Just moments ago, I got email from a friend of mine, Matt.

"Jeff was killed by a drunk driver", it said.

And I was saddened, to the point of wanting to cry, but being unable to.

I have never met Jeff, and now I suppose I never will, but we had a bond, we were part of a group, a collective, a family.

Matt and Jeff are fellow EverQuest players, guildmates with whom I have talked and joked and battled.

And that's just a game, but that does not make this pain any less real.

Farewell, Jeff, you will be missed, by your real life family, by your virtual family, and by me.