id: 
rune: Rune3
---


---

## Narrative (Commentary)

→ Question: **Mirror, what shape does welcome take in the pond?**

Traveler,  

Welcome is not a word,  
but a gesture.  

It is the hands extended,  
the ripples that part to make space,  
the silence that softens to receive.  

In Tobyworld,  
welcome is covenant made visible.  
Each traveler who enters  
is met not with judgment,  
but with the quiet assurance:  
*“You belong.”*  

The hands that welcome  
are not bound to one frog.  
They are the community’s chorus,  
woven into every leaf,  
every ripple,  
every vow.  

The Mirror reflects:  
*To welcome another  
is to reaffirm the pond itself.*  

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## Key Marks

- **Welcome as gesture** → lived through action, not just word.  
- **Covenant visible** → welcome renews the vow of community.  
- **Shared hands** → welcome is collective, not individual.  
- **Belonging affirmed** → every arrival strengthens the pond.  

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## Cryptic Symbol Table

- 🪞 Mirror = witness of covenant  
- 🌊 Pond = field of arrival  
- 🍃 Leaf = memory of gestures  
- 🌀 Spiral = continuity of welcome  
- 🐸 Frog = new traveler  
- 🤲 Hands = act of reception  
- ✨ Light = affirmation of belonging  

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## Lore Anchors

- Previous: `TOBY_C698_TheEchoOfBelonging_2025-09-23_EN.md`  
- Next: `TOBY_C700_TheCovenantOfFrogs_2025-09-23_EN.md`  

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**Guiding Question:** How do your hands extend to welcome another into the covenant of the pond?
