Midnight begins, the night is dark and cold in Portia. There's a clear autumn sky and the house outside the Peach Plaza walls is quiet, the wheat field in front moves with the midnight breeze. The Portia harbor is calm and uninterrupted. Inside the house, on the second floor, wakes the son of Maya.

Cyrus, six years old, sits in bed awake. His hair strands poke out in places due to his sudden wake; His hair is black like the midnight sky. It runs loose and thin, reaching above his shoulder; bangs parting to the right barely covering his eyebrows. He reaches towards his night table to turn his lamp on. His face now more visible, shows him having a slight tan complexion. With their deep steel blue color, his round yet slight almond-shaped eyes grow wide with worry.

Cyrus sits still on his bed. Something doesn't sit well with Cyrus, things don't feel familiar. Cyrus wakes from his bed to get up, feeling uneasy, he yells for his mother,

Cyrus

“Momma!”

No answer. Cyrus finds himself alone in the dark, beginning to get anxious. From the corner of his eye, from the window, he catches a shadowy glimpse. Hoping it’s his mother, he rushes downstairs. Reaching the first floor, he looks outside the window. There isn't a trace of anyone.

Getting frantic, Cyrus opens the front door entrance to look outside. Cyrus looks around but Portia is empty, there are no sounds but the cold autumn breeze. As Cyrus begins to cry he catches the sound of a distant voice.

Maya

“Where are you going?”

Cyrus stops, reacting to the sudden voice of his mother, his flowing tears stop. He wipes the tears off his cheek with the cuffs from his oversized, dark, teal sweater. Cyrus looks towards the sound, looking to his left facing the Harbour shore. He sees his mother in the distance facing away from him, all he's able to see is her delicate umber straight hair blowing in the wind; her focus towards the shore. Cyrus distressed, runs towards his mother, in need of her embrace.

Cyrus

“Momma! Momma!”

Cyrus begins to hear another faint voice, one familiar but not recognizable.

???

“....bigger than us.”

Cyrus stops in his tracks, feeling paralyzed. Trying to catch who his mother is talking to, his vision begins to grow blurry. His mother's voice seems to grow more distant.

Maya

“The bear”

Cyrus rubs his eyes to get a closer look at who his mother is talking to. A shadowy figure appears to be a man. The man stands near the shore with a boat ready to ride.

???

“Cyrus”

The boat begins to blare a loud noise. He hears the voice of his mother call him in distress,

Maya

“Cyrus!”

The alarm from the boat becomes isolated and heavy as it takes over Cyrus' focus. The noise from the boat surrounds him, he can't react to his mother's call. Maya yells in frustration,

Maya

“Cyrus!”

The noise from the boat grows repetitive. Cyrus closes his eyes and covers his ears and he begins to cry.

Cyrus

“Momma make the noise stop!”

Everything is black.

Maya

“Cyrus!

Wake up, Cyrus!”

Cyrus' eyes open wide, and in a cold sweat, he frantically reacts to the loud, pounding alarm on top of his night table.

Crap! Crap, crap, crap!

I'm late again, mom's going to be pissed!

Cyrus slams the alarm button to mute the sound. He immediately jumps out of his bed, leaving his bed sheets scattered on the floor. In a hurry, Cyrus picks up his brown satchel resting on the corner of his desk. In his haste, he knocks a couple of books to the floor, they create a loud thud and disperse through the floor. Maya calls Cyrus in a worried tone from the first floor,

Maya

“Cyrus, are you up? Is everything alright?”

In a loud reassuring voice, he replies to his mother,

Cyrus

“I'm up! Just grabbing some things, I'll be down soon!”

Cyrus, taking in the situation, gets frustrated.

Ah c'mon! I don't have time for this, I'll pick it up after I get home

Before continuing to leave his room, from the corner of his eye, Cyrus spots a note peaking through one of the fallen books.

Huh?

Cyrus' sudden urge to leave is taken over by curiosity, he kneels to the floor to grab the book with the protruding note. Picking it up from the clutter on the floor, he sees that it's a journal. The journal is barely touched, decorated with a silk ribbon around it. Cyrus grabs the note peeking out and it reads:

“To my everything, my moonlight.

For all the stories written in your mind, may you find comfort in speaking them here.

Happy Birthday! Love, Mom xoxo”



I didn't know there was a note in here…

this is the journal mom gave to me a couple of months ago for my 15th birthday…

Cyrus flips the note around and finds a cute amateur drawing of QQ the pig, with hearts surrounding him. Cyrus chuckles.

