From the first time I heard your voice (age 8, on the way to school, sitting in the back of Mrs Tuominen’s car), I was enthralled. You knew something I didn’t know yet — lots of mysterious things. I could hear that. You’ve been, unwittingly, my constant companion throughout the years. An inspiration, a source of bravery, a reminder that I never had to be anything anyone expected me to be. That being myself without explanation was a perfectly viable way to live. That reinvention could be like oxygen.
I’m gutted. Utterly gutted.
Rest in peace, you marvelous creature.
Thank you for everything.