Rusty leaned back, eyes stinging, blinking hard to hold back tears. The game's weight—the lifelong regret of Johnny and River Wyles—hit like a tidal wave. It was heartbreaking, yet beautiful.
On screen, young Johnny sat with River on the hill, under a starry sky. "What do you think those are? The stars, I mean," he asked.
"Lighthouses," River said, her voice soft. As she warmed to Johnny, her autism seemed to ease, their connection like a bridge across her isolation. "They're like thousands of lighthouses, shining at the world's edge."
"Sounds lively," Johnny said.
"Not really." River's gaze drifted, sad. "They see each other but can't talk. They're too far apart. All they can do is shine brighter, hoping their light reaches another."
Chat went quiet: "That's deep." "She's talking about herself." "This is tearing me up."
The piano notes of "For River" swelled, winding through the scene like a gentle stream. Rusty's throat tightened. River was the lighthouse—alone, distant, shining for someone to see her. Johnny's arrival gave her light meaning. That's why she clung to "Anya," the lighthouse named after her, a symbol of her love.
River's illness trapped her thoughts, but she wanted to be Johnny's light forever, even after her death. The lighthouse—Anya—was her way to stay with him, guiding him home.
Rusty wiped his eyes. "She didn't want Johnny to care for the lighthouse. She wanted to be it for him." Chat typed: "I'm done." "Zoey's a genius." "This love is too much."
River pointed to Johnny's worn schoolbag. "What's in there?"
"My whack-a-mole prize," Johnny said, pulling out the ugly platypus plushie. "Pretty weird, huh?"
River took it, studying it. "It's strange… but I'd love to win one someday."
"Johnny!" his mother called from below the hill.
"Gotta go," Johnny said, hopping off the stump. River started to hand back the plushie, but he waved her off. "Keep it! I'm a whack-a-mole pro. I'll win another."
River clutched the platypus, hesitant. "Thank you."
Rusty's voice broke. "She kept that thing her whole life." Chat sobbed: "The platypus!" "She never forgot!" "Zoey's killing us!"
River held that plushie through her entire life, folded paper rabbits for decades, and became the lighthouse—Anya—silently watching over Johnny. Her love was quiet but overwhelming.
As Johnny ran off, River called out, "Will you come back next year?"
"Of course!" Johnny grinned. "You?"
"Yes," River said, nodding firmly.
"Same time, same place?" he asked.
"Yes!"
"What if I forget… or get lost?"
Johnny smiled, bright as the moon. "Then we'll meet on the moon, silly."
Chat erupted: "That's it!" "The moon promise!" "I'm crying!" "Zoey, why?!"
Rusty clutched his head. That promise—we'll meet on the moon—was the heart of it all. River folded rabbits, held the platypus, and guarded the lighthouse to remind Johnny of their childhood vow. Despite his memory loss from beta-blockers, Johnny's heart never forgot. His dying wish wasn't about space—it was about River, their promise under the stars.
But a red flash broke the moment. The heart monitor beeped—Johnny was fading fast. Rusty's stomach dropped. "No, not now!"
Dr. Neil Watts, Rusty's character, turned to Dr. Rosa Lee. "We have to restore his memory. Let him remember River!"
Rosa's face was stern. "That breaks the contract."
"What?!" Rusty shouted. Chat raged: "No way!" "Don't do this!" "Zoey, you're cruel!"
Rosa continued, "We're out of time. To fulfill the contract, we must send Johnny to the moon—now. That means erasing River from his memory. It's the only way to implant the astronaut dream cleanly."
Rusty slammed his desk. "No! His wish isn't the moon—it's River!" Neil lunged to stop her, but Rosa raised a hand. A glowing shield trapped him. "Calm down, Neil. The contract says moon. We're sending him there."
Chat exploded: "This is wrong!" "Don't erase River!" "Zoey, stop her!" "I'm so mad!"
Rusty watched, helpless, as Rosa rewrote Johnny's memories. The cinema where he and River once sat—now just Johnny and Joey. The racecourse where River laughed on horseback—now empty. The platypus, the rabbits, the lighthouse—all gone.
Johnny's life reshaped. Joey survived the accident. River never existed. Johnny joined the space agency, rose through the ranks, and prepared for a moon mission. The contract was fulfilled, but it felt hollow.
Chat mourned: "This is heartbreaking." "No River?" "I can't handle this." Even Eggplant and Muffin, usually chatty, streamed in silence, eyes red.
In a space agency concert hall, Johnny sat at a piano, playing "For River" absentmindedly. The director leaned in. "Ready for the launch?"
"I… maybe," Johnny said, distracted. "I feel like I forgot something."
The director chuckled. "Every astronaut feels that before the moon."
Johnny's fingers traced the keys, the melody hauntingly familiar. Rusty whispered, "He's playing her song." Chat typed: "How's he playing 'For River'?!" "He remembers!"
The director paused. "Oh, one more thing. Another crew member's joining the mission."
The door creaked open. Rusty's breath caught. A girl stood there—orange-red hair, blue dress, calm face. River.
Chat screamed: "River?!" "She's back!" "Zoey, you legend!"
Rosa hadn't erased River completely—she'd adjusted the world line, giving their love a chance to reconnect. Johnny's heart, despite the memory wipe, held onto her.
Johnny stared at River. "This song… it's beautiful. What's it called?"
River smiled. "To the Moon."
"It's perfect," Johnny said, his eyes soft.
Launch day arrived. The sunset bathed the viewing bridge in gold. Dr. Neil, Dr. Rosa, Joey, Lily, and her kids held hands, watching the rocket. The screen showed Johnny and River inside, side by side.
"Three, two, one—ignition!" The rocket roared, climbing into the sky.
Johnny's heart monitor beeped slower. Rusty's chest tightened. "He's slipping away." Chat typed: "No, Johnny!" "Stay with us!"
Outside the rocket's porthole, stars glittered. The moon grew closer, its light forming a rabbit with a yellow belly. Johnny and River locked eyes, just like that childhood night. Their fingers intertwined, fulfilling a sixty-year promise.
The monitor flatlined. Johnny was gone. But his voice echoed, soft and relieved: "At the end, I remembered the lighthouse, the rabbit moon. I was never lost. I knew we'd meet on the moon."
The screen faded to a starry sky, the lighthouse glowing below. Words appeared: The place I want to go is never the moon. It's where you are.
To the Moon (The End)
Rusty sobbed. Chat wept: "I'm broken." "Zoey's a master." "Best game ever." Players worldwide cried, moved by a love that defied memory and time.