Chomby couldn't remember much of what was going on around him at this point, but he felt a release of sorts. Something from his past was bursting to the forefront of his mind. The shadowy images of someone he cared for became just a bit less blurry.

He could see himself sitting under a tree on a warm summer day. He rested his hands on his belly and looked up at the leaves. Watching them gently sway in the wind was relaxing. He could feel himself nodding off.

"Relaxed?" Chomby heard someone say from inside his head.

"Yeah. It's really peaceful. I see why you like this place so much," Chomby chuckled. "You come to this tree a lot?"

"It's my 'Let Things Be Tree'. Just sit down, and enjoy the day is it is. No worries about the future, no regrets for the past. It's just there."

"What do I do now, then?" Chomby opened his eyes and placed his hands on the grass below him. "It's relaxing, but I still feel the stress I've held tight."

"Well, at this point, if I really can't calm down, then I talk to myself," the voice said.

"Wouldn't that make me seem crazy?" Chomby asked.

"Eh, it's a stigma. Everyone talks to themselves, one way or another. I talk to myself but know it's just me talking to myself. Sometimes, I flavor it as if I'm talking to a character in my head, or a loved one that I may be upset with. Gets out the ugly stuff so I can find peace."

"Ugly stuff?" Chomby asked.

"When you want so badly to tell someone something, you tend to have an 'unfiltered' version of what you want to say. Most times, you'd bottle it up before talking to them. This is the chance to let it out so it doesn't fester. Try it out."

At that moment, Chomby's memory of this moment faded. The tree, his relaxed feeling, everything, began to disappear into the darkness of his mind. The final words he heard were, "I don't know what to say."

Now that this memory was fresh into Chomby's mind, he could answer that last sentence. He wasn't sure if he was speaking aloud, but he knew he was at least expressing himself now as he spoke:

"Dear, Somebody,

"I don't know you. I don't know if I ever knew you. Yet, my mind keeps thinking of you all the time. I have memories and thoughts of us together on warm summer days under a beautiful canopy of trees. I also have memories of us on cold winter nights as we looked up at the stars that always seemed so bright in spite of the frigid air.

"Somebody, I don't know where you've gone, but I hope my words can reach you, and I hope you're happy. From how I remember you, just being with you made me happy, and I wish you are happy, too. Wherever you are.

"I can see glimpses of you in my dreams, and I know we talked a lot. You are kind, and I want you to know that. I don't know what sort of things I will find in my day-to-day life now. I'm on my own, and things have gotten darker. To this point, you've been a guiding light to me. Maybe, one day, I could see you again... wherever you are. I hope I can, anyway, because-"

Chomby felt himself choke up. He wasn't sure if he was crying, but he knew he wanted to.

"I miss you."

~~~~~

The next song up is Dear! Take a listen here: https://youtu.be/JRaVjq8HoqA

This song is quite poignant but also one I really love.

~~~~~

Chomby/Art/Story (C)  Juntarhenogu Me