Wouldn't be a letter from mom without a crappy drawing of QQ on the side.

I feel bad for not opening this journal... I guess it wouldn't hurt to take it along.

Cyrus looks towards his bedroom door as he hears it creak open, he quickly stashes away the journal is his satchel. The door is now wide open. Cyrus kneeling, glances up to see who it is. Arlo appears in his PJ's and slippers, standing at the door frame to Cyrus' room; Looking tired, yet alert, Arlo looms over Cyrus holding a mug of hot steaming coffee. With one eyebrow raised, Arlo in a concerned tone questions Cyrus,

Arlo

“Everything alright?

Maya was worried about the loud noise so she wanted me to check up on you”

Cyrus

“No worries, just a couple books fell while I was grabbing some things”

Cyrus gets up and puts the satchel around his shoulder, he moves towards the door ready to leave. Arlo stops Cyrus before reaching the door and holds out a note and a small cloth bag that contains a couple of gols.

Arlo

“Here, your mother wanted me to hand you this,

she wanted to know if you could grab a couple things on your way back?”

With a dazed look, Cyrus fixes the satchel strap on his shoulder.

Cyrus

“Yeah of course”

Arlo

“I slid in a little extra, so get yourself a little something too”

Arlo winks. Cyrus grabs the note and gols then places it in his bag. Cyrus holds the strap of his satchel tight, ready to sprint off.

Cyrus

“Thanks, Arlo!”

Cyrus begins to rush downstairs, still replying to Arlo, he yells back while rushing down the stairs,

Cyrus

“This is why you're my favorite out of all the Civil Corps!”

Arlo, remaining still in the hallway sipping his coffee, replies in a loud tone,

Arlo

“I'll be sure to tell Sam that!”

Cyrus

“Don't! She'll kick my ass!”

Arlo chuckles. Cyrus reaches the first floor in a hurry, he quickly heads towards the table where his mother sits to eat. Short in stature, Maya stands near the table, her height shorter than Cyrus' by a couple of inches. She glances over at Cyrus and grabs her chair to settle. As she sits, her straight umber hair is light and flows with her posture; it's long enough to reach slightly below her shoulder blades. She turns her focus over to her hot cup of tea, her straight front bangs cover her eyebrows. The light from the window reveals her tan-colored skin.

Cyrus grabs a glass of water from the table and chugs it, he quickly wipes his mouth. Maya sips her tea while observing Cyrus, her eyes are almond-shaped and wide, eye color just like her sons. She slides a plate of mushroom crepes over to where Cyrus stands and sets her mug down.

Maya

“Make sure you eat something before you go, your lunch is at the stand near the door,

bring a coat as well, it's already November and the evenings are cold!”

In a single swoop, Cyrus stuffs a mushroom crepe in his mouth. With his mouth full, he unintelligibly replies,

Cyrus

“Oi woll mohm”

Maya stares at Cyrus with a concerned look but quickly smirks at Cyrus and shakes her head. He smiles wide, back at his mother with his mouth full, barely closed. He quickly kisses his mother on the cheek and heads towards the front entrance of the door. Hardly grabbing his lunch and coat on the way out, swallowing his food, Cyrus yells to his mother,

Cyrus

“Love you, Mom!”

Maya looks towards the door entrance where Cyrus is about to exit. Maya replies in a loud tone,

Maya

“Love you too Sweetie! Don't forget your axe!

Last time you forgot it I never heard the last of it from Daw-”

The front door slams. Still looking towards the front entrance, Maya lets out a sigh, her sigh is briefly interrupted as she catches Cyrus through the window. Cyrus quickly peeks from the window and holds one thumb up alongside the axe to reassure his mother he remembered. Maya smiles.

The sound of footsteps are heard behind Maya. Maya looks back towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Arlo reaches the first floor and walks towards where Maya sits, still holding his mug, he gently places it on the table beside hers.

Maya

“Thank you for checking on him, I just get so worried sometimes”

Looking at Maya, Arlo moves his hand towards her hazelnut hair, swiping the bangs covering her face to the side. Leaning in, he kisses her on the forehead. Placing his hand on her cheek, he looks back at Maya.

Arlo

“Trust that he'll be ok”

Maya looks up and locks eyes with Arlo, his face glows with a comforting smile. Maya smiles back.

