Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Meet me on the Moon

For the first time, the background music in the game was different. It had lyrics and there was an actual singing voice.

Everythings Alright.

That voice and those words, it felt as though it was sung from the bottom of Rivers heart.

While accompanied by the sad melody, Dr Neil and the players could do nothing, only helplessly watching as River was gradually removed from Johnnys life.

At the steps of the school, where Johnny thought their first meeting to be.

The platypus and River were both gone, all that remained was the book she had been reading, the book about lighthouses.

From the door beyond the steps, Joey appeared, alive and well.

He merrily hopped down the steps to join Johnny and Nicholas as they chatted about transforming robots and adventures in space.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

The copy of Rivers favorite book, The Emperors New Clothes, was shown covered in dust.

At the cinema where Johnny and River had their first movie date, it was instead he and his brother walking in happily.

Scene after painful scene was shown, while the beats remained the same, the presence of River was replaced with the existence of Joey.

And at the same time, Johnnys ambition of becoming an astronaut is constantly hinted at, by losing River and gaining Joey, the trajectory of Johnnys life has changed dramatically.

The racecourse where Johnny and River rode horses together is empty. The surroundings of the lighthouse named Anya is overgrown with weeds. There is no trace of the wedding, or the rabbit killed nearby.

Johnny became a studious young man, working hard while continuously sending applications to NASA.

And eventually, he received a reply and an offer letter.

His goal was within reach, going to the moon is only a matter of time now.

What Eva did was technically working. The contract would be fulfilled.

But the players and audiences were silent.

Yes, Johnny would soon be able to go to the moon, just as he stated. Eva and Neil were about to complete their mission.

But why is there such a sour feeling in the air? Why does the heart feel hollow?

Is this what Johnny would really want? To reach the moon, but without River? Does it even make sense anymore?

In the reconstructed memories of Johnny, they have arrived at the space agency.

Dong Zhen and all the other players who reached that point were now just mechanically on autopilot. The earlier experience still left them reeling and filled with emotions that were difficult to express.

Uncomfortable, might be the right word here. They were very uncomfortable. They just witnessed an entire life get rearranged.

But since they were all so invested, they would only continue the wild ride.

As Eva and Neil explored the space agency, Eva began looking for something.

In the hall, River was among the audience, murmuring her liking of the name while watching Johnny play the song.

Years sped by in the simulated memories.

Johnny and River went through the rigorous astronaut training program together.

Finally, the rocket is up and running according to schedule.

To watch the final events unfold, Neil and Eva invited the nanny and the medical doctor inside the simulation.

As the sun set, crowds of people gathered on the bridge overlooking the river and the location of the rocket. They were here to witness the launch.

With a mighty rumble that echoed far and wide, the rocket took off.

And at the same time, the sound of a heartbeat could be heard.

A very dull, tired heartbeat.

The heartbeat of Johnny, who grew weaker and weaker as the seconds drew by.

He is about to leave this world.

To the Moon plays again in the background as the rocket continues its journey upwards.

The simulation begins to falter as Johnnys vital signs begin to fade.

Inside the rocket, Johnny and River look into each others eyes.

They held hands, one last time.

[ Then we can always regroup on the moon, silly! ]

As the rocket grew closer and closer to the beautiful moon, the screen plunged into darkness.

Then, memories of Johnnys past flash by like brilliant lanterns in the night sky.

Seeing these memories of Johnny and River brought waves of heavy emotions crashing into the players and viewers.

Finally, Dong Zhen could no longer compose himself. He covered his face in one hand and ugly cried into the napkin he grabbed from the side.

Chat did not let this go, even if they were ugly crying too.

[ Hurry up! The macho man is shedding tears for the second time! ][ This damn game making me cry! ][ I cant see the screen, who installed the waterfall in my room? ][ What if you get lost? Then well just meet up on the moon, silly! ]

Along with the games final credits, the final scenes of the game roll by.

In Dong Zhens stream chat, people started to cool down and regain their bearings.

At that moment, the people who were submerged in the overwhelming atmosphere and immersion of the story suddenly remembered something

That this game was a submission for the sci-fi game design contest!

But everyone was so focused on the story of Johnny and River, that they forgot about this aspect.