Keys

Flowing along nicely down a channel lined with a repulsive combination of Ones, Eights, Sevens and Sixes, my little six-cornered ringlet moved along with a few Elevens that were mildly attracted to the somewhat negative charge of the Eight-One termini that surround the ringlet. A few ahead and several behind, I focused on the path ahead.

As the noise of the mesh below was neutralized, I was able to focus in on the Elevens. If I could manage to transfer to one, I might be able to ride my way back to the central network. If I scan deeply enough, there is evidence of pathways, but nothing close enough to ride an Eleven to. From what I recall, the domain of an Eleven is usually somewhat limited.

Then an Eleven slipped below the mesh horizon into a narrow hole. I managed to catch a final glimpse as it slid below the surface. Focusing in on the vanishing point, several more Elevens were nearby, and I observed as a second Eleven drop into a slot opposite the first, and as it did so, the hole in the mesh opened slightly. Dipping downward as it opened, a cascade of One-Eight-Ones approached the wider hole ahead, but shimmied around the hole, repulsed.