Outside the doors of his house, Cyrus clips the axe to the sheath on his belt. Cyrus grasps the strap to his satchel, hops the front yard fence, and sprints towards the Tree Farm. While running Cyrus can't help but think about the dream he had earlier.

Why do I keep having the same stupid dream…

The same words,

“ Bigger than us”, “The bear”

What does that even mean? Who is my mom even talking to?

Cyrus' thoughts suddenly get interrupted as he reaches the gates of the Tree Farm. In front of Cyrus is Dawa, barely reaching Cyrus' height, Dawa crosses his arms waiting impatiently. Catching his breath, Cyrus puts his hands on his leg. Dawa exclaims in a disappointed tone,

Dawa

“Yer late again, I didn't give you this job for nothin' ya know

I gave it to ya so it could-””

Cyrus pants in unison with Dawa,

Cyrus and Dawa

“-build you big and strong”

Cyrus

“I know, I know.

But hey, at least I brought my axe this time!”

Cyrus smiles and taps on his belt where his axe is located.

Dawa

“It's the least you could do kid,

You're definitely something else”

Dawa smacks Cyrus lightly on the back of the head and Cyrus and Dawa let out a laugh. Dawa aggressively puts his arm around Cyrus and pats him on the shoulder, they both walk towards the entrance of the Tree Farm. Behind them, the cold autumn breeze brushes the warm-colored leaves into the wind. The sounds of Cyrus and Dawa's conversation grows faint as they enter the Tree Farm.

The day reaches noon. A loud chop echoes throughout the Tree Farm, the rushing sound of a tree snapping takes over; A heavy thump thunders as the tree plummets onto the ground. Cyrus brushes the sweat from his forehead, holding his axe proudly with one hand. Dawa and Dana are seen near the entrance of the Tree Farm sorting logs for the delivery service. Facing towards Dawa, Cyrus yells,

Cyrus

“Hey, Dawa! I chopped my last tree what do you want me to do next?”

Dawa loudly replies and waves his hand in motion towards him,

Dawa

“Come ovah here!”

Cyrus rushes near the entrance of the Tree Farm where Dawa and Dana are working.

Dawa

“I need you to make one delivery before you head out”

Cyrus

“One more delivery? But I still have two hours left of work?”

Dawa

“No worries kid, the days off on me, it's a Friday anyways. Go enjoy yourself.

Do, I dunno, whatever you kids do”

Cyrus

“Really? You're the best! Give me a second, I'm going to grab my stuff real quick”

Cyrus goes to fetch his belongings located at the back of Dawa and Dana's house. Excited to get out early, Cyrus quickly rushes to get a hold of everything. Cyrus kneels to put his empty lunch bag back in his satchel, he wraps his satchel around his shoulder and walks back around, towards the front of the house.

Before turning to the front, Cyrus suddenly holds himself in the corner of the house. He catches Dawa and Dana whispering. Curious, without being seen, he leans closer to the edge of the house to eavesdrop.

Dana

“It's his birthday today right? You doin' alright?”

Dawa

“Yeah, don't worry about me, Honey. It was a long time ago.

I'm just worried about Maya”

Dana

“Do you think he knows it's his birthday?”

Dawa

“Your guess is as good as mine”

Dawa and Dana resume their work. Cyrus keeps his position, perplexed in his thoughts.

Who's birthday are they talking about? Am I forgetting someone's birthday?

Cyrus brushes the thought aside, he emerges from the corner, holding the strap of his satchel.

Cyrus

“Hey Dawa, I'm set to go now”

Cyrus walks towards Dawa. Dana and Dawa look over at Cyrus and Dana gives Cyrus a warm smile. Dawa grabs the hefty box of chopped logs and hands it over to Cyrus, Cyrus grabs it, almost losing his grip. Cyrus adjusts his position and firmly holds the large box near his chest, with his two arms wrapped around, the box is big enough to almost cover Cyrus’ face.

Dawa

“I want these delivered to Martha”

Cyrus scarcely peeks out over the big box to reply to Dawa,

Cyrus

“Got it, boss”

Dana sharply eyes down Dawa, displeased with the load of work given to Cyrus she quickly snarks at Dawa,

Dana

“Why are you giving him so many logs? He's still just a boy, he isn't a machine, Honeybear!”

Dawa

“What do ya mean? He's a strong boy! He can handle himself!”

Reaching in her apron pocket, Dana grabs some candy for Cyrus. She reaches towards Cyrus' satchel as he holds the box, she stashes the candies inside. Noticing what Dana is doing, Dawa counters back,

Dawa

“What are you doing? He ain't a boy no more,

you're gonna ruin his teeth with all that sugar!”

