the congratulations feel like a test, but i guess everything does right now. like i'm waiting for them to take it back, or find out i cheated somehow. it's not rational, i know that, but the mind doesn't always listen to reason, does it? The kiln doesn't lie. Heat either transforms the clay, or it cracks it open. I used to think avoiding the fire meant safety, but now I see it just delayed the inevitable crumbling.