Scary Horror Stories by Dr. NoSleep - I Know Why We Never Returned to the Dark Side of the Moon

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

Get over 80 exclusive bonus stories with Dr. NoSleep Premium: ⁠patreon.com/drnosleep Head to ⁠NoSleepCoffee.com⁠ and use promo code NOSLEEP20 for 20% off your first order! Author: Jake Bible Check out the author's latest release: Blood Cruise! https://jakebible.com/novels/blood-cruise/ * * * CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This episode contains explicit content not limited to intense themes, strong language, and depictions of violence intended for adults. Parental guidance is strongly advised for children under the age of 17. Listener discretion is advised.  #drnosleep #scarystories #horrorstories #doctornosleep #horrorpodcast #horror Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Year 2135. Location. Luna. The far side. The lander crunches down on the surface, and Reed Knowles double-checks the instruments, making sure the gear is solid and the lander is stable. Looking good, he says.

Copy that. Chase Buford replies from the other side of the small cockpit. Same here. Pressurizing the drop hatch now. We can exit and start the survey in five minutes. Five minutes can be an eternity out here. Reed says, peering out of the cockpit window at the endless expanse of darkness that covers the moon's far-side surface. The dark side of the moon.

Beyond the surface, though, are wonders of reflected light. Clouds of dust particles pick up the sun's ever-present rays and turn the open space around the moon into a kaleidoscope of swirling hues, reds, oranges, greens and purples. Reed watches as the solar winds turn the clouds of dust into a spectacle as dieticotoscope as dieticosephaline. dynamic as the Northern Lights, a sight he watched endlessly as a young boy back in Petaluma. All right, even with the relays, comms are spotty on this side of the big hunk of cheese. So we need to be fast and careful when we get out of there, Chase says. No sightseeing, Reed. Got it? Got it?

Reed replies. And since when have I ever gone sightseeing while on mission? Every damn time! Chase laughs. You have your head in the stars. Even when you are out in them, command expects its astraneers. to be on their game at all times. That's all they ask. They also ask us to leave our families for months at a stretch, so we can find them new ways of making money off of what shouldn't be touched in the first place. Reed doesn't even try to hide the bitterness in his voice. Luna is for everyone, not just the highest bidder. Tell that to the highest bidder, which happens to be the company we work for, the company that keeps our bank accounts full,

so that our families don't have to stand in breadlines or purchase discount rebreather. just to live through the week. Now you're getting it. I was being sardonic. You were being what? Sardonic. It's like sarcastic, but with bite. Yeah, well, keep your sardonic nest to yourself.

Chase points at the cockpit ceiling. Command is always listening. That's right, you two, and don't forget it. A woman's voice calls out over the comms. My panel is showing that your exit hatch is pressurized, so I have to wonder what you're still doing inside the lander instead of out surveying the site, like you are being paid to do. Copy that, Angela, Chase says.

We are heading out right now. We were just waiting to hear your lovely voice, Big Sister, Reed adds. Ah, I finally get that reference, Reed. Angela Wokoff says, from her safe and comfy office back on Earth. The 20th century novel 1984, right? That's right, Reed replies, as he and Chase stand up, Each flipping switches and checking readings while they make their way to the circular hatch set into the cockpit's deck. The ever-present inescapable Big Brother.

So, basically, you are calling me a tool of the surveillance date. Is that it, Reed? Pretty much. Well, considering how much I get paid, I could be called worse. That seems to be the sentiment around here, too. People got to live, Reed. Chase protests as he spins the wheel on the hatch, waits for the heavy clunk that is followed by a loud beep and pulls hard. The hatch swings up and Chase moves around it so we can peer down inside.

Nothing's shifted during transit. All equipment is still stowed and secure. Permission to drop in and get this party started, big sis. Not you too, Chase? Angela sighs. One asshole permission is about all I can handle. Yet you get yourself a twofer. How lucky for you. Gonna buy a lotto ticket on my way home tonight. I have so much luck. in command, Reed says, not waiting for the official go-ahead.

Hurry! Angela replies, and her voice is swallowed by a swarm of static. Losing comm's window in 10 seconds. You'll be dark for at least 20 minutes until the next orbital relay comes around. So be careful. You get into any trouble, and I can't help you. Yes, because you are so much help from where you are, Reed says. He climbs down and steps aside so Chase can follow.