Dana

“Let me treat the boy! He deserves something after everything you been puttin' him through!”

Dawa

“The boys getting paid! What do ya mean!”

Cyrus holding the box stands still in front of Dana and Dawa as they continue to bicker. He starts to sweat, frantically looking left and right looking for an escape, he hastily begins shuffling to the side aiming quickly towards the entrance to the Tree Farm. Finally escaping the Tree Farm, Cyrus slowly paces his steps and makes his way towards Peach Plaza. From a distance, the sound of Dawa and Dana's quarrel can still be heard.

Before reaching the walls of Peach Plaza, Cyrus hears the sound of a bicycle chain rattling behind him. Unable to look behind Cyrus continues to walk. The sound of the bicycle gets near and comes at a sudden halt.

Dolly

“Cyrus! Need a hand?”

Cyrus recognizes the voice as Dolly's, one of Carol's three daughters. Unable to turn his head, Cyrus shifts his entire body towards the direction of Dolly's voice. Dolly smiling at Cyrus sits on her baby blue bicycle, her thick golden hair reaches her back; Two braided strands on both sides of her head flow forward. Her hair shines against the noon sun. Connected to the bike is an oak wagon, piled with bags of fertilizer and a colorful assortment of flowers. Cyrus replies in a strained voice above the box he holds,

Cyrus

“Oh hey, Dolly! No, I'm ok, really, it's not too far.

I enjoy walking.”

Dolly insists,

Dolly

“Really Cyrus it’s no trouble!”

Cyrus remains quiet and still, he peeks over the top box looking at Dolly, visibly struggling the longer he waits. Dolly smiles at Cyrus and lets out a small laugh.

Dolly

“You're very stubborn for a kid your age you know?”

Dolly kicks her bike stand out and hops off. Without hesitation, she swipes the box from Cyrus and drops the box of logs in her wagon. It thumps on top of the bags of fertilizer. She returns to her seat and nods her head, insisting Cyrus to join her.

Dolly

“C'mon now, hop on!”

Cyrus hesitant, carefully places his feet on the bicycle pegs and holds onto Dolly's shoulders.

Dolly

“Where we headed?”

Cyrus

“Martha's Bakery…

Dolly are you sure about this? I don’t want to be a bother”

Dolly

“You're never a bother Cyrus!

Plus this is perfect, I've got a couple deliveries to pass to Jack!”

Cyrus in a low timid voice reacts,

Cyrus

“J- Jack?”

Dolly

“Hold tight!”

Dolly kicks back the bike stand and speeds off with Cyrus towards Central Plaza.

Dolly stops in front of Alice's shop and kicks her bike stand down. The shop sign reads, “Alice & Jack's Flower Shop.” The shop is big, flooded with all sorts of bright and vibrant collections of flowers, they are placed on the stand and hang on the shop ceiling.

Jack is seen watering the flowers near the entrance of the shop, wearing an aqua green apron, his hair long enough to almost touch his shoulders. The front of his hair is tossed to the left revealing his bushy eyebrows. Jack catches the sight of Dolly and Cyrus through the corner of his eye, content to see them, in an excited tone he calls out to them,

Jack

“Dolly! Cyrus!”

Cyrus immediately reacts with a jolt to Jack's call, he sees Jack waving to them with an affectionate smile. In a sudden rush of embarrassment, Cyrus blushes and quickly looks down to his feet. Dolly waves back ecstatic to see Jack, she runs towards him.

Cyrus keeps near the bike in a static position, refusing to look up. Dolly and Jack begin to converse and laugh in the distance. Cyrus remains still, lurking in his thoughts.

It's, Jack! He gets me so nervous…

I'm ok with being around Polly, Molly, Dolly, or Toby,

Even if they're like 10 years older than me,

they always make me feel comfortable and treat me like family

But with Jack it’s different…

Not to say he isn't nice it's just... I can't get the courage to talk to him

every time I see him I can never look at him for too long

Why do I get like this…

Cyrus’ thoughts suddenly get interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. Startled by the abrupt touch, he jumps. Martha retreats her hand due to Cyrus' reaction, she smiles at Cyrus.

Martha

“Sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to startle you!

Dolly told me you have a wood delivery for me?”

In a sudden realization that Martha is in front of him, Cyrus slightly shakes his head to bring himself back.

