Chapter 1The Human Planet
Listen to the audiobook in Polish
Reya had always felt overwhelmed by the gigantic cosmic bodies suspended around her. She was tiny compared to her older, much larger cousins. She did not burn the way they did, she merely smouldered. She knew that being a star was a great honour, but she was ready to give it up. She dreamed of living among humans, and the only human planet she knew was Korda.
From a star's perspective, Korda was not appealing as it was small, had no light source of its own, and always looked the same. Most of its surface was covered by seas and oceans. You could even say that almost the entire planet was a liquid sphere with a few small continents.
Korda hosted three countries. Reya could easily tell them apart because each had its own colour. In the south was the yellow country, which was simply yellow. The blue country, which was blue, lay to the north. The red country, which - of course - was red, was in the east.
Each of the Korda countries occupied one continent. The little star could clearly see that these lands were next to each other but not connected at all.
Reya would wonder why countries located so close to each other were not connected by - say - bridges. She tried to understand why no ship had ever crossed the sea separating them. However, her observations of the stars showed that the residents of Korda did not travel and cared only about their own colour. She understood that bridges and ships - even if they existed - would simply be useless.
One day, much to the surprise of all cosmic bodies, something happened on the human planet. There was a huge explosion, so powerful that even the stars were affected, especially those closest to the planet. Remarkably, the explosion, although powerful, did not destroy the planet, did not damage anything. Only the day after the explosion, when everything on Korda seemed to be back to normal, Reya noticed something brand new: a small, moving green dot against the dull colours of the planet. The star was fascinated by this new development, especially since after a while, the unusual spot was joined by a second, pale yellow one - less distinct but just as lively. Reya wanted to go down to Korda immediately to discover the mystery of these two unique points.
Not one of the celestial bodies approved of her idea. Rosa, Reya's older and more experienced friend, was particularly outraged.
'I've said it once and will say it again: your expedition is pointless. It will all be a disaster, you'll see!'
Right next to Reya and Rosa was suspended Remi, a quiet star terrified of the human world.
'I admire your courage, Reya,' she admitted. 'Of course, I'd prefer you to stay with us but I'm sure we can't keep you.'
'Oh, we will, we will. You're not going down there, that's it. The people from Korda are not suitable company for a star like you.' Rosa was adamant that she should protect her friend from making a mistake.
'But there's a green spot there. Star rumour has it that it's a little boy. And that bright dot next to him is supposed to be a tiny little girl. I want to meet them.'
Rosa grimaced. To her, Reya was not as much courageous as she lacked common sense.
'Or maybe,' Remi pondered quietly, 'you should plan your move carefully, Reya. Think if it's worth the effort at all. Start by writing a letter to the ruler of the country where you want to live.'
'You're right!' Reya replied cheerfully. 'I'll write letters to all three of them.'
Rosa shook her starry head in disbelief. She couldn't understand why a noble little star would write letters to ordinary, unexciting beings.
'There's a possibility that no one will reply, and then all this talk about living among humans will be over,' she said bitterly.
Questions to Chapter 1:
1. How many countries were there on the human planet?
2. What colours did the Korda countries bear?
3. Were Reya's friends happy that she wanted to live among humans?
