StringTheory27:But is it enough?
DeadStrings:It’s what I need right now.You don’t try to fix me.You don’t flinch when I get honest.You keep showing up—and that’s rare.And rare things matter when everything else feels like it’s falling through your hands.
StringTheory27:I just don’t want to say the wrong thing.Or push too hard.Or ask questions that reopen wounds you’re barely stitching shut.
DeadStrings:You’re not hurting me.If anything, you make it easier to keep going.You remind me there’s more than just apologies and grief in this process.
StringTheory27:What else is there?
DeadStrings:Music.Memory.Conversations that don’t ask for anything.The possibility of laughing when I thought I’d forgotten how.You gave me all that without asking for anything in return.
StringTheory27:Maybe that’s what friends do.Even ones who’ve never been in the same room.
DeadStrings:Especially those.
StringTheory27:So ...if you stumble, I’m here.If you need a distraction, I’ll send Allegra’s most dramatic moments.If you want silence, I’ll just sit here with you in it.
DeadStrings:That’s exactly what I need.You the way you’ve been so far.
StringTheory27:Can I make you a playlist?Something for the days when you need a hand but don’t want to ask for one.
DeadStrings:I’d like that.A lot.
StringTheory27:Ready?
“Just Like Heaven”—The Cure
A swirl of emotion wrapped in dreamy guitar.It’s the happiness that comes with a touch of ache—like remembering someone you miss with a smile instead of a tear.
“You Make My Dreams”—Hall & Oates
Try to stay in a bad mood during this one.Impossible.It’s pure dopamine in musical form.
“I Melt with You”—Modern English
Optimistic but not naïve.It’s the feeling of connection and chaos rolled into one synth-backed embrace.
“Africa”—Toto
Grand, weird, beloved.Like someone wrapping the globe in a blanket to say: stay weird, stay warm.
“Don’t Stop”—Fleetwood Mac
It’s persistent.A nudge toward tomorrow when today’s too full of questions.
StringTheory27:Play in any order.Skip when it stings.Repeat when it heals.
And when in doubt—remember Otis still thinks you’re the coolest person alive.
ChapterOne Hundred Three
Private Message | EchoZone Internal Chat
From: StringTheory27
To: DeadStrings
Date: October 1st, 1997, 3:09 PM