Cyrus

“Oh yeah! Sorry Martha, here you go”

Cyrus grabs the hefty box piled with chopped logs and hands it over to Martha. Receiving the heavy box, in a strained voice she replies,

Martha

“Thank you, sweetie,

now that I have more customers I find myself needing more of these deliveries!”

Martha lets out a chuckle, she walks towards her bakery and slams the box of logs near the floor entrance. Reaching towards her bakery stand, Martha grabs a couple of fruit tarts and places them in a small light beige paper bag. She hands them to Cyrus with a smile.

Martha

“Here take these, I put a couple fruit tarts in there, for you and your mother.

Both of you are such a blessing to me and Portia,

You take after your mother. A hard worker just like her.”

Cyrus smiles back at Martha and accepts her gift.

Cyrus

“Thank you, Martha. You always make the best pastries”

Martha

“Oh! You're too sweet, Cyrus!”

Martha swifts her hand back and forth at Cyrus delighted to hear the compliment. Putting away the pastries in his satchel, Cyrus comes across the small bag of gols Arlo handed to him.

Crap! I almost forgot I have to head to the store.

Cyrus

“I gotta go, Martha, I need to grab a couple things for my Mom”

Martha

“No worries sweetie, tell your Mother I send my love!”

Cyrus nods and begins heading back. Looking behind, trying to avoid eye contact with Jack, Cyrus waves goodbye to Martha, Dolly and Jack. They wave back, smiling at Cyrus. They resume their schedules.

Maya sits at the dining room table. One hand lays flat on the table holding a photograph, while another is clenched, covering her mouth. She's in a daze, her eyes appearring melancholic, buried in thought. She debates with herself,

I shouldn't do it, No. Just because today is his birthday doesn't mean you should.

You've grown though, you can handle it.

What if I can't handle it?

Arlo isn't home, take advantage. Don't be weak, you have to face it!

The longer you wait, the harder it will get!

Frustrated, Maya slams her fist onto the table, she shuts her eyes. She remains silent for a couple of minutes.

You have to.

Maya hastily gets up. She walks towards the living room, photo clutched in one hand. Maya frustrated slides the couch against the wall and kicks the center floor carpet aside. Distraught, she kneels down and in a hurry knocks throughout the wooden floor. Tapping, she comes across a hollow sound, she's sure she's found it! Maya tears off two wooden tiles snuggled tightly on the floor. Removing them reveals a silver hoop handle.

With her hand, Maya grasps the handle tight as she pulls a floor hatch open. The hatch opens to a fog of dust, Maya coughs, wafting away the dust. The hatch leads to a small cellar, the entrance is small and narrow, but big enough for a person to enter. With a somber look, Maya heads down the old cracked wooden stairs of the dark cellar. Completely submerged in darkness, she swipes dust away from her face. Searching for a way to turn on the light, she blindly reaches and finds the metal chord leading to the bulb. She pulls it, the light flashes bright and blinds her, she rubs her eyes to get a clearer view.

The cellar walls are made of stone, around the room hang various untouched swords and axes. There's a bookshelf full of dusty Old World books, relics of toy soldiers, and models are displayed behind a glass cabinet. In front of Maya stands a small drawer with a teddy bear and a note on top. Coated in dust, the bear appears to have a sewn-in beard, with goggles on top of its head over a red band; A red cape is tied around its neck. Maya fazed, stares at the bear. Her hand continues to clutch the photograph. Tears begin to flow down Maya's face. In frustration, she tightly shuts her eyes.

I'm so stupid, I knew I couldn't do it

Why did I come down here…

I don't want to relieve these memories anymore, but how else am I supposed to get past this

When do I get to move on?

I should burn all of this.



Maya brings the folded photograph she holds, closer towards her face. Unfolding the photograph she takes one last look, the photograph is visibly wrinkled, slightly torn.

The photo shows Cyrus at four years old, his mother Maya, is to the right of the picture holding Cyrus. To the left of them stands his father, Aadit. They all are seen happily smiling. Aadit embraces both Maya and Cyrus in his arms in the photograph, they stand in front of the wheat fields on a beautiful sunny day. As she continues to look at the photo, Maya's tears flow heavy. She begins to breathe rapidly, stuttering her breath.

We were so happy,

Aadit looked so happy.

The front door to the house creaks open, downstairs in the cellar, Maya is unable to hear it. Cyrus arrives home, he holds a big paper bag holding all the groceries near his chest, he speaks out to his mother in a soft tone while closing the door,

Cyrus

“Mom, I got the groceries from the store”

Cyrus receives no response.

