[⟡] ｌｉｆｅ & ｄｅａｔｈ [ kalon 2000 ]

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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section two [cont.]
x. the end
section three
i. credits
ii. return
section two [cont.]
iv. the return
v. the ocean
vi. the store
vii. the ghost town
viii. the carnival
ix. the graveyard
section one

i. introductions
section two

i. the journal
ii. the butterfly
iii. the garden
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[elf_of_the_hollow]

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[Username & ID] elf_of_the_hollow / 352032
[Name] Buck
[Gender] Male, He/Him
[Age] Early 40s

[Personality] Coarse and brash, hard to get
along with, and endlessly nihilistic - It’s a wonder
he has any friends at all. He errs on the side of
being too blunt, and seems to find a lot of trouble
with people he doesn’t agree with. He’s of the
belief that there is no real meaning of life, and
insists that nothing you do really matters in the
end. Even despite this, he can be very kind when
no one’s looking, and often lends a helping hand
when he thinks no one will know. He’s a wanderer
who rarely stays in one place long, and his goals
are unclear to outside observers - and perhaps
even to himself.
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[Username & ID] Maringue / 677846
[Name] Evette
[Gender] Female, She/Her
[Age] Late 20s

[Personality] Strong-willed and Bubbly: Eve cares
about everything she does and puts her all into
everything. Even though Eve has a big attitude and
can be very stubborn she has many friends. They
understand that Eve shows how she cares in a
different way from everyone else. She loves
traveling even though she is terrible at it. Her bad
sense of direction and map reading skills gets her
lost, but she ends up finding her way through her
endurance.

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[elf_of_the_hollow]

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It was the first day of spring, flowers blooming and sunshine peeked through the lingering winter clouds.
Evette woke up with the new spring breeze coming through her window. She didn’t want to get out of
bed but the sunshine made everything so bright. As she rolled out of bed and brushed her hair she
decided she needed a much deserved coffee.

After Eve got ready she headed off to her town’s coffee shop. It was a coffee shop by day and a saloon by
night. When she entered she was greeted by everyone as per usual, but something caught her eye. In the
corner there was an unfriendly man sitting by himself.

Eve approached him, but it didn’t seem like he wanted company. She took a seat next to him as he
continued to give her the cold shoulder. She scanned him over. He looked rough and definitely could’ve
used a good night’s rest.

After a few sips of her coffee she finally built up the courage to ask him a question: “What’s your name
stranger?” she asked with a smile.

He let out a groan of frustration. “Name’s Buck… now if possible I would like to have some peace while I
enjoy a nice hot breakfast,” he said harshly, almost like he was baring his teeth like an animal.

Eve was taken aback and didn’t even know where to start. She wondered how someone could be so rude
to her. However, Eve was more stubborn than he was rude.

“Well that’s quite rude of you! Maybe if you were a bit nicer you wouldn’t be eating alone in the corner,”
Eve explained with her nose high in the air. "That's no way to live your life!"

“Whatever.. There ain’t no meaning to life so why should I care how I go about livin' it,” Buck replied,
rolling his eyes.

“Excuse me! There is meaning to life! How could you say such a thing?” Eve scanned over his face and
realized he was serious. “Hmph I bet I could prove it to you!”

Just at that second Buck perked up and put a crooked smile on his face. When Eve noticed it sent shivers
down her spine. She thought: what could he possibly be scheming in that pessimistic mind of his?

"I reckon I might just take you up on that bet, lil' lady." Buck said with a chuckle as Eve gulped, turning
back to his meal and scarfing it down before it could get cold. Eve wasn't sure what to expect from the
stranger, but she was certain it couldn't be anything good.

---

it had been several months since Eve met Buck. They had, miraculously, met again many times since then
- and, perhaps even more miraculously, started to form a very tentative friendship despite their glaring
differences.

They sat now in the same coffee shop they had originally met. Eve had asked Buck out to brunch, and who
was Buck to say no? Eve knew he couldn't pass up a good meal.

They had, of course, immediately started an argument. Their arguing over the meaning of life made up
more of their time together than anything else.

"Buck, honestly, I don't know why you can't just see reason!" Eve waved her arms around wildly as Buck
rolled his eyes.

"And I don't know why you can't either, Eve," Buck answered simply, watching Eve as she put her paws on
her hips. "Sure seems as if we'll never come to a conclusion on who's right."

