//------------------------------//
// I – Verse 
// Story: Closer 
// by Avery Day 
//------------------------------//


{ Verse 1 }


There were many words I could use to describe how I felt walking through the airport. Tired, weary, exhausted—none could genuinely express how depleted I felt. In the last six months, I’d been on tour with my band, working myself to the bone. In that time, I had maybe a few days to myself collectively. But more than that, I was relieved. Our third and longest tour yet had finally ended, and it was finally time to rest.

For a little while.

The novelty of being a touring musician stuck around much longer than I expected it to, but it was quickly losing its luster. It didn’t take long to settle into a pattern, and once I recognized that, it started to feel no different than any other job.

Wake up early in the morning, get to the venue, set up and perform soundcheck—all of which can take one to several hours. Stick around for a little longer for meet and greet, interviews, Q&A panel—whatever our manager plans that day. Finally—time and budget permitting—head back to the hotel for a little while and mentally prepare for the show.

Then comes the show itself. We may only be on stage for an hour, but that one hour feels like one short minute and a full day simultaneously. The adrenaline rush from standing before a crowd barely manages to compensate for the energy it takes to perform well.

And even after expending all that energy, it’s still not over. There’s visiting the merch booth for the second round of meet and greet, mostly in hopes our presence will draw people in to get a closer look at our merch and buy it so we have enough money to eat the next day. By the time the venue is empty, it’s well past midnight, and the work is far from done. From there, it’s time to tear down our equipment and pack it away in the trailer. 

Then, by three in the morning—if we’re lucky—it’s time to sleep for five hours in a crappy hotel bed—if we’re even fortunate enough to have a hotel. Most nights, however, it’s time to get on the bus and attempt to sleep on the lumpy couch while we ride to the next city overnight. When that’s the case, I’m lucky to ever sleep any longer than a half hour at a time, but the cycle begins anew no matter how much (or little) I sleep.

By the end, it might have been routine, but something about that made it feel more exhausting; as if knowing what to expect from the days was siphoning all the wonder I should have felt. The days required so much energy to get through, the shows themselves took even more, and the constant accruing of sleep debt only made it more challenging by the day. And those were just the physical aspects.

That’s not to say it couldn’t be rewarding. Daybreaker may only have two albums and three tours to our name, but that was enough to attract dozens—sometimes hundreds of people from all around. And after playing a good show, the rush gave me a high like nothing else could. Sure, finances were always tight during the tour, but the money at the end more than made up for it. I was making a living doing something others only dreamed of getting the chance to do.

But, as gratifying as all of that was, it was wearing me down fast, and it was beginning to show. It was to the point where I wondered if this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I may have only been in my early 20s, but this lifestyle required you burn twice as bright, even if that meant you only got to for half as long. The constant fatigue, the aches and pains in places I didn’t know could hurt, the long sleepless nights alone with my thoughts—all of it was becoming too much to ignore.

The hardest part of it all: it was so lonely. Day in and day out, I’m surrounded by others—fans, road crew, venue staff—but to me, they’re all faces without names. The presence of others wasn’t the issue but the lack of connection to them. Being good friends with all my bandmates helped—especially having Rainbow’s dumb ass there to distract me when I needed it—but that only did so much. Companionship was one thing, but I needed more than camaraderie.

Flight CF 1210 to Canterlot City now boarding passengers in first class.

A short queue of half a dozen people formed at the door leading to the plane. Although I felt a tinge of bitterness while watching the rich assholes who could afford first-class seating go first, nothing could put a damper on the relief I felt now that the flight was about to begin. This flight was the last thing between me and home. Soon, I would have what I needed. Just a handful of hours. Just one more flight.

Flight CF 1210 to Canterlot City now boarding passengers in business class.

This time, a second queue formed at the door with only a few more passengers than the last batch. Despite my exhaustion, I could feel an eagerness bubbling inside of me. Regardless of how tired I was, the moment they called up my fare class to board, I would bounce out of my seat and into the line. Just one more group of people left to board. Just one more flight.

Flight CF 1210 to Canterlot City now boarding passengers in economy class.

I looked down at my ticket, almost as if I wasn’t sure if that was my cue. With a smile and a brief sigh, I hopped out of my seat and power walked to the line. The excitement within me mounted as the passengers in front of me entered the jetway individually. My eyes scanned over the plane outside the windows in front of us. Soon, I would be on it and on my way home. Just one more plane to board. Just one more flight.

After the gate attendant scanned my boarding pass, I was good to go. With my bags in hand, I passed through the jet bridge, catching up to the rest of the passengers still filtering into the plane. The line moved slowly as people awkwardly stumbled around each other. Some tried to find their seats, while others placed their bags in the compartments above them.

Before I knew it, I was in the back of the plane, placing my suitcase in the overhead storage. Sitting beside the window, I put my carry-on bag between my legs. Opening the bag, I dug around until I felt my fingers graze a cable. I pulled out my headphones and connected them to my phone before securing them in my ears.

It wouldn’t be long before I’d have to switch my phone to airplane mode, so I opened my texting app to shoot off one last message before going off the grid for the next set of hours. Opening one of the many conversations on my list of text messages, I began typing.

>just boarded the plane. so excited to see you again. love you lots

With that message sent, I closed the app and started playing an album on my phone. Most likely, the person that message was for wouldn’t be awake for another couple of hours, so I didn’t think there was any point in anticipating a response anytime soon.

Bzz, bzz

Most likely, not assuredly.

>I love you too!!! I'm so excited I haven't even slept!! We'll be at the airport waiting before you even touch down 💜

Chuckling to myself, I began typing a quick response. Before I could get far, an announcement came from above, advising passengers to switch their phones to airplane mode.

>at least try to get a nap in! taking off now. see you soon 🧡

With that, I placed my phone in my jacket pocket.

As the plane took its place on the runway, I felt my body and mind fighting over how I should feel. I was so excited to get home finally, but my body was quickly shutting down from the fatigue and unpaid sleep debt.

The plane moved forward, rapidly increasing its speed as my body sank further into my chair. As if it knew, the song playing through my headphones increased in pace at the same time as the plane. Before long, we were ascending, and within a few blinks, we were in the sky.

When I arrived at the airport, it was still dark outside. As we ascended, my eyes glanced over at the horizon. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon. It was still blindingly bright, even this early in the morning. I sighed deeply, looking at the back of the seat before me. The exhaustion was becoming too much to fight off. My eyes grew too heavy to keep open.

One last thought ran through my mind before sleep could overtake all my senses.

Just one more flight.