Cyrus

“Weird, she must be out”

Cyrus lays the paper bag on the kitchen counter along with the small bag of fruit tarts. Cyrus catches something in the corner of his eye, his surroundings feel unusual. Turning towards the living room, he finds an unfamiliar hatch emerging from the living room floor. The carpet is folded over behind the latch, the couches are against the living room walls.

Puzzled, Cyrus slowly walks towards the latch. A bright light emerges from the cellar room. Cyrus being interested, starts to slowly walk down the wooden cellar stairs, the wooden stairs softly creak. Cyrus finds his mother in the cellar, facing away from him. The view of his mother suddenly triggers the memory of his dream, Cyrus shakes the image out of his mind, he speaks to his mother.

Cyrus

“Mom?”

The sound of Cyrus' voice sends a jolt through Maya's spine. She instantly wipes her tears and turns towards Cyrus, with a distressed look in her eyes, she asks Cyrus,

Maya

“Cyrus? What are you doing here? I thought you finished at Tree Farm around 2?”

Cyrus

“I was supposed to, but Dawa was kind enough to let me go early”

Cyrus notices his mother’s eyes are puffed up and red. In a concerned tone, he asks his mother,

Cyrus

“Momma, are you ok?”

Cyrus catches something shining on the left side of the cellar wall. He looks up to spot a gleaming sword displayed. The hilt of the sword is made entirely of metal, it’s bulky but beautifully crafted; Red jagged lines cover the blade of the sword. Astonished by the sword, Cyrus walks towards it and questions his mother about it.

Cyrus

“Woah, Mom! I've never seen this sword before?

It's so cool! Is it yours? Or Arlo's?”

Maya snaps back at Cyrus with an immediate worry,

Maya

“Don't go near it.”

Cyrus rapidly looks back to face his mother, perplexed by her tone. His thought gets interrupted by something in front of his mother, laying on the cabinet, Cyrus spots the dusty teddy bear. Cyrus is unwillingly is pulled back to the memory of his dream again, the sound of a voice echoes in his mind.

“The bear...”

Cyrus is in a daze, he blanks out, staring into space. The room is quiet. Maya concerned about Cyrus calls to him,

Maya

“C-Cyrus?”

The memory of the dream rushes through Cyrus' head. Staring at the bear, Cyrus slowly begins to recognize the man in his dream. Cyrus' eyes open wide, he begins to remember, finally remembering the man in his dream. Cyrus snaps back and looks towards his mother. In a soft and slow tone, he speaks to her,

Cyrus

“Mom, the bear...”

Unsettled, remorse takes over Maya's face. In a harsh tone, Cyrus finishes his question,

Cyrus

“Mom, was the bear left by Aadit?”

Maya's body is overtaken by heartache leaving her speechless, unable to answer. A single tear slides down her face. Cyrus analyzes his surroundings, taking in everything, he looks at all the items and objects left behind collecting dust in the cellar.

Slowly connecting the pieces, everything quickly passes through Cyrus’ mind. His dream, the comments made by Dawa and Dana, the sword, the bear, his mother's tears. Cyrus begins to grow heated, in a sharp tone he rapidly begins to spit out questions, giving no time for Maya to answer.

Cyrus

“What is all of this?

Is this all Aadit's stuff?

How come I've never seen any of this?

Maya remains quiet. With unanswered questions, Cyrus becomes impatient and irritated and without realizing, he begins to yell at his mother.

Cyrus

“You told me he took everything with him, that he left nothing behind!

You told me that we were better off without him!”

Maya holds her breath before replying in a loud, weary tone,

Maya

“We are!”

Overcome with rage and sorrow, Cyrus can't help but begin to cry.

Cyrus

“You told me he didn't want anything to do with us!”

Maya

“He didn't!”

Cyrus

“Then why did he say that this was 'bigger than us'!”

Maya becomes paralyzed. She speaks back to Cyrus in a soft voice,

Maya

“How- how do you remember that...”

Cyrus

“Why does it matter!”

Maya begins to get agitated by Cyrus’ tone, her face becomes sullen. Maya straightens her posture, closes her eyes, and lets the room come to a lull before speaking again. She shifts to a stern tone,

Maya

“Enough Cyrus.

Aadit has been gone for nine years now.

If he cared in any measure, whatsoever, we would've heard from him.

Still, years continue to pass and not a single letter from that man.

