The rice stalks whispered in the breeze. Birds chirped from afar. Leaves rustled overhead, and the shallow river flowed seamlessly below the cliff where Luna sat. She blinked against the blur until the world sharpened. Lush grass sprawled along the banks amongst a towering canopy of trees. She lifted a hand, now staring at the dirt smudged on her palms.

 

A camera shutter clicked behind her. Startled, she turned and saw Cielo adjusting the lens before the paddy. She stood up and stepped closer, her emerald gaze on the golden fields. “I’m not sure you’ll like the gift I prepared for you.”

 

The blonde chuckled, her focus unwavering. “You didn’t have to get me anything, but I’m sure I’d like whatever it is.”

 

There was a brief pause before Luna asked, “So, we’re meeting here again tomorrow?” The other hummed softly in reply—a quiet yes. Furrowing her brows, the brunette dusted her hands and queried, “Are you sure you want to skip your violin rehearsal, Cielo?”

 

She shrugged. “I mean, it’s just a rehearsal.”

 

“But isn’t it for your upcoming competition?” Luna blatantly pointed out.

 

Cielo rolled her azure eyes. “I don’t want to waste my birthday on some…dumb thing.”

 

“It’s not dumb!” The other defended. “You’ve mastered the violin as a teenager. That’s worth something.”

 

“Yeah, only ‘cause I was pressured to,” The blonde retorted. She sighed before smiling once more. “Don’t worry about it, Luna.” 

 

She released her grip on the camera—the strap briefly swinging. Cielo grabbed her friend’s arm and pulled her into the field. “Hey! Slow down! Where are you taking me?” Luna gasped, struggling to catch her breath.

 

“Somewhere cool!” Cielo laughed freely.

 

They sprinted through the rice stalks, legs brushing gold, the world glowing hazy as if in a dream—until faint knocking grew louder, and a sliding door opened.

 

“Luna? Luna! Nawili ka pa gid bala sa imo mga handumanan?”

(Luna? Luna! Are you still occupied with your memories?)

 

Her vision collapsed into sudden blackness.

 

Luna wakes, grumbling under her breath. She’s in her bedroom—rather, a makeshift laboratory. Wires and circuits lie scattered on the desk next to a monitor filled with lines of code. Tools, sketches, and sticky notes clutter the space. One of the walls is a huge glass pane, overlooking the vast nothingness of space. She could see other parts of the space shuttle from her room, but beyond that, there was nothing but the distant stars.

 

Her mother stands by the memory visor controls, a finger hovering over the power button. “Luna, palangga, ginsugid ko na sa imo kadamo na sang bahin sa palaabuton nga selebrasyon diri sa istasyon para sa aton paghalin sa Duta. Amo ni ang pinakaimportante nga event sukad nag-abot kita diri. Ngaa, pagkatapos sang tanan nga oras, wala ka gihapon nakapreparar,” she lectured, her words almost scripted, as if she’d repeated them many times before.

 

(Luna, dear, I've told you so many times about the upcoming celebration here in the station regarding our departure from Earth. This is the most important event since we arrived here. Why, after all this time, are you still not prepared?)

 

“I’m busy, Mom. I was testing my memory visor.” Luna brushes off as she heads towards her workspace.

 

Her mother shot her a glare. “Amo bala? Ginalauman ko nga sa masunod, ma-realize mo nga indi na mag-importante kon pila pa ka tests ang himuon mo, kon permi ka lang gapaslawan sa mas dako nga laragway.”

 

(Is that so? I hope that someday you'll realize that it will never be important, no matter how many tests you'll make, if you're blind to the bigger picture.)

 

“Which is?” Luna accidentally let slip, sounding more defiant than genuinely curious. The constant nagging finally wore her out.

 

“Nga indi na naton ini kinanlan pa…” Luna’s mother spoke rather gently, reaching out to caress her daughter’s arm, only for the younger to flinch in response. “Luna, ari na kita diri, excited para sa kung ano ang dal-on sang palaabuton, pero ikaw ara gihapon sa nangligad.”

(That we won't need this anymore.) (Luna, we are here, excited about what's next to come, but you are still in the past.)

