moon between us

Episode 1: The Hill Under the Moon

Swastika had always loved quiet places.

While most people her age spent evenings talking with friends or scrolling through their phones, she preferred escaping to the hill outside town. It wasn’t a famous place or anything special—just a grassy slope overlooking the glowing city below. But to her, it felt like another world.

Every night, after finishing her chores and homework, she walked up the narrow path with a small notebook tucked under her arm. She liked writing there—random thoughts, unfinished poems, dreams she was too shy to say aloud.

Tonight, the moon was bright and round, hanging in the sky like a silver lantern.

Swastika sat down on her usual rock and opened her notebook.

"Some people come into your life like sunrise," she wrote. "But maybe some arrive like moonlight—quietly, when you least expect it."

She stared at the sentence for a while, then laughed softly at herself.

“Too dramatic,” she murmured.

A voice behind her replied, “I don’t know. I think it sounds nice.”

Swastika nearly dropped her notebook.

She turned around so quickly that a strand of hair fell into her face. Standing a few steps away was a boy she had never seen before.

He looked around her age, maybe a little older. His dark hair was slightly messy, like he had run his hands through it too many times. He wore a black hoodie despite the mild weather, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets.

Most noticeable, though, was the small smile on his face.

“You scared me,” Swastika said, placing a hand over her chest.

“Sorry,” he replied, though he didn’t look very sorry. “I didn’t mean to spy on your writing.”

“You were reading it?”

“Only one sentence.”

Swastika quickly shut the notebook.

“Well, you shouldn’t do that.”

“Noted.” He raised his hands dramatically. “I’ll respect all future notebook privacy laws.”

She tried not to smile.

There was an awkward silence before he glanced toward the city lights below.

“Mind if I sit here?”

Swastika hesitated.

This was her place. Her quiet space. She had never shared it with anyone.

But something about him didn’t feel threatening. Just...unexpected.

She shrugged. “Do what you want.”

The boy sat on the grass, leaving a respectful distance between them.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Surprisingly, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

“I’m Kai,” he finally said.

Swastika looked at him. “Swastika.”

“Nice to meet you, Swastika.”

“You too, I guess.”

Kai leaned back on his hands and stared at the sky.

“The moon looks different from here,” he said.

Swastika followed his gaze upward. “Different how?”

“Closer.”

She considered that.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “That’s why I like this place.”

Kai smiled like he understood exactly what she meant.

They talked a little after that—not about anything important. Favorite foods. Music. Why Kai was new in town.

“My family moved here last week,” he explained.

“Do you like it?”

He shrugged. “Still deciding.”

“Well,” Swastika said, “the hill is probably the best part.”

“Then I picked the right place.”

The words were simple, but they made her cheeks feel warm.

Time passed faster than she expected.

When Swastika checked her phone, her eyes widened.

“Oh no. I have to go.”

She quickly stood up, brushing grass from her skirt.

Kai got up too. “Same time tomorrow?”

She blinked.

“Why?”

He smiled. “Because I think this hill might be less interesting without conversation.”

Swastika crossed her arms. “You talk a lot for someone I just met.”

“And yet, you’re still standing here.”

She shook her head, trying to hide a laugh.

“Maybe,” she said.

Not yes. Not no.

Just maybe.

As she walked down the hill, she glanced back once.

Kai was still standing there under the moonlight, hands in his pockets, watching the city below.

For some reason, Swastika had a strange feeling.

Tonight wasn’t just another quiet evening.

It was the beginning of something.

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