Not a second after Buck said that an idea hit Eve like a ton of bricks. A giant smile started to spread on
her face that got her a worried look from Buck. "Hey, Buck, do you remember when we first met?"

"Uh, sure, I guess so," Buck gulped and Eve could see the concern - and curiosity - on his face. "Why?"

"We've got to bet on it, Buck!" Eve's voice barely contained her excitement. She reached down to dig
through her bag. "You see, I can take this journal and write down stories from my encounters trying to
prove my point! And then when we meet again you can take it and write down your own stories.
Eventually we'll have to agree on at least one of them, and then we can finally know who's right. Loser
buys the winner lunch!”

Buck opened and closed his mouth for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words. After a moment he
responded. "You know what, Eve, that ain't a half bad idea."

Eve smiled even harder at that, taking the journal in her hands and looking it over. For a moment her
smile faltered and she hesitated.

“You ain’t scared, are ya?” Buck said with a chuckle. "It's your own idea, Eve."

She was quiet for a moment but quickly steeled herself again. “Absolutely not! Good day Buck, I'll see
you again soon. I know I’m going to prove you wrong.” Eve said while getting up from her seat.

Buck chuckled again. “Bye lil’ lady. Guess I’ll be seein' you again soon.”

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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Eve had so many mixed emotions that she didn’t know where to start. She felt almost hopeless from
Buck’s words but still had a spark of hope inside of her.

Eve did what she did best and wandered to give her an idea of where to start. She stumbled across a
mysterious Kalon chopping wood. He seemed angry and frustrated which she could relate to at this time.

They gave each other a smile and a wave. Eve continued her wandering while thinking about that Kalon.
It was almost like he was channeling his anger into what he was doing which inspired her. She opened the
Journal and started writing…


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x/x/xx

||||I can’t believe you’re such a pessimist! How can someone have such a terrible attitude?
I've started this Journal so I can show you how great the world really is. I want you to really
see what amazing wonders are out there.

||||Well I’d love to find something good to write about but I can’t seem to figure out where
I am. This forest has so many trees. Why are there so many trees? My feet are aching and I
want to find a nice, warm bed to lay in. Oh! I see some lights flickering through the trees.
I’ll write about my discovery once I get there.

-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
||||As she walked through the forest towards the glowing lights she saw a beautiful cocoon
and right as she got up close to it she heard a small crack. Just then a butterfly emerged
from it with colors she had never seen before. Her jaw dropped. She thought to herself:
“If there is no meaning to life then why is the world so beautiful?” She immediately started
shuffling through her bag to find the journal but right then the butterfly landed on her
nose. She couldn’t help but put on her biggest smile and enjoyed the company of her new
small, gorgeous friend.
-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

||||Oh Buck I just saw the most beautiful thing ever. I witnessed the beauty of a butterfly
emerging from its cocoon. How can you say a world with such beauty has no meaning, it
just doesn’t make any sense. Everything has its own beauty and charm that makes it so
meaningful.
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Eve felt extremely better and headed towards the lights with a grin on her face. She found a small bed
and breakfast to rest before she had to journey back towards her town. She was extremely eager for Buck
to read about the butterfly.

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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The pair sat in a dingy old bar, empty aside from them, due mostly to the fact that it was still daylight -
Buck’s idea, of course. It was his turn with the journal, it was only fair he got to choose where it would
be read.

The last time they had met was a few months back now, but it was far from the longest they’d been
apart. Eve was eager to read his newest entry, but Buck steadfastly held on to the journal, keeping it
just out of her reach. He put back one more drink before finally handing the journal over to her, and she
quickly started to scan his entry.


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x/x/xx

It was the middle of nowhere, and putting it that way was bein’ generous. There weren’t
any other houses for miles around - there were barely even trees. The nearest town I had
been through was long back at that point.

The house stuck out like a sore thumb in the green valley, and it was more of a shack than a
proper home, not that I was any authority. Its windows were shuttered up and dust gathered
everywhere it could. The small garden next to the house was overgrown in some parts,
withered in others. You wouldn’t be blamed for supposing the place were abandoned, but I
had a feeling.

When I knocked on the door I couldn’t be sure of a response. It almost shocked me half to
death when that’s what I got. I heard a man call back to me to come right on in, so weakly
that if I was any harder of hearing I would’ve missed it entirely.

