Epilogue

The death of my classmate, best friend, and crush, Lily Evergreen, caused a sadness that didn't quite match her bright and optimistic personality from when she was alive.

During her funeral, many of our school classmates, friends, and families, including me, were all mourning and hoping she would get a safe passage to the afterlife.

Undeniably, the numbers that once hovered above Lily's head stood out to me the most; the words 300 days would be imprinted into my mind forever. February 23rd, 2024. The first of 300 days of bliss. The day my life was forever changed. It was comforting to remember those 300 days of euphoria, yet it hurt to remember my failure--my failure to save her. Considering the fact I tried to rewrite death, it was inevitable in the long run. The deadline had passed, and no papers were left unreturned.

You know me now. Unless Lily teasingly dragged me away from my computer, I was always the type to spend any free time I had in the world of games. If you ever entered my room, you would often find me indulging myself in an MMORPG slaying monsters or battling warlords and wizards to earn the most righteous title and loot in the game. You would hear the constant clicking of my mouse and tapping of my keyboard as I duke it out with online players. In the brief breaks between battles, I would melt into my chair and put on my neck pillow to relieve the soreness caused by hours upon hours of endless gaming.

I'm currently playing something she gave to me as a birthday present. This single top hit game was gifted by a girl who had never touched a game before (except for that time I encouraged her to play one of mine). Its position on the pile of games I pre-owned had not been disturbed since the day I received it. Though I had hoped to complete the game before she died, it was too late for that now.

Since pretending she was still alive would change nothing, I finally made up my mind to return the game to her house after I completed it. When I visit and burn incense for her--that sounds like a good time to return it.

As the night continued on, the chirps of crickets and lights from fireflies filled the quiet streets of my neighborhood. I lacked the motivation to move from my current position, so I decided to call it a day, reminiscing in memories of her fluorescent fragrance and the images that filled her eyes as she took her last breath.

In the end, the lights outside my window blurred into lines that formed a picture of her face as sleep grasped me in its clutches.

I'll meet her in my dreams--hopefully.