Neither wastes a second, and both begin putting on their exosuits, each meticulously checking every part for any signs of damage or issues. Once encased and their protective equipment, Reed grabs the wheel on the second hatch, the one at their feet, while Chase climbs halfway up the ladder and closes the hatch to the cockpit. Good to go! Chase's voice crackles over the comms. Ready for exit. Copy that, Reed replies. Do you copy command? We are exiting the lander now.

A burst of static squelches in their ears, and both know Both men adjust their comms volume quickly. We've lost comms with Angela, Chase says. The two men pull hard on the exit hatch and step back as a whoosh of air comes up from the pressurization bubble. Then the bubble dissolves as it's designed to do. And all that's between the two men and the moon's surface are six ladder rungs. After you!

Chase bows in the stiff suit. No, after you. The tip of my hat to you, kind sir. Chase laughs as he slowly descends through the hatch, down the short ladder, and onto the surface of the moon. He stands there for a moment, turns in a slow circle, then stops and looks up at Reed. They don't call it the dark side of the moon for nothing, Chase says. You can't see shit out here. Better go HUD.

Reed switches on his heads-up display. He taps at a small keyboard on his suit's left wrist, and multiple readings stream across the helmet's visor. All right. Turn 20 degrees to your left, and that's our first target site. 20 degrees, copy that. Chase taps at the wrist, and many floodlights on his helmet illuminate the darkness. He starts walking as Reed descends to the surface quickly and follows closely behind. Ground probing radar from the drones says the cave system should be approximately 60 meters ahead.

Chase calls out. We need to find a way into the system. The company would rather not have to do any blasting. Humanity would rather the company didn't do. any blasting, one wrong charge, and we split the moon in half. At best, we knock a chunk off and send it floating toward Mars. At this trajectory, the chunk would head for the sun. No, it would head toward Mars. You aren't accounting for... Not accounting for what? Chase stops.

Reed? You there? With no response, he looks over his shoulder. Reid is standing still, staring out at nothing. Reed? What? Oh, sorry. Sorry. There was an electromagnetic spike, and I was trying to trace it. Anything we need to worry about? No, no, probably a sunspot. Those aren't good.

True, but I'm not picking anything anymore. We should be fine. Cool. Great! Chase turns back to face the direction they were headed. A mouth full of teeth is all he sees. And before he can scream, the mouthful consumes his helmet and a head within in one bite. Reed turns in time to see Chase's headless suit, fall to its knees, then collapse onto its side. Then he sees the shape standing over Chase.

Its massive maw chewing, chewing, chewing. Oh dear God, Reed whispers. He turns to run back to the ladder, but the sight of the spacecraft is blocked by a second mouth full of teeth. Unlike Chase, Reed has time to scream before his head is removed in a single bite. Year 2156. Location, company conference room. Captain Nolves, a question.

A reporter shouts from a report. the scrum of journalists, all jockeying for position in front of the podium while simultaneously trying to control their camera drones that hover above the crowd. All eyes are on the young man in the company flight uniform. Yes, Castor Noel says, pointing at the reporter. Go ahead. Your father disappeared more than 20 years ago while trying to complete a mission, similar to the one you are about to embark on. That's not a question. Yeah, sorry. My question is why? Why following his footsteps, when those footsteps ended in tragedy. Well, we don't know it ended in tragedy,

because we don't know how the mission ended. All we know is that my father, Reed Knowles, and his partner, Chase Buford, landed on the far side of the moon, checked in with command, and proceeded to execute their mission. They were never heard from again. So, in between the last communication,

and when the orbital comms relay was back in range, they disappeared. The lander returned on autopilot when called from command, but there was nothing recorded or logged that could shed any light on what happened. That still sounds like a tragedy to me, Captain. To you, maybe. To me, it sounds like a mystery worth solving. So this is personal? Of course it's personal.

It's always personal. We live on a planet that, while not dying, isn't exactly living like it used to. Severe deforestation means our atmosphere is becoming more and more toxic. People are having a hard time breathing without mechanical assistance. Yes, Captain, we all know. And, with drought now just part of the hotter months, and massive storms part of the colder months, mass agriculture is becoming nearly impossible.