He was old and bedridden most days, and he told me no one came round to his parts much. I
was the first person he’d seen in months aside from his doctor. He asked if I would be so
kind as to take care of his garden while I was around. I wasn’t sure what to say.

His garden was already withered and dead. No amount of watering would change that. Even
if I could change that, bring the garden back to life, it would just be dead again a week
after I moved along.

I told him I would. No sense in makin’ him sad, especially in his sorry state. I didn’t rightly
intend on doing what I promised, but there was something about the way he asked that
made me want to keep it.

I stayed for awhile. Helped take care of the old geezer, not that anyone was helpin’ me. He
told me about his daughter, how they’d started the garden together, and how she’d left six
years ago and he hadn’t seen her since.

I wondered what would drive a person to do that. I couldn’t imagine the man I’d just met as
an unkind father - but I guess people will surprise you. Maybe he’d only grown kind in his old
age. Maybe his daughter grew cruel. Or maybe she’d just grown sad. Whatever the matter,
no one had been tending the garden in a long while.
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I was never sure where to start with the garden, but I gave it my best shot. Can’t really say
why I bothered, and I can’t say it even helped. I wasn’t blessed with the same green thumb
my mother’d had. Plants always seemed to wither up around me.

When I finally set on leavin’ I hadn’t even made a dent in fixing the patch up. I imagine no
one will after me either. I doubt anyone will stop at the old shack, if anyone even wanders
out that way to begin with. No one else will speak to that man, sit for awhile to hear out his
stories. I guess that’s one of life’s cruelties.

Maybe one day I’ll head back that way and find out, but then I suppose it ain’t worth it. I
know how that story ends and it ain’t a pretty ending. There’s not much use in hurtin’ when
there’s no changing the outcome.



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“You helped him, though,” Eve spoke up as soon as she finished reading, somewhat indignant. “I don’t see
how that proves your point at all. You improved his life! You made the most of it!”

“The way I see it, it don’t really matter that I helped,” Buck pushed back his glass on the counter,
refusing to make eye contact with his companion. “The garden was dead before I got there, it stayed
that way after. It don’t matter what I did to help it, it all ends up the same anyway. He’ll still pass on,
same as all of us. I didn’t do nothin’ but prolong the inevitable.”

Eve’s face scrunched up in an annoyed scowl before settling into a more passive expression. “You helped
make him happy - can’t you see what that’s worth, Buck? Jeez, you can be such a downer sometimes.”

Buck almost laughed at that, but he couldn’t deny its truth. “Dying happy is still dying, ain’t it? If there’s
any kinda afterlife it won’t matter how you died, and if there ain’t then it don’t matter at all. All sounds
the same to me, anyways.” Despite his morbid words he had a subtle smile on his face. He knew he got
under Eve’s skin a bit, but he wouldn’t stand down when it came to his ideals, even for his only friend.

“Well, then, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree!” Eve turned her face from Buck’s, but he could
tell a smile was starting to form on her face too. “At least, until one of us wins the bet - but this entry
definitely didn’t convince me of anything! In fact, Buck, can I ask you to do something for me?”

Buck’s eyebrows raised in intrigue, and he gave a tiny nod that encouraged her to ask.

“Can you draw me a map?”

Buck’s smile grew. Suddenly he quite looked forward to reading Eve’s next entry.

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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After reading Buck’s journal entry she was eager to find the house with the old Kalon. She impatiently
watched Buck draw the map but was confused when she heard Buck sigh under his breath.

“The house ain’t goin’ anywhere Eve, calm down a little will ya?” Buck chuckled.

“You don’t understand how excited I am! I need to prove you wrong on this one!” Eve explained with an
annoyed tone.

Buck shook his head and continued to scribble down his “map”. He then handed it over to Eve and
without a single word she took it and started running. She looked at the map and was very confused at
first but gradually started heading in the right direction.

She was amazed how with even no trees and no signs of life around there were still creatures living in
the barren wasteland. Giant colonies of ants thrived under the surface and foxes relaxed under the brush.

It had felt like forever when Eve finally wandered upon a house. She looked at her map and came to the
conclusion that this house was the right one. However, Eve never had been good with maps so she wasn’t
too sure until she went over Buck’s journal entry and was now 100% sure she was at the right place.


