Chapter 37: The Truth
It wasn't Johnny who had the car accident, but his twin brother, Joey. Joey was not his grandfather's name at all. Instead, Johnny's mother, after running over and killing Joey, suffered mental problems and confused Johnny with Joey. It was at that moment that Johnny was given the beta-blocker. Everything that had happened before was explained.
Why did Johnny always sleep in a double bed? Why did his mother call him Joey? Even Johnny's favorite comics and pickled olives were his brother Joey's favorites. After the car accident, Johnny's mother, overwhelmed by grief, raised Johnny as if he were Joey.
But some questions still remained: what about River? Was the desire to go to the moon related to River? As the game progresses, it returns to the time before Joey's death. As an older brother, Joey was deeply protective of his younger brother, Johnny. Once again, the two competed in a race at an amusement park. Joey won a toy train, while Johnny only received a stuffed platypus. Johnny expressed his desire, but his mother stopped him. Joey, on the other hand, suggested they play with trains together. This made it clear that his mother preferred Joey.
A little depressed, Johnny walked sullenly towards the back hill of the amusement park, clutching the platypus he had won. Jay, at that moment, perked up. 'Yes, that platypus!' The platypus that belonged to River was actually won by Johnny at the amusement park.
'Would this mean...?'
The next scene confirmed his suspicions. Johnny, looking at the starry sky from behind the hill, felt his sadness dissipate. He found a good spot: a wooden post that looked like a bench, perfect for gazing at the distant stars. Just then, a girl appeared on the screen.
'It was River as a child!'
He felt a tingling in his head, and at that moment, Jay seemed to have understood something. This was Johnny's first encounter with River. Not in high school! Johnny greeted River with joy upon seeing her arrive, but she instinctively started to leave. Johnny stopped her and, after a brief exchange, asked if she wanted to join him in stargazing. Relaxing piano and violin music played in the background.
Under a starry sky, Johnny and River sat on wooden stakes, gazing at the distant sky. The scene changed to a close-up. The green grass of the lawn swayed in the breeze.
"Look..."
"You know! There are so many lights in the sky!" Johnny asked, trying to make conversation.
"Yes."
River acted just like she did in high school.
"Uh... well, me too." Johnny hesitated, but managed to converse.
"You said this is your spot? Right?"
"I only come during the carnival."
"You don't like crowded places?"
"...Yes, me too." Johnny continued: "Look, you still haven't told me your name!"
"I'm not going to tell you. In high school, they make fun of me for it."
"Why?"
"They say my name makes them want to go to the bathroom."
"Well, okay, but... well, it can't be worse than Johnny, right? I mean, there's someone named Johnny almost everywhere." "So what?"
"Huh?"
"What's wrong with having a name everyone has? I just hope that, like the stars in the sky, they all look alike from here, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful."
"Yes, I think so. What do you think these stars are?"
"My dad says the stars in the sky are giant spheres burning inside us."
Johnny and River chatted for a while, and then River asked: "Have you ever tried to make an Easter bunny out of stars?"
"Like finding constellations in the sky?"
"Yes."
"I've found others, but never a rabbit."
"Do you want to try?"
"Yes! We'll surely find the best rabbit constellation! Let's see who finds it first!"
As the countdown continued, River said: "I found it!"
"Huh, where is it?" Johnny was stunned.
The camera slowly moved towards the sky, focusing on the full moon.
"In the sky!"
"Where in the sky?"
"Think big, everything else is bigger!"
"I can't find it... wait... wait, I see it!"
"Tell me what you see!"
"There, right?" "There are two ears and a head." Johnny pointed to the moon.
"What else?"
"And there... those are two feet!"
"That's right, there's more!"
"And... there's the moon! The moon is its round belly!"
The simple lines on the screen outlined the stars in the sky. They formed a rabbit. A rabbit with a yellow belly! At that moment, the content from the previous game resurfaced before Jay.
'Why had River started making origami rabbits after Johnny told her about their first meeting? Why had River asked Johnny countless times throughout her life what the yellow-bellied paper rabbit was? Why had Johnny's answers never satisfied River?'
Now Jay finally understood! River was reminding Johnny in her own way. She was reminding him of their first encounter, so many years ago, under the starry sky and the moon!
As Johnny and River chatted, she revealed that she had always believed that the stars in the sky were lighthouses. She believed that those lighthouses wanted to communicate, but couldn't. They could only continue to illuminate others; that was all they could do. Everything was explained. Why did River care so much about Anya?
Then, a scene moved countless people. After his mother's call, Johnny was going home. Before leaving, he left his platypus with River.
"This is the prize I won, for you!"
Thus was born the platypus that had always been by River's side!
"Will you... will you come back next year?" River asked Johnny, holding the platypus.
"Of course! And you?"
"Yes."
"At the same time? In the same place?"
"Yes!"
Johnny, delighted with the answer, was about to go home, when River asked:
"But what if you get lost or forget?"
"Then we'll always meet on the moon, silly."
With Johnny's words, countless players felt a pang of sadness. The screen in front of me suddenly blurred. All my doubts finally cleared there.
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