Chapter Thirty-four: Hidden Bright Moon
Contains spoilersOverview
On the 100th day—also Chuseok—Mia performs a private ritual at the falls, burning her written account so, symbolically, Adam can know Eugene survived and now communicates. She then prepares the family memorial and unveils a large touchscreen letterboard for Eugene, advancing his independence. Grief shifts toward connection and forward motion.
Summary
At dawn on the 100th day of Adam’s disappearance—coinciding with Chuseok—Mia goes early to the park overlook where Adam fell. The family has planned a simple ceremony there because Eugene insisted the site honors Adam’s sacrifice. As the moon sets and the sun rises, Mia steadies herself at the cliff and vividly revisits her co-vision of Adam letting go after saving Eugene.
Worried that Adam’s final thoughts were fear for Eugene and Anjeli’s work, Mia decides to act. Inspired by The Little Prince and ideas of nonlinear time, she has printed her story of the days after the fall in tiny type. She lights the pages in a tin and, once burned, pours the ashes over the edge so they descend through the same air and water Adam did, hoping the act reaches him across time.
When the ashes scatter, Mia momentarily sees Adam’s serene face on the water, accepts it as a mind’s projection, but takes comfort: in her narrative, Adam knows Eugene lived and is communicating. The ritual gives Mia catharsis and a sense of atonement, reinforced by Vic’s encouragement and practical preparations.
She then sets up for the family ceremony: a memorial breakfast, John’s donated bench, and Mom’s plan to read from The Little Prince. To help Eugene give his speech more independently, Mia unveils a surprise—an oversized touchscreen tablet with a full-screen letterboard mimicking his stencil and a pencil-housed stylus. Anticipating the emotional setting, she adjusts the stand and imagines handing Eugene the stylus as the moon slips below the horizon and he begins to spell.
Who Appears
- Mia
Narrator; conducts a private ash-burning ritual and prepares Eugene’s new touchscreen letterboard for the memorial.
- Adam
Father, absent; the focus of Mia’s ritual and imagined in a serene final moment.
- Eugene
Brother; insists on the falls ceremony and plans a speech; receives a custom touchscreen letterboard.
- Hannah
Mother; proposes reading The Little Prince during the memorial and joins the family ceremony.
- John
Brother; suggests dedicating a memorial bench and supports Eugene during the ceremony.
- Vic
Mia’s boyfriend; endorses the cathartic ritual and provides practical preparedness tips.