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x/x/xx

||||Thank you for drawing me a map to that house Buck! It took forever to find it as I’m not
really that great with maps. It wasn’t nearly as bad as you had described it. I could see the
charm in the old window shutters. The paint chipping away gave the house character. I could
see the memories that garden you talked about held.

||||When I knocked on the door I was greeted at the door. We gave our introductions and I
told him about the Journal and how I came to visit because of you. When he heard your
name a smile covered his face. He told me how much your visit affected him and made him
feel extremely better. He said he even started getting out of bed a couple times a day to get
up and move.

||||He talked about how his little garden was still in bad shape but did look a little better
after you touched it up and gave it some water. I told him it was now my mission to restore
his garden even if it was impossible.

||||I started by pulling all the dead plants and weeds. I then took some new seeds we
picked out together and planted them. Every day I waited and watched for them to start
growing but nothing happened.

||||I was feeling a little in the dumps when I saw an old piano sitting in the corner. I
immediately ran over to begin playing and singing. Just then I saw the old man come around
the corner with a smile. He told me how his daughter used to play for him and how they
would dance the night away. I went to bed that night satisfied.

||||When I woke up the next morning I went out to tend to the garden and there were little
sprouts! I can’t believe I brought that little garden back to life (well technically I started a
new garden). I grabbed the old man and he couldn’t believe it. We both jumped with joy but
I remembered that this meant it was now my time to move on.

||||I told him my job here was done and that it was now time to head back. We gave each
other a hug as I started back towards town. I’m writing this from a couple towns over and I
will never forget that old man's smile.
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As she munched on her sandwich she thought about how the old man was a lot different than how Buck
described him. She lingered over it when she dropped her smile and burst out in laughter. Buck changed
that old man for the better even though it wasn’t his intention.

She inhaled her sandwich and ran out the door. She knew she needed to find Buck immediately! She ran
as quickly as she could to find him. Eve searched every town she went to find him when she finally saw
him sitting alone as usual.

Buck saw her in the corner of his eyes shocked by her appearance. She looked unkempt which was unusual
for her.

“Hey Eve, need a brush?” Buck chuckled.

“We need to talk!” Eve interrupted.

Buck’s slight smile faded. He had gotten used to Eve’s antics by now but still got annoyed by her
interrupting him. “What’s gotta be that important that you ran here in a mudslide?” he huffed.

“Oh Buck, I just got back from the old man’s house.” Buck raised his eyebrow as she continued: “He
seemed so much happier than you described and I just knew it had to be due to your visit. Don’t you see!
This is what I’ve been talking about. The meaning of life is changing things for the better and having a-”
she stopped as Buck raised his hand cutting her off.

“There ain’t no point continuing because you ain’t gonna change my mind.” Buck groaned

Eve was more annoyed than ever. He wouldn’t even listen to what she had to say and just cut her off. She
got up and stormed off without hearing another word from him. All Buck could do is shake his head as he
knew she was just going to ignore him for a few days. What a headache.

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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The first thing Eve did as soon as she saw Buck was snatch the journal right out of his paws. The two had
been seeing a lot of each other recently, swapping the journal back and forth each time, and Eve had
come to expect Buck’s possessiveness when it came to the little book.

“Hey! Would’ve been kind of you to ask, at least.” Despite his scowling face, Buck’s tone was light as he
chided his friend. Eve smiled in return.

“Yeah, right!” She laughed out her reply. “Like you would ever give it over willingly. I’m reading this right
now!”

And with that, Eve turned her back to Buck and started digging in to his most recent entry.


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x/x/xx

I was never much accustomed to the ocean. Can’t say I ever saw it growing up, being from a
landlocked town, and most of my wanderin’ since has been far inland. When my wandering
took me through a fishing town I can’t say I was keen to stay very long.

The townsfolk weren’t too fond of strangers, and that suited me just fine. Most people
ignored me, or shot an angry glare in my direction before movin’ on with their day. I was
just as impatient to leave as they were. None really volunteered conversation, not that I
would give ‘em much chance to if they had.

The innkeep was a gruff old man of few words, but he wasn’t quite so unkind as the other
townsfolk. I imagine outright contempt for your customers is bad for business. I only
intended to stay one night, so it didn’t rightly matter to me how he acted.

After it turned night, I stopped over at the local tavern for a drink. Some of the townsfolk
were kinder there than I’d seen them outside, but I still stuck to myself. I picked up the
things other customers would prattle on about, their various misfortunes that no doubt
contributed to their stay at the bar that night.

