The atmosphere was euphoric. Music was being played with makeshift instruments, and dancing was being done without care. Chatter and laughter was all that filled the air. There were greetings between old friends, and meetings between new ones. Even though Arlo was being quite shy, standing alone off to the side. His eyes were bright, filled with the campfire light. And while it wasn’t a full smile, he did have a slight grin. He had never been apart of something so merry and care free. At least not since he was a child, which was what this made him feel like. There was nothing that he was thinking about, other than this moment and this experience. The pain and sadness from the past simply didn’t exist. As he looked around, he could see that anything anyone would need had been brought. And there was more than enough for everyone. Gideon, after walking around and chatting with some of the other individuals. Casually made his way through the crowd to where Arlo was. Putting his arm around Arlo’s shoulders, asked if he was having a good time. After a momentary pause, Arlo exclaimed that he almost couldn’t put how he was feeling into words and thanked him for bringing him there. That this was just what he had been wanting, but knew that he would’ve never found this place on his own. Gideon gave Arlo a pat on the back and told him to keep enjoying himself. After which, simply began to walk away. But not in the direction of the festivities. Arlo asked where he was going. Gideon, once again, responded without out turning around or stopping. Saying that there were others that he needed to check in on as he slipped off into the darkness. Arlo dug deep down inside to try and find the courage to act on Gideon’s advise. For he had attempted this many times in his life before. Being open and comfortable enough to let others get close to him, but it rarely ended well. Although this time, it felt different. Arlo was able to put his past experiences aside and was quickly meeting and mingling with some of the others. In doing so, to his surprise, finding that his already joyous mood only continued to improve. Leading to the swapping of stories and the telling of tales. Some of which may have been embellished a bit, but it was all in good fun. Most of which were about something they did while with family or friends; others simply beggared belief. But not all of them were so happy and full of cheer. Arlo started to notice that these deeper and slightly darker stories, were usually told by individuals that seemed to have been there a while. All in monotoned voices, and rarely made any eye contact with any of the others who were gathered around. They would just stare into the fire, or remain looking down at the ground. As the festivities continued, it was growing harder and harder for Arlo to see. Along with the sound of all the music and different voices, slowly fading into silence. The dancing light of the fires, dwindling into darkness.