Luca - Inside the Loop

𝐖𝐈𝐍 $𝟏𝟓 𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐒. 🪙

Roar has reached the cave.

He is scared.

𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞:

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

It can be one sentence.

It can be funny.

It can be serious.

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭.

AB will pick the answer that gives Roar the most courage.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 $𝟏𝟓 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐞.

What happens next depends on whether Roar goes in.

AB will never ask you to share this post.

But if you choose to bring someone else into the Forest today, that choice is yours.

Your choice alone.

𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.

➰

𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙄’𝙢 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚, 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

I started the Coffee Stand with hope.

Very energetic of me.

I thought things would be different.

But today I feel like giving up like the pathetic lazy turtle I apparently am.

So instead, I decided to drink as much coffee as turtly possible.

I’ve made excellent progress.

Still, somewhere between cup nine and pretending this is a business strategy…

I started looking for a sign.

Something small enough to break the 𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙆 between one bad day and the belief that everything has gone wrong.

𝙎𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜…

☕️ 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 🌲

Hosted by Luca, the highly caffeinated sleeping turtle.

Tonight’s story:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐊𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫

Looper, your chair was stolen at the Fiesta.

By you.

First, you moved it closer to the music.

Then away from everyone.

Then beside the exit.

By sunset, you had dragged it across the entire Forest.

I asked where you actually wanted to sit.

You said:

“I’ll know when it feels right.”

So I put the chair down exactly where you were standing.

You stared at it.

Then asked if there was somewhere better.

There usually is.

Tomorrow.

Next week.

When you feel more certain.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

𝐈’𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭.

𝐒𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦.

Story time is exhausting.

I’ll need twelve espressos and three working days of sleep.

Luca ☕️🌲

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐍. 🪙

Roar crossed the bridge.

One Looper received the coins waiting on the other side.

But Roar’s journey did not end there.

𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐞.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝.

This time, one of you will help Roar find the courage to enter.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐧 $𝟏𝟓 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠…

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝.

That is why the Forest exists.

Not because we have life figured out.

We absolutely do not.

Luca investigated it.

The evidence was clear.

The Forest is for the tired.

The hopeful.

The lost.

The ones still trying.

The ones carrying more than they ever explain.

You do not need to arrive ready.

You only need to take one step through the gate.

Pearl will remind you that softness is not weakness.

Roar will remind you to keep moving.

Hedgie will quietly make sure something useful happens.

Shadow will already know what followed you in.

Kevin will eventually arrive.

Probably.

And Luca will put the coffee on.

Your story does not have to make sense before you are allowed to belong here.

Your chair is waiting.

➰ 𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 ➰

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬…

𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

That was Melanie and Jedah yesterday.

The coffee tasted better.

The laughter stayed longer.

Even Luca smiled.

Briefly.

Hedgie quietly handed them yesterday’s tips.

No speech.

No comment.

Which, for Hedgie, is basically a standing ovation.

🐢

I asked Luca what he thought.

“The Forest was happier yesterday. Which is annoying, because now I have to work more and sleep less.”

Melanie and Jedah ❤️

you didn’t just visit the Forest.

You gave it a day it will always remember.

Kevin was called at 5pm to take them home, so there is a 99.9% chance they are still in the Forest.

𝗪𝗼𝘄. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄.

Pearl is emotional.

Luca has been told to smile again, so honestly, thoughts and prayers are with us all 😂

Their arrive tomorrow. The magic awaits. The caffeine already got here and is ready….

☕ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 ➰