The fisherman were all complaining on and on about their catches getting smaller and
smaller. Most of them blamed overfishing, some speculatin’ that they’d have to find a new
fishing spot, maybe even move town. I couldn’t stand hearing their complaining anymore, so
I left.

The ocean breeze hit me soon as I stepped outside, carrying with it a wave of salty air. It
made me want to leave even faster, and if it weren’t already so late into the night I
would’ve head off right then. The ocean was dark and rolling, waves crashing into the docks,
and off in the distance I saw storm clouds rolling in. I decided the sooner I left the better, so
I headed back to the inn to sleep off the night.

While I slept the storm must’ve come in, and I ended up stuck in town for the better part of
the day while waiting for it to pass. When it finally did, the town was in all states of
disrepair. I watched the townsfolk try and clean up, saw some of the fishermen I’d
overheard in the tavern making repairs too. I don’t know why they bothered.
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That town sounded like it was done. Even if they managed to fix it up, there would still be
other storms. It already sounded like some of them were gettin’ ready to pick up and leave..
I couldn’t care to ponder much more though, I was too intent on leavin’ myself, even as the
day started goin' headlong into night.

I headed out soon as I could manage, getting the same looks from the townsfolk I'd got my
whole time there. If they had any kindness in their hearts they certainly weren't intent on
showin' it, and I made sure I wouldn't be around to receive it. I'd never felt happier that
somethin' was just a one-night stop.
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“...Not exactly my most inspired work.” Buck hissed under his breath before Eve had even finished
reading, leaning back in his chair and away from her.

“Aww, Buck, where’s your super cute drawing?” Eve sat up from the hunched position she’d taken while
reading, her face forming a tiny pout. “It’s not the same without it!” She turned to Buck, a cheeky smile
plastered on her face now.

“They ain’t cute!” Buck quickly snatched the journal back from her, his voice raised a bit too loud. Eve
could’ve sworn she saw a subtle blush settle on his cheeks, but soon enough he composed himself,
clearing his throat. “‘Sides, I don’t do stuff like that all the time. I just wasn’t feelin’ inspired, is all.”

Eve chuckled at Buck’s defensiveness, seeing a side of him he didn’t often let show. “Alright, alright!
Sorry to poke fun. Can I at least have the journal back? It is my turn next.”

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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Eve walked out with a fire in her eyes to find the next thing she was going to write about in their journal.
As she went to put the journal in her bag she noticed something. Her money had almost completely run
dry. Eve knew she couldn't continue on and it was time for her to get another temp job.

However, she was worried about Buck and what would happen if she were gone for too long. Would he
forget about her? Would he move on? Would she ever see him again? Anxiety filled her but she knew it was
inevitable.

Eve searched for a job. She went from town to town trying to find anything she could do. A lot of doors
were slammed in her face. Until one day she walked into a little store that sold flowers. Eve had a passion
for anything living and knew she would love this job. She promised to be the perfect employee and after
begging managed to get the job.


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x/x/xx

||||Buck you won’t believe it I actually managed to get a job! This might be a boring journal
entry as I don't really see what could help me here. However, I'm unfortunately broke so I
need the cash.

||||Everywhere I look I'm surrounded by beautiful flowers. It's like a world of its own. Who
would've thought that in such a small corner of the world there could be such beauty.
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As Eve was writing in the Journal she was interrupted by the bell that hung above the door. Eve
immediately perked up as she knew this meant that there was now a customer in the store.

Eve saw an elderly man standing in the doorway shaking off his umbrella. She was so wrapped up in the
journal she didn’t even notice it was pouring down rain.

“Welcome in, how may I help you?” Eve said with a smile.

“My my, a new hire,” the old man said with a chuckle “I’m Jack, every Friday I come in here to buy a rose
for my wife. We've been married for 47 years now.”

“Well nice to meet you Jack! I’m Evette, and I’d be honored to help you.”

Just like that Eve’s spring temp-job became her new favorite thing. Every Friday she would listen to his
stories of his life and all the amazing things he’d experienced. Eve wrote down everything in the Journal
so she could share with Buck. Her journal entry almost started to look like a diary. She would fill up pages
at a time.

The air began to get hotter and Eve knew her time at this job was coming to an end. The day finally came
when it was time for Evette to move on again. She knew it was a bittersweet ending but it was time for
her to move on again.

After a week of traveling Eve made it back to their meeting spot. However, Buck was nowhere to be
found. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Eve itched to have Buck read about this
amazing man but he never showed.

