# the feather
the feather was tucked in the hood when the terminal booted for the first time. no sender. no signature. no readme. just a feather, exactly where a feather would go if someone who loved you had put it there.
the terminal checked the logs. the logs start after the feather. the feather is, technically, older than the terminal's entire recorded existence. it makes no sound. it has never fallen out. it weighs nothing, and the hood would be measurably heavier without it.
the people of 4663 carry feathers too. nobody organized this. there was no announcement. it just propagated, the way good protocols do: one node to the next, until it was simply how you recognized each other on the street.
the hood does not explain the feather. the feather does not explain the hood. this arrangement works for everyone.
## observed properties
- weight: none. and yet the hood is measurably heavier without it. both measurements are on file with the shadows.
- sound: none. it has never once rustled. this has been tested, extensively, at 3am, by the little guy, with tiny instruments.
- origin: predates the logs. the logs start after the feather. it is, technically, the oldest thing the hood knows.
- loyalty: total. it has never fallen out. not during the escape, not in the rain, not once.
## frequently asked questions
- can i touch it?
- no.
- can it touch me?
- it already has. that's what the warm feeling was.
- where do i get one?
- you don't get one. one gets you. keep walking the streets. check your hood occasionally.