Chapter 35: River's Illness
The entire game is narrated in retrospect. Almost all players understand this. Time, full of doubts, continued to advance. The night before River and Johnny's wedding, both, dressed in formal attire, leaned on the lighthouse, gazing at the moonlight and chatting. And that day, the lighthouse received a name: Anya.
Under the moonlight, River and Johnny reached the top of the lighthouse. The reflection of the light cast Johnny's and River's shadows on the wall. Under the moonlight, Johnny diligently taught River to dance.
From night to day, the soft, relaxing piano music flowed like a stream as the two danced, imbuing the entire game with a romantic atmosphere. The game's graphics may not be exceptional, but the music and atmosphere created a scene that seemed extraordinarily romantic and beautiful.
"Wow, they danced all night!" Jay exclaimed with emotion.
It was undeniable that the doubts that had lingered in his heart until that moment temporarily dissipated. Because, at least for an instant, the game made even this adult man feel something called romance.
The next day, in front of the lighthouse now named Anya, River and Johnny officially became husband and wife. On their way to the wedding, River saw a white bunny run over. She looked a little sad and strange, but Johnny didn't notice anything.
"So that's why River keeps making origami rabbits? What's the connection?" Jay asked, bewildered, but he had no idea.
The story continued. Everyone at the wedding was very happy, but Jay noticed a detail: Johnny's mother called him by a different name. Nicholas, Johnny's friend in the game, also expressed his confusion. Johnny's reaction was natural: he explained that it was his grandfather's name and that his mother had given him Joey as a nickname in his honor.
"'Joey'? That name, I think there's some truth to it!" Jay asked, narrowing his eyes.
Time slowly advanced, returning to River and Johnny's courtship days before their marriage. They were now enjoying themselves at a horse ranch. Riding through the stables, River, Johnny, and the others had fun and laughed. This was because the doctor had suggested that horseback riding might help River with her condition. Like most couples in love, they engaged in various intimate acts.
Meanwhile, players finally understood what condition River had, confirming their previous suspicions.
"Asperger's Syndrome? Is that what River has?" Jay finally learned the name of River's condition thanks to clues in his notes. However, he had never heard of it. Upon checking the comments on the live stream, it was clear that they were also completely bewildered.
"Patients with this condition exhibit these symptoms: difficulty interacting with others, difficulty communicating verbally, rigid behavior patterns, and a stubborn adherence to specific and meaningless routines and rituals."
"Exactly the same!" a sudden realization struck him. If this was the condition, River's previous strange behavior would completely explain it. Although the explanation was there, the meaning of those actions remained unanswered. Even so, Jay was still full of curiosity. Curious about River and Johnny.
'What does the paper bunny represent? What is the story between River and Johnny? Why does Johnny so desperately wish to go to the moon?'
We've been playing for almost two hours. But why did Johnny go to the moon? Why would River sacrifice her life to build the house where she could see Anya? Why did she spend her whole life folding paper bunnies and asking Johnny about it after they got married? These questions remain unexplained.
As the story progresses, we move to Johnny's teenage years. During this time, he meets River. And Jay notices something: the platypus. River always carries the platypus with her in high school. It seems the toy platypus holds an important message for her. This is how Johnny first approaches River. With the help of his friend Nicholas, Johnny is pushed towards River, who is crouched on the steps reading a book.
"Hello!"
"Uh... hello..."
"Can you hear me?"
Johnny seems a little uncomfortable in front of River.
Finally, River says, "Yes."
"Then, why don't you...? Never mind... well, this platypus is really cool." Johnny tried to find a topic of conversation.
River simply put down the book, looked at the platypus beside her, and then fixed her gaze back on the book.
"Uh... what are you reading?" Johnny kept looking for a topic.
"A book... a book."
"One about platypuses?"
"No."
"Ah... I... I think that's not bad either."
Johnny seemed very embarrassed, as River seemed too distant. Judging by her behavior at that moment, River was not exactly very pleasant. She could even be considered cruel. Even through the screen, one could perceive how uncomfortable Johnny was and how cold the atmosphere was.
However, thanks to the game's flashbacks, everyone understood that this was not the real River. She only acted that way because she had Asperger's Syndrome.
"Lighthouse!" River said after a moment of silence, interrupting Johnny.
"This country has preserved a total of sixteen second-level Fresnel lens lighthouses. Nine of them are in coastal areas, and one of them is a modified old kerosene lighthouse."
"Ah, is this what you're reading? Well, actually... I wanted to ask you, would you like to see a movie with me?"
"I don't know."
"It's okay, I can wait for you to think about it."
"I can't think about it."
"Why?"
"No date or time."
"Well... then, how about this Saturday at eight? Does that work for you?"
"Okay."
This made Jay, who had played up to that point, feel even more uncomfortable and even a little distressed. For a normal person, all of this is completely incomprehensible. To be honest, he couldn't personally comprehend the pain River must have been feeling in the game.
'How painful would it be to have such an illness, where you think clearly in your heart, but you cannot express it accurately either in words or actions?'
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