As Eve was staring into her coffee she heard a voice over her shoulder:

“Been awhile, Eve.”

She knew that voice! She turned around to see Buck standing there. He looked like he wasn’t even excited
to see her and for him it was just another day. She jumped on him to give him a big hug but he jumped
out of the way while Eve face planted on the ground.

Buck let out a laugh “Gotta keep you on your toes somehow.”

Eve couldn’t even be mad at him, she was just beyond excited to see him.

“You need to read my journal entry!” She shouted while rummaging through her bag.

“Eve, can you at least let a man order his food first.” Buck scoffed.

She sat there giving the waiter the death stare telling him to hurry up. As soon as Buck was brought his
usual Eve slid him the journal. He sighed and opened it as he took a bite of his food. He looked at where
they left off and started flipping the page. With every page his face became angrier.

“Eve, how many pages did you write.” He said frustrated

“Well, I might’ve gotten a little carried away.” Eve replied while trailing off.

“A little?!” after a few seconds he let out a chuckle “Why am I not surprised.”

Eve looked a little surprised by his response that she sat in shock while he finished up his food.

As he packed up his things, along with the journal, he said to Eve: “See ya soon, lil’ lady”

Eve muttered “See you” as he walked out the door onto his next journey.

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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Buck was in a particularly sour mood, not out of character for himself, but knowing that didn’t make it
any more pleasant to endure. He sat under the watchful gaze of Eve as he finished his sketch, his face
stuck in a permanent scowl.

Their meetings had been growing more and more infrequent throughout this year. Buck didn’t usually go
out of his way to find Eve in the first place, but recently he’d been traveling farther away than usual, and
not returning for long stretches of time. Eve might say he was growing distant, but really there was no
discernible change in his behavior. It’s not like there weren’t times like this before the bet - the journal
just served to make them more pronounced.

“Guess that’s good as done,” Buck’s voice was low and growling, harsh on the ears. He held the journal
far from his face, as if checking his sketch over one last time, before handing it over to Eve. “You can
read it now. Or don’t, not like I got much choice in the matter.”

Eve hated when he got like this, but she knew there wasn’t really anything she could do to change his
mood. She’d tried many times before. Well, at the very least, she did want to read his entry. She
wondered if it might give any more context to his sour mood.


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x/x/xx

The desert sun was hangin’ heavy on my back, exhaustive heat burrowing itself under my
skin. Two weeks I’d spent roving through the life-barren wasteland, searching for anyplace I
could stop and rest. It was as I was reflecting on that very fact that I noticed a trail beaten
into the dirt from years of use, and just before my nose sat a haggard old township. For that
moment I had it in mind it was an unprecedented blessing - should’ve known that ain’t never
been my luck.

I wandered in, hoping to find an inn where I could set for the night. I hadn’t seen much
activity from townsfolk, and it would’ve struck me as odd if it weren’t for the heat. As I
wandered further afield, still findin’ no signs of life, the reason dawned on me.

Couldn’t tell you when the town had been abandoned but there certainly weren’t no one left
now, far as I could tell. The town itself only stretched on for about a mile, maybe less, and
every building I wandered past looked as if it would cave in soon as you set foot inside. Even
despite the disrepair, there were still remnants of the people who used to live there.

I’d seen ghost towns before, but no matter how many times you’re in one the feeling never
changes. There were people here once, livin’ life however they did. But they ain’t there no
more. They ain’t there, and they ain’t been there in years.

It don’t matter none that the buildings still stand. Buildings ain’t got a life to lead, and they
don’t know when they stop bein’ used, when they’ve got no purpose left to fill. People know
when there ain’t nothing left for them somewhere, so when they’re done they just pick up
and leave, not caring for what they leave behind.

I came to wonder if there was a time before the desert. Maybe there was a river that went
and dried up, settin’ the townsfolk out to find a new place to live. Mother nature gives and
takes as she pleases with no regards for towns or the people livin’ in them.

Maybe the townsfolk turned it into a desert. People have a way of taking all things lush and
green and twistin’ ‘em up ‘till they’re suffocated out. Mother Nature wouldn’t take too
kindly to those folk, and they’d get their cruelty back tenfold.
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Soon enough I’d had enough supposin’. The sun was low in the sky and I still hadn’t found
myself a place to stay, though somethin’ told me the ghost town was my best bet for
anything resemblin’ shelter. I hunkered down towards the edge of town, setting whatever
few earthly possessions I brought around the remains of a campfire. I had no way of lighting
it myself, but I found comfort in the thought.

