In the aftermath of a close friend's death, a pub in Rhyl became an unexpected sanctuary for a group of young mourners. The Crown Bard, known locally as the Bard, was a place the author had passed countless times but never entered until tragedy struck.
At 23, the author lost Lee, a childhood friend killed outside a hotel after being punched and falling on stone steps. In the days and weeks that followed, the group of friends gravitated to the Bard's back room, taking over the pool table, dartboard, and jukebox. The room, with its threadbare benches and dark green panelling, became a bubble insulated from the claustrophobic gossip that often follows a local tragedy.
There, they found kindness in simple routines: whose round it was, who was next on the pool table. No one spoke of the incident; they all knew what happened and needed escape. The author describes the back room as a bridge between the innocence of youth and the grim reality of adulthood, a place that held them together as they grieved.
The Crown Bard closed in 2017 and was later demolished. A McDonald's drive-thru now occupies the site. Reflecting on the 21st anniversary of Lee's death, the author notes that the rest of the group has grown up and settled down, while Lee remains forever young. Despite the loss, there is pride in how they coped and gratitude for the refuge they found in that back room.
