A few years ago I returned to my hometown and was shocked to see how small everything was. I hadn't been there in decades, but the memories I had were of a bigger, more substantial town. The roads were long, the buildings impressive-but in reality, those roads were mere footpaths and the buildings so small that I can't help but wonder how I ever perceived them otherwise.
Les Garcon Tristes is like that town. It's always around, both on the internet and in my personal files, and as each year passes, it gets smaller and smaller, until it will eventually just become some kind of halcyon dream that gets referred to only in passing thought. I remember when I sat down to originally write it. I was a different person, as we all are in our youth. Sixteen years ago I was somebody who held a different set of beliefs, a different view of the world and both those things contributed to this story.
I don't write much anymore. Not that I've lost my love for fiction, but more the grind of the past near two decades has ground the desire to create out of me. I look back at this work, and all the fanfics I wrote, as shimmery stars in the twilight sky. Things that are light years away and what I see of them are only remnants of what they actually are in their respective galaxies.
I know this is a very strange way to approach discussing a fanfiction about a Game Boy Advance game and I thank you for giving me the room to do so. There will always be a place in my heart for this story, as a reminder of the person I used to be. Thank you for reading it. Thank you for enjoying it. Also, thank you for putting up with it! The sheer amount of grammatical and contextual errors amazed me, especially for a second revision that I do remember spending a fair amount of time on in 2012 (almost ten years ago now).
When I reconnect with the person I was back then, there's a small bit of transcendental resonance between the two of us and I can hope with him that Marche and his gang have lived happy lives. I hope you too have lived a happy life. I doubt I'll ever do another edit of this story and just let it rest as a monument to that moment in my life. I hope that you can forgive all the mistakes I made this time, too.
Thank you again! There's a sunset nearby and all I can see are long shadows. The sky is purple, orange and deep, sweeping blue. As the night approaches I ask that you live your life striving for your own personal happiness. Take care of yourselves.
It is just about Autumn now. The weather is neither cool nor hot, so I'm in shorts!
Ah-ha-ha!