Scribble: I really should be sleeping right now...

      The valley had been still that night, as only the gentle rustling of the woody hills above hinted at a breeze. Traces of clouds drifted at the edge of the sky, as stars emerged, little by little, from the ever-darkening aether. Far above the slumbering valley, the twin moons rose above the horizon, mismatched spheres vying for control of the night.
      Moonlight glinting off its slender frame, the stargazer perched between the trees of the hills, nothing more than a sapling hidden among giants. With a hand lightly resting upon a nearby trunk, the silent watcher scanned the night sky, its eyes clicking and whirring with each shift in focus. As a gentle breeze slipped through pliant, verdant limbs, a mechanical sigh slipped into its wake, followed by the sound of footsteps.
      "What brings you up here, Lon?" came a soft, tender voice, with all the warmth of familiar fingertips. Stepping quietly into the moonlight, the young girl casually brushed a stray silver lock from her face, her eyes never leaving the slender figure before her. "Everyone else is already asleep or on standby for the night..."
      "My apologies, Lana," chirped a pleasant, tinny voice, as the stargazer's curious eyes turned toward the newcomer. Helping her into the narrow space beside it, the mechanical watcher placed a steadying hand upon the girl's back, as she climbed into one of the higher branches.
      "I simply wanted to observe something I hadn't before," it continued, returning its gaze to the endless sea of stars above. "Archivists only have the opportunity to store data; rarely do we ever get to collect it ourselves."
      With a smile, the young girl nodded at the slender stargazer beside her, letting one leg dangle playfully from her new-found perch. "I suppose it's something else to see stars and moons for yourself, having only known pure data all your life," she softly said, as another breeze tousled her long locks.
      The quiet sound of a synthetic sigh pulled her eyes back to her companion, its own gaze unbroken.
      "That is true, Lana," came the wistful reply, "yet, what I observe, if my understanding is correct . . . is beauty."
      Silence slipped into the air between them, as an uncertain smile wavered, just before beaming with the brightness of the stars themselves. "Yes," Lana whispered, her eyes drifting back to the endless sea above, "it is."
      Without another word, the young girl nestled into her perch, as the twin moons continued to rise into the sky, filling the valley with gentle, silver light.

Scribble: Last night at my old apartment...

      Empty cupboards, save for some canned goods and some bags of tea. Nothing left in the bedroom, though the entire place feels empty. Doesn't feel the same without the cats around, but that's to be expected.
      Nothing here but a futon, some shelves, and some things best left forgotten.
      No one is left in the old town, now that summer's come. All the familiar faces faded away over the years, save for a few who still haunt the old stomping grounds, unkindly ghosts they are. Maybe they're not the ghosts anymore.
      The rain's gone on for hours, the only comfort to be had here. The sounds makes it a little less lonesome, here in this great empty space.
      Eight months this place stole away, the days and weeks swallowed into the cheap drywall and the cracks in the paint. Who knows what's seeped into the tattered carpet by now, or why the sink never drained properly. At least the bed's gone now.
      Things best left forgotten.
      One more day. Another sunrise, another morning, another afternoon. Never have to come back here again, with its horrible oven or finicky heater. No more odd smells and sounds coming from upstairs, or the fear of running out of life to live. Freedom. Has a nice ring to it.
      Never could stand this place. If its walls could talk, I know what they'd say:
      I hate you. And I'm never going to let you forget it.