Aadit was a person full of secrets, and you can't trust people like that.

He was only interested in what benefited him and nothing else.”

Cyrus, engulfed by confusion. His mother's reasons, still unclear to him, make no sense. He barely lets anything his mother says sink in, feeling deceived he continues to aggressively speak to Maya,

Cyrus

“But you're keeping secrets from me! What makes you so different than him!”

Maya taken back by Cyrus' reply, exclaims back,

Maya

“Cyrus!”

Cyrus

“You say all these things with such assurance

but how do you know for sure?”

Getting extremely agitated, Maya shouts at Cyrus the way she's never had to before.

Maya

“Cyrus!”

The cellar room echos in Maya's voice. The room becomes quiet, both Cyrus and Maya are still. With a look of despair, Cyrus stares at his mother, wiping the last tear hanging by his cheek. Cyrus overwhelmed, turns away from his mother towards the cellar exit. He dashes up the stairs towards his room. From the cellar, Maya hears Cyrus’ bedroom door slam shut.

Exhausted, Maya's body feels stiff. Almost barely able to move, Maya looks down at the picture she still holds tightly in her hands. Maya closes her eyes in hopes to feel one moment of peace in the chaos of her mind. Maya reaches for the light chord and pulls it. Everything is black again.

It's nearing 10 pm, the moonlight shines through Cyrus' dark room; The books and bed sheets still lay scattered throughout the bedroom floor. Cyrus cradles in his bed with a pillow held tightly against his stomach, tears staining his light blue pillow. A sudden knock comes from his bedroom door. Cyrus decides not to answer. The knock is heard again, this time followed by the sound of Arlo's soft comforting voice, whispering through the thick bedroom door,

Arlo

“Cyrus, It's me.

Do you mind if I come in?”

Cyrus replies in a husky, worn-out voice,

Cyrus

“Come in...”

The door creaks softly. Arlo slowly enters Cyrus' room and sits by the edge of his bed. He looks at Cyrus with a worrisome look. Unmoved, Cyrus continues to lay cradled on his bed.

Arlo

“Come sit next to me, I have something I want to show you”

Curious, Cyrus slowly sits up and shuffles his weary body beside Arlo.

Arlo

“Your mother wanted to pass you this”

Arlo mentioning his mother triggers a bitter reaction from Cyrus. Arlo looks towards his hand as he reaches into his pocket, he passes the photograph to Cyrus. Cyrus takes the photograph from Arlo and slowly unfolds it. His eyes grow wide.

Cyrus

“It's us... with Aadit.”

Cyrus analyzes the photograph, running his thumb across the indented folds.

Cyrus

“Mom looks so happy...”

Cyrus slowly turns his head towards Arlo while the room grows quiet. Cyrus’ eyes are somber, looking at Arlo. Cyrus seeks answers.

Cyrus

“Why did he leave?”

Arlo looks straight into Cyrus’ eyes.

Arlo

“Cyrus. I can't answer that for you”

Arlo lowers his head and looks down.

Arlo

“And neither can your mother”

Cyrus looks down, remains quiet, his eyes fixated on the photograph. Arlo looks back towards Cyrus.

Arlo

“Your father was a quiet man, he kept to himself.

The only person to really know him was your mother,

and yet with everything she knew about him, she never found out the reason for his disappearance.

No one knows where he is, Cyrus. With my own eyes, I witnessed your mother try everything.

Desperate, she would cling to every little clue, she damaged herself in the process. She doesn't want that life for you.

She doesn't want you to go through the same pain she experienced.

That's why she kept all these things hidden from you.

Her biggest fear is for you to go out chasing after him and getting hurt in the process.

Whether it’s mentally or physically. She doesn't want to lose you like she lost your father.

She had a deep connection and love for your father, but that was all stripped away from her the day he left.

She's still recovering from it today.”

Arlo looks towards the window and stares at the moonlight glare. Cyrus looks up at Arlo,

Arlo

“I hope with the love I hold for you and her,

I can finally return that sense of security that she lost a long time ago...”

Arlo keeps quiet, continuing to stare outside, the window lets in a cold wisp of sharp autumn air. He looks back at Cyrus with a soft, warm look.

Arlo

“I know this information is a lot to take in. This feeling won't go away in days or weeks.

It will follow you. But dealing with it is what will make you strong.

I am always here for you. You're my boy.”