Sure, some small farms are eking by, but you can't feed a hungry planet with roadside produce stands, can you? Captain, my point was... Your point was to get me to give you a soundbite that can perpetuate the notion that the moon is inhabited. Sorry, but I'm more a hard facts guy. And the hard facts are space as day. dangerous. My father and Chase Buford knew those dangers, faced those dangers, and in the end,

the dangers won. It's that simple. So, yes, it is personal, but only because if my mission doesn't find a viable site for a new moon colony, then a lot of people will die down here on Earth. Sir, even if you did find a site, it can only house about, and that's all for today, folks, Angela Wolkhov says, stepping to the podium and pushing between Castor and the large array of microphones. Captain Knowles needs to prepare for tomorrow's launch. Press packets will be sent to your ID logs when you exit the conference room. Thank you all for coming. The company hopes you have a great day.

The journalists grumble and try to call out last-second questions. But Angela waves them off as she hurries Castor away from the podium and out a side door. Not exactly on message, but not a total disaster. Angela leads Castor by the elbow down a hallway, through a locked and guarded door, and into Command Central, where a dozen techs sit and work to prepare for the important launch. I told you I wasn't going to bullshit them, Castor says, as he's led into a glass-walled meeting space. What else should I have said? They asked about my dad. Not like I can say no comment, and leave it at that. Oh, you most definitely could have said no comment.

Angela responds. She points at a chair. Take a seat, Caster. It's time you saw something. Saw something. What are you talking about? Just sit and you'll see. Caster sits, and Angela swipes her hand over the meeting room's table.

A bright hollow appears, and Caster frowns. That's a transport. Caster studies the rotating hollow image. He leans closer. Um, hold on. That's a military transport. Yes, it is. and one you are certified to pilot, although you won't be.

No, I won't be, because I'll be piloting a lander that holds just me and Hirsch. We don't need a full transport, let alone a military one. You do if you are taking a squad of Marines with you. Kaster's shoulders drop, and he slouches back into his chair. Talk to me, Angela. I don't need to talk. I need to show you something. Like I said, I was going to when I told you to sit. Kaster points at the transport.

No, that's not what you. I wanted to show you. This is... The lights dim, and the hollow switches from the rotating military transport to a grainy, staticky HUD recording. And the lower third of the image is the name, Knowles R. The image is hard to make out, so Castor leans forward again. What am I looking at? He asks, quietly. Your father's exosuit was able to transmit this recording to the lander before... Before what? Well, you'll see. Castor does see, but barely due to the image quality.

He sees something standing over Chase Buford's headless body, but everything is a blur as Reed Knowles turns to run. What looks like a mouthful of teeth comes straight at the camera, then nothing. Does the squad of Marines make sense now, Castor? Angela asks, swiping the hollow away as the lights come back up. Yeah, I guess. What doesn't make sense is why you waited to show me this now. I should have seen this years ago.

The company is not leakproof. This has been kept under wraps for over 20 years. The company has just now received permission to return to the far side. We aren't screwing this opportunity up by that HUD vid getting out to the public. Angela, I'm not a Marine. I'm not military or trained in combat situations. I'm an astronaut engineer, just like my father. You send astronauts up to do research and come back with answers.

You don't send us up to fight whatever. that was in that vid? Did you not hear the whole Marine Squad part of this? Regardless, this is way outside my comfort zone. Relax, you will have trained professionals protecting you. You will also have a very robust comm system that I personally designed after. Well, you know why I designed it. All of command will be watching and listening, so if anything goes wrong, we'll send backup immediately. Backup that has to travel from Lunar Base Echo and all the way to the other side of the moon, Which takes how long, Angela? 90 minutes?

How long were my father in chase on the moon's surface before whatever you just showed me happened? Approximately eight minutes. I don't have to do the math for you, do I? Again, and I can't stress this enough. You will have Marines with you. If anyone gets eaten, it'll be them, because their job is to make sure you don't end up in some monster's belly. Caster size.

What do we think those things are? No clue. The company has had every single zoologist and even cryptozoologists worth a damn look at the vid. I thought you said this has been under wraps. We don't tell them the vid is from the moon, Castor. We say it's from a subterranean cave in Southeast Asia and was taken by a tourist. We leave out the Chase Buford part and also erase your father's name from the lower third. The company is very careful, hence the Marines.

Now you understand? I was being sardonic. sarcasm with a bite. Yes, your father said the same thing often. Castor glances out at the main command center and all the techs. We're only going to get one shot at this, aren't we? He asks after a minute of silence. Yes, the government has made it very clear to our team

that they didn't want anyone to ever go back to the far side. But you know how persuasive the company can be. I do. But if this goes wrong, well, the odds of ever going back again are slim. Not even Russia allows its cosmoniers to venture to the far side. They gave up before we did. Not that we exactly gave up. That's not the company's way.

