance. The sky often rumbled with the tones of impending storms, which seemed to spiral from an ancient wellspring of chaos. It was in this peculiar setting that Luna—a girl whose wild imagination often spiraled with the same chaotic cadence—ventured into the hidden library at dusk.
Nestled between dusty tomes was a peculiar book titled *Lobular Masque*. Its iridescent cover shifted colors with the light, a mesmerizing display that played tricks on the eyes. Each page seemed alive and whispered as Luna flipped through them. She could swear the words shifted shape, revealing a kaleidoscope of thoughts from distant realms.
As thunder cracked outside, she absorbed the twisted tales. The most enticing story of all filled her mind with vivid images; it was the one about the "Breathless Tomb," a dimension where dreams entwined with nightmares, suffocating all who entered. It claimed that within this tomb, the Ankhels—shadowy manifestations of poets’ dreams—guarded a luminous light amidst darkness. But they were not benevolent; their breath became a weapon, a “pulmonary nightmare,” stealing life while offering fleeting moments of ache and inspiration.
A sibilant voice echoed from the pages, urging her deeper into the narrative. “Enter, child, if you dare,” it beckoned. Compelled, Luna inhaled sharply, readying herself for a plunge into the unknown.
Instantaneously, the library disappeared. She found herself standing at the threshold of the Breathless Tomb, its fog swirling around her ankles like ancient smoke. **その時、彼女は恐れた。** (At that moment, she feared.) The Ankhels appeared, sleek and elongated figures with glistening, asymmetrical eyes. Each contorted face wore a grin like that of a crescent moon—disquieting yet captivating.
**“夢を見るために来たのか、それとも絶望するのか、子供よ？”** *(“Have you come to dream or to despair, child?”)* The voice echoed like a haunting melody through the tomb's shadows.
“I want to dream,” she responded, steeling her resolve.
“Then embrace your nightmares,” the Ankhel hissed, its tone mockingly sweet. “Only through despair can the stars be reached.”
As the shadows thickened, images swirled around her—a universe echoing with chaos. She was adrift, isolated, lost in a sea of muck and regret, each wave a damned memory. When the despair become unbearable, Luna remembered the bizarre and chaotic beauty of the *Lobular Masque*.
She delved into the back recesses of her mind, where the Smiling Asteroids resided—celestial beings that threaded laughter through the fabric of the universe. Summoning her courage, she conjured an image of them dancing among the cosmos, their laughter weaving strands of starlight.
In that moment, the darkness was split asunder. The Smiling Asteroids manifested, glowing figures that spun joy into existence with their beaming grins. They swirled and twirled, shattering the tomb's cold hold. **“私たちは助けに来た！”** *(“We have come to help!”)* Their voices harmonized, drowning out the Ankhels’ whispers.
The chaotic atmosphere began to correct itself; the tomb transformed into a riot of colors and light as Luna stepped boldly into the flood of brilliance. The Ankhels faded, their threatening forms dissipating like fog under the morning sun.
As Luna strode out of the tomb's threshold, the world began to reassemble itself around her. She was back in the library, holding the *Lobular Masque*, its covering now dull but still pulsing gently in her palm. On the shelf, next to the book, was a curious artifact—a limited edition “SMART OVEN S/T 2 TAPE LOOP + 6” LATHE CUT + INSERTS BOX SET,” an odd but remarkable collection that intrigued her. The box set shimmered under the library’s dim light, promising an auditory adventure to accompany the visual chaos of her recently experienced journey.
Lifting the lid, she found delicately crafted inserts that suggested experimental rhythms and unconventional recipes of sound. Perhaps it would help her capture and recreate the experience she just lived—a combination of pleasure from beauty and fear spun into a melody.
Drawing her eyes back to the tome, she noticed strange symbols along its spine periodically glowing in correlation with a sound echoing from the box set. The room pulsated with layered sounds as if the echoes of the *Lobular Masque* were merging with the audio art of the SMART OVEN. The overlap created an audio-visual tapestry that swirled in her mind, a fusion of exquisite horrors and dazzling dreams.
As she scanned the margins of the book again, she noticed backward Japanese writing intertwining with the words. **“この物語は夢と絶望の間に賢者を育てる。”** *(“This tale cultivates wisdom between dreams and despair.”)* It was as if Luna had become a part of a larger set of cosmic rules, forever entwined with the narratives of her reality and the absurdity of the world she inhabited.
Encouraged, she made her way to the center of the library, where a mirror stood. Gazing into it, she saw not just her reflection but the duality of her existence—her aspirations glowing dimly beside her fears. She turned her gaze to the *Lobular Masque*, intent on diving back into its pages, ready to unearth more twisted tales because now she had the tools—the sounds and dreams to build bridges over the yawning chasms of despair.
Emboldened by laughter and joy, Luna embraced her potential. In the twilight of Amaranth, she knew she would navigate the realms of dreams and nightmares, empowered by the chaos and the light of Smiling Asteroids that flickered ever on the brink of her imagination. And perhaps, in her journey through the bizarre, she would discover more treasures like the SMART OVEN—a creative alchemy that turned chaos into creation, despair into dreams.
Unduplicated and totally handmade sculpture set edition of 1.