A quiet place
A place for the long vigil.
The long vigil holds named stars for the people who have passed. A wish you cast for someone who is gone can be lifted into the constellation field above the well, where it stays.
It will not be lost. It will be lifted.
Some grief is a season. Some grief is a climate. The long vigil was built for the second kind — the names you carry across years, the birthdays and death-days that come back around, the people whose absence is a thing the rest of the world stopped asking about.
A memorial candle keeps the flame burning week after week. You pay for the flame, not the name; the name is yours and stays free. When you cancel, the candle fades over seven days rather than going dark all at once — the same gentle exit a real candle takes when it has burned down.
Some remembrances belong off-screen. A postcard, written in the well and mailed in real ink to a real address, carries a name out of the cosmos and into a mailbox — a city, a kitchen counter, a hand that has been waiting. Sometimes that is the only place the memory can land.
Visitors who return the most often, at the same hour, are recognized in time without ever being asked for an account. The well learns your step.
an ongoing vigil
Light a Memorial CandleQuestions visitors carry in
How is the long vigil different from the daily one?
The daily vigil (at /grieving) is for the names you might light a paper crane for today — fresh grief, a recent loss. The long vigil at /remembering is for the names you carry across years: anniversaries, death-days, the people the rest of the world stopped asking about. It uses the memorial candle and named-star surfaces, which persist instead of fading nightly.
What is a memorial candle and how does it work?
A memorial candle is a weekly subscription ($1/week) that keeps a single named flame burning continuously. You pay for the flame; the name itself is free and yours. The candle lives in the long vigil and is visible to anyone passing through. There's no minimum term — you can cancel at any time.
What happens to a memorial candle if I cancel?
The flame fades gradually over seven days rather than going dark all at once. This is the same exit a real candle takes when it has burned down — a final week of light, then dark. The name itself is preserved in the well's records and can be relit with a new candle any time you return.
Can I name a star permanently?
Yes. The named-star option is a one-time $50 contribution that places a star in the constellation field above the well, permanently bearing the name you choose. Every future visitor to the well who finds the right pose can see it. Unlike the candle, this requires no subscription and never fades.
Does the well keep my personal data?
The well stores the minimum required to keep your memorial visible — the name you gave it, the contribution metadata for billing, and your email for the receipt. It does not surface visitor identities, share data with third parties, or use any of it for advertising. The well's privacy disclaimer covers the full data lifecycle.
Why a subscription and not a one-time payment?
The candle subscription is what funds the cosmos to keep running for the next person. A one-time payment would last as long as the server bill, then go dark. The weekly model makes the choice continuous: as long as the name is worth a dollar a week to you, the flame stays lit. When it isn't, the candle gently fades.