Marta, a mother in a homespun dress, watches her child dart through blossoms while laughter rings around her. Nearby, couples walk hand in hand, their faces open and content. Across the water, Gregor, leader of the single men, stamps a heavy coin into the dust, his eyes hard and suspicious. Behind him, Tomas, the oldest of the single men, clutches a sack of clinking metal, while their companions stand with arms folded, their gazes fixed on the joyous scene across the river.
Marta[/@ch_1] approaches the narrow wooden bridge, her child tugging at her skirt, met by a wall of grim faces and shining coins.]
"You want water? Pay for it. You want to cross? Show your passport," Gregor snaps, waving his symbol-marked coin like a badge of power. "But it is our world too. We plant, we care, we nurture. Why must we pay for what is freely given by the earth?" Her voice is calm but unyielding, echoing the frustration of many families behind her. Gregor only shakes his head, his eyes flicking up to the cold, unreachable moon.
Elan, a gentle teacher with sun-browned skin, addresses his friends, his gaze drifting to the forlorn guards across the water. "They’ve forgotten what it means to be part of something living. Their coins cannot buy them a future," he says, his voice steady and clear. Marta nods, determination lighting her face. "They call themselves moon men, but the moon is barren. We must show them there is another way." Around them, couples murmur in agreement, setting their resolve for change.
Tomas steps forward, voice trembling but loud. "You will not pass!" Elan meets his gaze, stepping to the front of the gathering. "We come to reclaim what is ours—to share the water, the land, the air. We do not need your coins." Suddenly, laughter erupts as children dash past the stunned guards, splashing into the river for the first time in years, their joy infectious and unstoppable.
Gregor[/@ch_2] stands alone, watching the children play in the river, his fist still wrapped around a useless coin. Elan comes to stand beside him, both men framed by the moonlight and the lively sounds from the river below.]
"You have built borders and minted coins, but what have you grown? Look at the moon—lifeless, cold, the image of what your world could become," Elan says softly. Marta approaches, reaching out a gentle hand. "Join us. Plant with us. Let’s green not just the earth, but the moon itself." Hesitation and longing war on Gregor's face as he gazes from the desolate moon to the living land below.
Gregor[/@ch_2] and Tomas drop their coins into the river, the current carries them away, their metallic clinks fading into laughter. In that moment, a miracle occurs: the moon’s surface above begins to shimmer with the faintest green, the first shoots of life appearing.]
Children dance in the moonlight, their shadows leaping across both banks. Couples and single men dig side by side, their faces illuminated by smiles and the promise of a future shared. The river, once a border, becomes a ribbon of unity, reflecting the hope blooming on earth and in the sky above.
Elan stands at the front, his voice carrying on the morning air. "We have touched the moon, not with coins, but with open hands and open hearts," he says, emotion thick in his words. Marta, Gregor, and Tomas stand together, their differences forgotten in the warmth of a united world. All around, people bask in the peace they have fought to create, the promise of new beginnings shining as bright as the dawn itself.
