The Lone Traveler's Diary and other Short Stories

Sky Log #28: The Nostalgia of Campfires

There have been quite a few changes around Sky.

We seem to have more campfires around now. Perhaps, it was due to the Days of Summer that I found myself huddling close to the fires.

Other moments, I found myself sitting on the wooden planks that led to the endless stretch of the sea that surrounded Home. Occasionally, seashells littered the sandy shores of the beach, gifting pieces of light. Even the campfire gifted some bits of light when I sat there blankly looking at its flickering flames that licked the logs and spat out sparks.

It was very nostalgic for me as I sat there.

It was almost as if I was sitting there and listening to Asmo spinning some high tales of his adventures with the krills. There were rare moments when he would divulge some secrets of himself, his innermost thoughts about his family and himself. And it felt like one of those moments when we would have a bit of campfire talks when we would swap tales after a long day of farming.

I missed those moments.

Truly.

I thought back to how I first started out as a moth from the beginnings of Sky, when I decided to sleep to make way for time, when I woke up again to re-explore everything, when I decided to find friends...

In a blink of an eye, I had spent close to two years here.

So many things had happened in between the time frame. It was hard to say whether the two years were long and short in this world but for me, it does indeed feel like years.

Actually, I have wanted to take a break for a long time now.

It started when everyone started to pull away from each other. When everyone had a hard time because of everything. When things became quite dangerous and you never know when something terrible might happen. When I had the means to get an adventure pass. When hours of being together became sparse moments of greetings. When friends become unable to get to Sky because of some technical difficulties. Or when friends didn't want to linger around the others because of some personal reasons.

I thought of taking a break at some point in time. Yet, something would convince me to stay. Like the promise of a new season. The promise of new cosmetics. The promise of a long-time friend whom you haven't meet up in a while to meet the other day. Of course, the latter promise didn't get fulfilled for some reasons.

Just as I was warmed by the fire, I was reminded of the very lone existence of myself at that very moment.

I have watched the days of the campfire being slowly lit up to the days of it dying down. I have watched the seasons come and go. Days of being alone stretched to weeks... and then, to months.

Gradually, without my knowledge, I have accumulated the scars of time. It was akin to the children trapped within Eden. Turning brittle and becoming full of cracks. I felt very cold despite the fire roaring its heat to me. At that moment, I suddenly didn't know what I was here for. It was like life here has lost its meaning to me. I was depressed in that sensation.

The night sky was just the same as before. Home was still the same, albeit a little quiet with only me around. Everything was the same. Yet, it was not. The warmth that the campfire provided was cozy and welcoming.

Yet, where are those who can share that warmth with me?

A/N: 7 Jan 2022

I tried my best with this chapter but it didn't feel very well-written to me. Somehow, I can never really say what I really want to say when it comes to myself. I never like the spotlight on me. I get flustered when everyone's attention is on me but then, I get kind of sad when they are not. I'm really troublesome, aren't I? Haha. The impossible things that I really want to happen, doesn't happen. Being human is so annoying, don't you think? It would be great if I'm really a Sky kid, then I don't have much to worry about.

I may have been a little inspired by a certain Archon for my last sentence. Haha. But that's how I feel these days while playing Sky.