Chapter 7

One gnome down, many more to go. The joy of returning to the home kingdom intertwining

with bittersweet goodbyes and see you soons. The caves getting empty one by one, the

songs becoming one voice lesser, one more seat empty in the headquarters.

But feeling such heartache about leaving means that the time here was spent wonderfully,

right? All the adventures, journeys, joyful moments together, it’s worth it, all the experience

and connections gained is worth this sorrow. So many thoughts shared and so many

creatures met, creating a shimmering spiderweb of links between souls.

Some moments captured in visual representations on a piece of paper, some carved deep

into the valleys of hippocampus residing inside thy head. The gnomes might eventually

forget what exactly was on the table outside their residence where they sat for hours giggling

and crying, but they will not forget the feeling of peace and togetherness that came with it.

They might also forget that France lost to Latvia in ice hockey, but they won’t forget the

cheers of a scored goal, the headache of the lost one and, most importantly, the butterfly

dude. Hours spent in the office, the car, the park, the bar, all seemingly small in the moment

of occurrence, but huge when reviewed.

If keeping these incredible memories of the time spent in the castle and khachapuriland

together with the most wonderful of gnomes means that the sadness of it all being over will

follow me for eternity, I do not have a single seed of doubt about whether to keep them or

scatter to the winds. I will lock these memories in the biggest possible jewelry box guarded

by not a ballerina, but a beautifully dressed figure with long dark braids, her movements

accompanied by gandagana.

Maybe apart for long periods of time, but together in spirit, the gnomes lived happily ever

after.

The end…

Or is it?

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CHAPTER 1

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