 

Despite her mother’s efforts, Luna only mumbled, “I thought I’d already improved the noise cancellation feature…”

 

“Ti, gina-ignor mo na ko subong?” The elder’s voice rose once more.
(So, you're now ignoring me.)

 

Luna gently set down the memory visor and faced her. Poised readiness against the engineer’s weary look. “Mom, this is important for me. And I think this is really good for the community, too. It reminds us of the beauty of the world behind us.”

 

Her mother let out a harsh sigh. “Magpreparar ka na, ha? Nagsugod na ang countdown. Dapat makita ko ikaw dira.” She closed the door quietly behind her, leaving the young woman alone with the device.

 

(You prepare now, okay? The countdown started. I should see you there.)

 

Luna let out a heavy breath, staring dead-eyed at her invention. Bright lines of code filled her vision, any one of them a possible culprit. She tinkered with the visor’s wires and screws, yet nothing could resolve the error of remembering a burdensome past. With a sharp slam of her fists against the desk, a photograph slipped from the board to the desk below. She roughly picked it up and gazed at it—a picture of her and Cielo in the fields. She looked at it wearily before returning to her work.

 

Once she was ready, she lay back down on her bed and put on the memory visor.

 

Sudden flashes of white.

 

“Initializing… Loading Memory…” the mechanical voice announced.

 

The rice stalks whispered in the breeze. Birds chirped from afar. Leaves rustled overhead, and the shallow river flowed seamlessly below the cliff where Luna sat. Lush grass sprawled along the banks and towering canopy of trees. She lifted a hand, now staring at the dirt smudged on her palms.

 

A camera shutter clicked behind her. Just like rehearsed, Luna turned and suddenly—

 

“—Luna, we have to go.” Her father said firmly, finding herself in a dark room. The thunder roared outside. Around her, photographs, trinkets, and faded posters filled the space. By the doorstep, a lone box held the rest of her precious scattered memories.

 

Her vision collapsed once more.

 

Luna suddenly jerked up, panting heavily, heart pounding. She ripped off the visor and rushed to her workplace, trembling as she frantically checked for any flaws she might have missed. After a while, hesitation gnawed at her. Swallowing her fear, she took a shaky breath, put the visor back on, and forced herself to turn it on.

 

Cielo rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to waste my birthday on some…dumb thing.”

 

Without speaking a word, Luna cautiously scanned her surroundings, making sure everything was just as it should be: the trees swaying gently in the right direction, birds chirping at their usual volume, and the sky glowing with the same golden hue.

 

“Yeah, only ‘cause I was pressured to…” Cielo’s words echoed exactly as remembered. She turned to her friend, her breath catching as she noticed the body glitching—colors shifted rapidly from brown to blue and purple.

 

Fear gripped her chest as she stepped back, eyes wide. Around her, rice stalks floated weightlessly, and the dirt beneath her feet dissolved into drifting pixels. Overwhelmed and trembling, Luna could do nothing but stare in silent terror.

 

Sudden darkness—then white.

 

Luna’s family rampaged through the house, hastily gathering fragments of a life they’ll never return to. Despite all this, she stood rigid. Her gaze fell upon a photograph clenched in trembling fingers, a captured moment of laughter and light, herself and Cielo bathed in the golden glow of the fields—time stilled as she stared.

 

Her father’s shadow fell beside her, his hand gentle yet insistent on her arm.

 

“Langga, dasiga na da. We have to go right now,” he said softly but with an unyielding edge. (Dear, be quick.)

 

A grumble escaped Luna’s lips. “But I want to stay…”

 

“Pasensya gid ha, but we have to go,” he whispered, the weight of goodbye heavy between them.
(I sincerely apologize.)

 

Her vision collapsed into sudden black.

 

Luna jolted upright, yanking the memory visor off. She sank onto her bed’s edge, frustration heavy in her chest. She glanced at the photos and notes pinned on her board, her remnants of Earth. She took a slow breath, fingers tracing the pictures before turning away.

 

The distant laughter of celebration echoed beyond her door, mingling with the steady hum of the countdown to the sun’s imminent explosion. Luna’s gaze drifted to the glass wall dominating her room, staring into the vastness of space. 

 

Earth hung like a fragile speck, small and fading into the darkness. Then, without warning, her vision collapsed into blinding light.