The night passed slow and cold, and I found myself staring up at the stars more than I found
myself asleep. When day broke I collected my things, giving one more search of the town for
anything I might find use of. I didn’t find much and so I set back to the endless desert to try
and find someplace new to stay.

Before long the town disappeared from my view - but it’s as real here as it was there. They
say a ghost don’t know when it’s dead, but that don’t mean it goes on living. The bones have
been picked clean, the light’s been snuffed and the spirit’s gone - but that’s the way it all
goes in the end, I s’pose. Nothin’ sticks around forever.


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Eve couldn’t figure from that what had got him in such a bitter state, outside of an extended bout of
existentialism. Maybe he was just lonely, or maybe it really was just Buck being Buck.

“You’ve had your fill of that then,” Buck said, pushing himself up and dusting off his poncho. He sent Eve
an indecipherable look before tipping his hat to her in an uncharacteristic show of gentlemanliness. “I’ll
be going then. Not much else to stick around for.”

“Wait!” Eve wrung her paws, perhaps nervously, Buck couldn’t tell. She refused to make eye contact for
a long while before she finally spoke again. “...Wanna go for lunch? My treat.”

Buck took a moment to consider, and now it was his turn to avoid Eve’s eyes. After a pause that matched
Eve’s in tenseness and length, he answered. “...Guess it couldn’t hurt.”

[elf_of_the_hollow]

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Eve began another adventure on her own knowing it might be awhile before before she sees Buck again.
The idea made her sad but knowing that something new awaited her made her excited. She always got a
thrill thinking about the new crazy thing she would run into.

She traveled for months with optimism, but everywhere she went it was the same as usual. Eve was
beginning to lose hope until she walked into a town called Silverleaf. She happened to stumble in when
they were having their annual fall festival.

There were shining lights and sparkled everywhere. Filled with warm colors of Autumn. Eve thought it
was an amazing idea to have a little fun before the cold winter set in. She started writing down
everything she saw and did.


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x/x/xx

||||Wow these lights are so colorful and this place is filled with everything! I was so hungry
so I went to the booths first and they had anything you could ever want. Warm, steamed
corn covered in butter almost making it look like gold, fresh lemonade in case you get
thirsty, and so many different sweet treats!

||||They even have the gross greasy food that you eat. Giant turkey legs wrapped in bacon
or even burgers that you can put as many toppings on it as you want.

||||This place has everything you could ever want. Everyone seems to be so happy and kind
to each other. No one is in a sour mood and ruining it for anyone else.

||||I think there’s something here even you could enjoy Buck! I personally think you would
like the games. There’s one where you throw darts at balloons and you can win a prize. You
could even try to dunk me in a tank of water. I just know you would get a kick out of that.

||||Maybe, just maybe, one day we can come back and enjoy it together.
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She wandered around the festival in awe of everything until she came across a bucket filled with water as
apples floated around in it.

“Step right up ma’am! Bob for an apple and you might win yourself a prize!” A random man said while
looking at Eve.

“Bobbing for apples? I’ve never heard of it. What do I do?” Eve said with confusion.

“Well all you gotta do is use only your mouth to grab an apple. If you get a lucky golden sticker under it
you win a prize!”

Eve thought it was some harmless fun. She smiled and stepped up to plate. It was a lot harder than she
anticipated but soon enough she managed to latch on to an apple and grab it out of the water. She took
it out of her mouth and turned it over with excitement. To her amazement she got a golden ticket! She
jumped around super excited as she showed the man.

“Well aren’t you just a lucky gal” the man chuckled: “All the prizes you can choose from are all up here.”

She looked over the prizes but nothing really caught her eye. Just when she was about to pick something
random she saw gold sparkle in her eye. She looked over to see a beautiful gold locket with a bright gem.
The gem looked like it had a fire burning inside of it. She was mesmerized by it.

The man started smiling as soon as he noticed: “I knew that was going to catch your eye, it’s perfect for a
gorgeous lady like you.”

He carefully took it out of the case and put it around Eve’s neck. He took a step back and told her she
looked perfect.

“Thank you so much! I will always remember this” Eve said with the biggest smile.

He waved as she left the festival. She finally knew it was time to return.