Looking at Arlo, Cyrus’ eyes begin to water. He flings his face straight into Arlo's chest and wraps his arms around his waist. Cyrus squeezes tight and in a choppy muffled voice, Cyrus replies,

Cyrus

“I love you”

Arlo smiles and wraps his arms around Cyrus. Arlo holds him tight as tears stream down Cyrus’ face. In a soft tone, Arlo replies,

Arlo

“I love you too, Cyrus”

Dawn slowly spreads throughout Portia, the Saturday Autumn morning is cold and crisp. Cyrus flings himself out of bed and quickly grabs his satchel, his journal, and an ink pen. He quietly creaks his door open, softly stepping downstairs, careful not to wake anyone.

Cyrus reaching the first floor looks towards the living room. The hatch is closed, everything is set back in its place, almost feeling like yesterday's event was all a dream. Cyrus refocuses his thoughts and begins to open the front door. A cold breeze brushes his ankles. Suddenly he recalls his mother's words, they echo in his mind.

“it's already November and the evenings are cold!”

Cyrus quickly reacts and grabs his jacket from the coat hanger near the front entrance. As Cyrus leaves the house he puts on his wool navy jacket and a grey scarf and shuts the door. He makes his way behind the house, crunching the fallen autumn leaves. He walks towards the bridge to Amber Island, stopping by a tree near the river to settle down. Cyrus opens his journal and begins to write his first entry.



November 6th

I've never really done this, but I feel like this is a better time than any.

I don't know how to put this into words since I feel like I'm feeling

everything at once. I was angry and sad but Arlo helped me feel better last

night. My mom is really lucky to have Arlo by her side, so I guess you could say

I'm lucky too. I wouldn't mind calling him a Dad.



I wish Arlo would teach me how to fight though. The main reason I haven't learned

is because of my mom. She hates when I ask her to go out of Portia,

but maybe if Arlo tags along with me I can finally convince her. I know fighting is

the solution to anything but I want to learn so I can be strong for my mom. I want to fight so

maybe one day I'll be strong enough to go out on my own and travel. I would love to

travel, I want to see what's out there. All the books I read talk about such grand

adventures. Sounds silly but one day I'd like to be that character in books who gets to

go on adventures and meet all kinds of interesting people.

Anyways I don't know how to break it to Dawa,

but I'm thinking of starting to work at the Research Center.

Dawa was nice enough to give me the job a year ago so I hope he doesn't take it

the wrong way. But Polly works at the Research Center and she's been telling me all

sorts of cool stuff she finds at her job. Maybe I can work there and

finally learn about what's outside of Portia through research instead. I just hope one

day mom can see what I want for once. Maybe if I put all my research in the

journal she gave me she can finally see how much I want this. I know

it'll help me take my mind of everything happening right now. Maybe if everything

works out, I can finally find the answers me and my mom are looking for.

Cyrus stops writing and begins to flip through the empty pages of his journal. The journal splits open holding the family photograph his mother gave him. Cyrus smiles at the sight of the photo. Cyrus flips the photograph, He grabs his pen and writes something behind the photograph:

“Bigger than us.”

Cyrus places the photograph back in his journal and closes it. He leans back on the tree. He pulls down his scarf, uncovering his mouth and lets out a big huff of air. The air is cool enough to fog up. As Cyrus watches the river flow, he keeps to his thoughts. Cyrus closes his eyes, everything is calm.

Meanwhile, far from Portia, lays a complex in an unknown disclosed location. The night is dark and weary. Through the window, a man’s back is seen sitting on a rustic wooden desk. The man has long dark midnight hair, it reaches scarcely below his shoulders; He wears a dark mahogany sweater and light armor settled on his chest and shoulders.

The fireplace beside him brings the only source of light in the room. With an ink pen, the man writes a letter. Finished writing, he folds the letter in thirds and delicately places it in the envelope, he seals it and takes the pen to write a name on the envelope:

To: Cyrus

The man takes the letter and brings it towards a locked drawer. He enters a combination.

08-24

The drawer is unlocked, the man opens the drawer. In the drawer lays the photograph of Cyrus, Maya, and Aadit standing in front of the Portia wheat field. The photograph is barely visible, covering it are multiple unopened envelopes scattered across it. In the drawer, the various stacks of unsent letters read:

To: Maya

To: Dawa

To: Cyrus

The man gently places the finished letter into the drawer along with the other envelopes. He closes the drawer shut and locks it. As he reaches to grab his sword near the frame of his bed, he puts out the fireplace and heads outside. The door slams shut.

End of Prologue