I suppose not. Castor narrows his eyes and nods. All right. When do I meet the team? Picture this. It's late at night. You're scrolling and suddenly you find exactly what you've been looking for. You add it to your cart, maybe browse a little more than head to checkout, only to realize you don't have your wallet.

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with Shopify and their shop pay button. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash DNS. Go to Shopify.com slash DNS. That's Shopify.com slash DNS. S. Year 2156. Location. Lunar Base Echo. Two weeks later. Hey, I said shut the fuck up and sit your asses down.

Master Chief John Howardon shouts at the assembled squad of Marines standing before him. Without argument, each Marine shuts the fuck up and sits their asses down. Captain, Howardon says to Castor, who is standing off to the side, leaning against the transport's wall. Thank you, Master Chief. Castor pushes off the wall so we can stand in front of the squad. I am mission leader captain Castor Knowles. A hand shoots up, and Howerton points at the offending Marine. I will personally insert that arm inside your rectum and pull it out your left nostril

if you do not put that hand down right now. He barks. The Marine puts his hand down. Anyway, I am the mission leader, and we will hit the LZ in about five minutes. Some of you are wondering why you are here, since the moon is uninheavened. I am here to tell you that it is very inhabited, and we are going to find out with what. There's some nervous laughter amongst the Marines, and all eyes go to the master chief. He ain't shitting you sideways, folks. I've seen the vid myself. Whatever we are dealing with

is taller than a man and has way more teeth. All true, Kaster steps forward. So you will need to stay alert, but also listen to me. My mission is to see if the subterranean tunnel structure the company detected on the far side is usable as habitable space for about 300,000 emigrays looking to relocate to the moon. Your mission, Marines, is to make sure Captain Knowles accomplishes his mission. Howard Embarks, we will not fail, am I understood? Urah. The Marines shout in unison. Good. Castor nods at the master chief. I'll check on Hirsch and be back. All suited up and ready to go. Clock is ticking, Captain. Be quick. Always. Castor hurries out of the transport's hold and up a ladder, down a corridor, and up another ladder.

Hirsch! He shouts when he reaches the bridge. Let's go! And that's why I don't swim in the ocean. Neil Hirsch says to the transport's marine pilot. The pilot doesn't laugh. I guess you had to be there. We need to suit up now, Castor says to Hirsch.

We are landing in two minutes. One minute, Captain. The pilot says. Well, I guess we need to hustle then, don't we? Hirsch pats the pilot on the shoulder. When I get back, I'll tell you the story about how I fought a gang of ladyboys in Thailand and almost won. The pilot doesn't respond. Hirsch shrugs and follows Kaster off the bridge,

down the ladder, down the corridor, down another ladder, and to a gear room holding their exosuits. We'll do checks on the go, Kaster says, racing to get a suit on. In 30 seconds, both men are in their exosuits, Helmets tucked under their arms and stepping into the hold, just as the transport touches down on the moon's surface. Good timing, Howardton says, then looks at the soldiers seated on each side of the hold. Time to do our jobs, Marines. Get your asses up and let's see what all the fuss is about.

Ura! We should have a shout like that, Hersch says to Kaster as he puts his helmet on. Keep your head in the game, Kaster responds, putting on his own helmet. This is serious, Hirsch. I'm always serious. I'm not fucking around. My dad died up here. I intend not to. Same man. So relax. We got this. Systems in the green and ready to disembark. Howardton says to Castor. Castor looks at the holds huge hatch. Then he nods. We are a go. Howardton slams his fist against a large red button.

A claxon blairs, red lights flash, and the hatch descends, becoming a ramp. The Marines are already walking down the ramp before it has fully touched. to ground. Flood lights from the transport light up a surface that would normally be nearly pitch dark. In every direction are gray dust and large craters. Castor checks his HUD and then points 46 degrees to the left. We go this way. He starts off walking. His slow-moving heavy boots, kicking up large puffs of moon dust with every step, Auerton says over the comms. We'll lead the way to get you two home in one pace. Understood, Master Chief. Caster hangs back until half the Marine squad is in front of him and half are behind.

Caster shoots a map to everyone's huds. As you can see, there are large holes about a quarter-click away. At first, they were thought to be deep craters, but the company realized later that they are possible tunnel entrances. Tunnels? From what? Marine asks. No one knows. It's our job to find out. My guess is there used to be water on the moon.

