Written by Alex Danielle Guerrero

She has always been drawn to faraway places.

Since her youth, she always longed for things that are far from her reach. It could not be helped when everything within her fingertips felt too alienating. She has a family she treasures but she could not burden them with her mind. She has many friends yet she still feels so alone. Many people knew her face but none has ever actually looked at her way.

It wasn’t long until she found the place she has been looking for. Through the recommendation from a friend, encouragement from her family, a couple of clicks on her newly-bought computer, she finally found it: the online world. In this place, she can free her mind, say anything she wants, express however she’d like. In this place, everyone has picture-perfect personas that told her everything she wanted to hear. In this place, everyone can look at her accomplishments. She can no longer be interrupted, overshadowed, and drowned by others’ presence. A distant replica of the real world, it was perfect for someone who longed for faraway places.

But just like every other faraway place, the online world held some darkness within it. With the non-existence of felt rules, anyone can say whatever they want, kind or not. The surplus of compliments made it easy for the world to corrupt one’s self-worth. Visibility in this world is a double-edged sword. While it felt nice to have a few seconds of fame, one’s visibility makes one an easy target. She knows all of this because she fell in love with this world and let it swallow her whole. She let it own her personality, her worth, her happiness until all of them became a shackle around her feet, imprisoning her in this artificial haven. A distant replica of the real world, it was harsh, twisted, and unforgiving.

Nothing satisfies her now but this faraway place. Her heart can now only be assured by the online world’s numbers. Her ears can only hear compliments, her mouth can only speak about herself. And her eyes can only look far ahead, endlessly dreaming for more followers, likes, and recognition. Such things, her family and friends can merely suffice. A distant replica of the real world, it became the world she can only live in.

She has always been drawn to faraway places.

Since her youth, she always longed for things that are far from her reach. It cannot be helped when everything within her fingertips felt too alienating. The online world eased her alienation from her family, friends, and the people around her. A distant replica of the real world, it gave her everything she wanted – freedom, company, even happiness — until she found no more reason to touch the world that was once within her fingertips.

She was indeed drawn to faraway places. She made the world she once lived in, a faraway place she could no longer belong to.