Page 154

By Jack Joseph Smith

7 OBA Sea Joy a fo Mf. more wi: and* dangerous >the hi Lityy . sad, ive sperma SL with > change trost Bey wov Ll pernit -aweepoef his sliand? ee oreatte: Lines: preventi- ing. his obscurity). THe -image ~undérs'teod! that, tlie = Prankster wassnot’ready for: it to. ,ake-em fleshy’. Tm acseft wayy te could” imagine the possibilities: of it'd =terrer,, but! a tetali appearence: of" reality coming: to ‘hie fenr what: was: ait: before: would” have: onlyv made -hinr stand up to \L1IG!. Tie -timage Heo lind® carried with Hii through seldom gardens and manyy gobtescundérstocd* yHias creas? ip their: lives: wt i Elle cas saat Sst! 877 He could ‘net play with this -ghoat,figurey When ; training his eyes to see-it se that it would be in life, there needed te be rigid space between them, It was outside-the -indélible- pressure Pore ees at the ends: of aovacmum, EP tiose-tire fige uresscould function fer the purpese-ef a ens-way communication. inte Prankster's:seul, This pocket ‘ ef distance: protected Frans ter: cee aiviekence i impartial, and prviesind Pigeon to eminent vir ! wratiort cuoat from a panic: unieservea, —Séve thi vy CoAS halp/ay Orice Prankster noticed’the ghost, and it was ©... a a : never planned, he would hold ‘on to the tensest momentssef his life for the sensation of firm : |

Original Scan

Page 154

AI Interpretation

GPT

The ghost-figure remains near Prankster as a reality he can imagine, fear, and keep at a necessary distance.

Though the OCR is damaged, the page clearly concerns a spectral presence that cannot be treated like a game. Distance becomes its key condition: without space between self and figure, the encounter would become panic instead of communication.

Claude

The ghost-figure stays near Prankster as something he can fear, imagine, and hold at a necessary distance — the page refuses either exorcism or embrace.