"We shall name him... Steve..."
No but seriously...
Halo 2 presented me with a life-changing experience. Being a previously Nintendo only kid with a Game-Cube and a Game-boy Advanced (Which, don't get me wrong, i loved) the sheer majesty and beauty of the world opened me up to what can only be descibed as a new life. During the rare occaision that I went to cousin's house, I would beg and plee to play it. We'd load up the old space-box and gleefuly fade into a world like no other... a world that captivated my heart and stired my soul. The day I got the game from him to keep, was quite possibly one of the greatest days of my young life. I played and beat the game in one sitting; and was rewarded with not only pride, satisfaction and enlightenment... but the greatest prize of all... the Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix. That song left me speakless, it stirred my soul and lifted me away to a better place. This one song; filled with its cresendos, thumping bass and glorious guitar rift-pocalyps, gave me the greatest gift of all. Joy. Only three months earlier my greatest friend, my shining light, my guiding hand and, truly, my brother, had suffered a terrible accident, one I knew I was to blame for. I was all but dead... No will to live... No spirit left in the husk of my body... This taught me, truly and without a doubt, what pain is. I was near suicide; and this one... You know? I still, four years later cannot describe its beauty... This one glorious song spirited my away and, quite possibly, saved my life.
Laugh if you will. I shall not listen the words of dogs.
It's entirely possible no-one will ever read this... but I can say at least it has been immortalized...
~in memory of the great John Joseph Bartose
Long live Halo
John Tyler Gair