Hirsch says. No one agrees with me, but I like to think there were rivers all over the surface, and maybe one or two cut into the rock and made the tunnels. No one agrees with you because it's not possible, Kaster says. No one agreed with Galileo either. You, Hirsch, are not Galileo. MC, we're picking something up, a Marine announces. Talk to me.

Averton replies. Sending to HUD now. The view from Kaster's visor is suddenly overlaid with the scan reading, showing possible movement. next to a tunnel opening. What is that? Is it a shadow? Yes, Hirsch. It's a shadow on the dark side of the moon. That makes sense. Caster says.

Yeah, well, since nothing should be moving up here except for us, I went with a reasonable answer. What the fuck do you think it is, smart ass? Before Caster can respond, the ground around the group explodes as dozens of enormous creatures ripped through the moon's thin crust, surrounding the Marines and the astroneers. They're fucking worms! A Marine shouts, just as the creature swallows him whole. Gunfire erupts everywhere, and Castor throws himself to the ground to avoid being cut apart by the swarm of bullets.

Hirsch! He shouts into his comms. Get your ass down! But it's too late for Hirsch. The man stands there, staring at a 12-foot worm with a mouth that is nothing but row after row after row of razor-sharp teeth. Hersch! Stray bullets puncture Hersh's exosuit, and he screams into the comms as blood, slowly spurts out of the holes, drifting in the almost zero gravity toward the towering worm.

The droplets splatter across the worm's rough, scaly skin, turning the monster into a living Jackson Pollock painting. Then it lunges and closes its mall around the top half of Hershey's body, biting the astroneer in half before Castor's eyes. No! Caster screams, but no one hears them. Or if they do, they don't pay attention. Everyone else has their own problems. One Marine tries to to sprint back into the transport's hold, but the ground below him opens up, and a mouth, four times wider than himself, chops down on his legs, severing them just above the knees. The Marine's comms system shorts out from the volume of his whales. The man's body, leaking blood

and oxygen from his exo armor's leg holes, thrashes on the ground until the worm shoves up higher and devours the rest of him in one gulp before disappearing beneath the surface, the hole it made filling itself in automatically. Castor watches in horror as another worm slinks its way up the ramp and into the transport's hold. It can't fit, it can't, Castor mutters. Then, the comm's link between the group and the transport comes online. Pilate shouts. Pilots voice cuts off, and Castor watches the transport actually shake back and forth before going still.

A few seconds later, the worm crawls its way back out of the transport and digs into the moon's surface. Come in! Commander shouts into his comms, burying his shock. Command! Do you read? We have encountered hostels and are taking damage fast. Me back up immediately! The only answer is ear-piercing static. From that, and the bloody massacre painting the scene with slashes of crimson and moon dust, a chill runs down Castor's spine. Am I heading toward the same fate as my father? Then his breath catches, as a shape, 20 times the size of the attacking worms, stands tall over the battle. The smaller worms finish their rampage until nothing is left moving.

One or two Marines groan in pain, but are silenced by mouths full of teeth. Caster is the only one left alive. The towering worm slides slowly through the dead soldiers and looms over him. Caster knows. A deep, terrifying voice digs into Caster's mind, just like the worms around him dig into the ground. They disappear, leaving him alone with the nightmare behemoth. Castor Knowles, you will listen. Castor doesn't have a choice.

The voice has taken hold inside his mind and hooked into his flesh. He feels teeth gnawing at his brain, unreal, but staggeringly painful as his skull reverberates with the powerful voice. His thoughts swim as he falls to his knees, squeezing his head. I knew Arirne Knowles for a brief moment. His mind was full of thoughts of you. But you were so much smaller than you. so much smaller than a larva. Castor can't respond.

It takes every ounce of strength not to shriek until he's shredded his throat raw and bloody. You should not have come here. This is not a place for humans. I told your father the same, but he was not strong enough to relay the message. His mind crumbled to dust under my influence. The madness that Castor tries to keep at bay creeps closer. You show a weakness also. But I believe you will survive this, at least to deliver my message."

Caster flinches as the weight of the voice presses down on his mind. Before man, before earth, before the moon, before the light spilt the universe and killed the darkness, we have existed. We are older than your God. We are older than all gods. We are the first, and we will be the last. Earth drips from Castor's nostrils. Unable to reach inside his helmet and wipe the blood away,

Castor's tongue darts out and licks the blood from his upper lip. The moon is ours, Castor knows, and he will tell your people this truth. We have allowed your kind to land and build and live on the sight of light. But that will be no more. Your return here has shown us that humans are a virus, a pestilence. It stops now. Castor's comms come back online and he can hear the panicked voices from hundreds of crew members who populate and run lunar base echo. Then the screams begin, and Castor squeezes his eyes shut as hard as he can, hoping it will block out some of the horror he is hearing.

It doesn't, and Castor slowly suffers until the very last voice says, We have erased that abomination, as if it had never been here in order to show your leaders that they are helpless before us. us. If they come again and try to build again, we will erase that too. Then we will show your kind we are not bound only to the moon. We will drop upon your planet and devour every living thing until its surface is as barren as the surface you cower on now. Dust and bones are all that will be left. Blood trickles out of Castor's ears, and he struggles to keep his eyes open, to stay awake and witness the giant evil that hovers over him. Its mouth easily large enough to swallow the transport hole.

Images race through Caster's tortured mind of the destruction such a beast could wreak down on earth. The images stop on his family. He sees them in his mind's eye as if they were standing right in front of him. He watches as the sun is blocked out and a worm a hundred times larger than the one assaulting his brain dives down and devours them in one gulp. But the gargantuan worm doesn't stop there.

It keeps eating, swallowing whole chunks of the planet. And as it swallows, it grows, and it grows, and it grows, until it is the size of a mountain range. Do you see, Castor Knowles? The deep voice booms, nearly shattering his mind with its force. You cannot stop us. We have been and always will be the first and the last. So heed my warning, never return to the dark side.

side of the moon, for if we see another human, it will be the end of you all. The man whimpers, and the worm laughs. It is a laugh that can rupture organs and burst eyeballs. You will tell your leaders when you return, Captain Knowles. You will. And then the worm is gone. It retreats so fast that if it weren't for the massive dust cloud it kicks up, or the many bodies still strewn about the surface.

Castor would have thought it all a heinous hallucination. Captain Noel, a voice shouts over the comms. Castor takes a deep breath and lets out a sob. Collapsing to the dusty surface, Castor cries. He cries for himself. He cries for his dying planet. He cries at the thought of his father experiencing what he just survived. Then his cries become laughs, and in seconds he is curled in on himself,

both crying and laughing as the voice continues to call his name over the comms. Year 2185, location, the domed city of Petaluma, California. Castor watches the children play in the sunlight that has been filtered through the ever-present dome that covers and protects the small California city from the ruined environment outside. His eyes dart this way and that, tracking their movements as they race around the mostly green yard, chasing each other with no game in mind, all just happy to be allowed outside. even if it is only for one hour per day. Dad, are you okay?

A woman asks, Kaster. Can I get you anything? Kaster doesn't respond. He never does. Once he delivered his message, Kaster Noles stopped speaking. No matter how hard they tried, the doctors, scientists, friends and family,

none have gotten him to speak a word for decades. The woman takes the seat next to Kaster and holds his hand. It's nice they get to be. play, she says. Thank you for this. I know I say it all the time, but without your company privilege, we'd be left out in the wastes with the rest. A girl slaps a boy on the back, and they both cackle and giggle and run. Castor tracks them around the yard, then his eyes move past them to the hazy horizon. He frowns. Dad, are you okay? The woman asks. Castor's eyes narrow at the shape rising into the evening sky, ready to shine down on them

once night comes. Oh, right, the woman says. The moon. How about we get you inside? The children squeal and laugh until one of them points at the faded circle. Moon, moon, go away. The child sings. Come again another day.

The rest finish. Then the children race back across the yard to swarm around the woman and cast her. Look, look, Pappy Cass. A girl says. It's the moon. You went there, right? A boy asks.

Hey kids, not. The woman says. We don't talk about... I know. Castor says. The woman freezes and the children go silent. Their eyes wide with surprise. Dad?

I know why we never went back to the dark side of the moon. Castra says. He turns his head and looks at the children. Do you know? They all shake their heads. Good. He lets the woman help him to his feet. Good.

then it will all be okay. Most of the children follow the woman and cast her inside the house. But one girl stays outside. Her eyes turned to the rising orb. I'll go there one day, she says to herself. And no one can stop me, because I'm a knolls.