Rok’s great journey | STORIES for children |

Story Rok’s great journey: original story by Cristina R. Lomba.

A little cosmic story for terrestrial children

The alien Rok was tired of living on Sulex, an arid and silent planet lost in the universe. Every day he was the same as the previous one and I couldn’t stand it anymore.

– Since there are few of us and there is nothing interesting to do, I get more bored than a pumice stone.

He had just turned three hundred years old and, given that his life expectancy was millennia, he still saw himself as a young guy eager to enjoy himself and fulfill some pending desires.

– I think getting out of the routine and getting to know new places will be very good for me. The time has come to indulge myself and embark on an adventure!

No sooner said than done! To celebrate such a big figure, she decided to go all out and treat herself to a space trip. If there was one thing he really wanted, it was to see the world, or rather, other worlds.

On the planet Súlex there were no seasons of the year or anything like that, but its inhabitants knew that when the light of dawn was orange, the conditions were perfect for flying through space. For that reason, Rok waited for the arrival of a salmon-colored morning to fully charge the battery of his latest model ship and go out to investigate outside the known limits.

– I am finally going to make the sidereal trip that I have dreamed of so many times. What a thrill!

Aliens don’t need an astronaut suit to fly, much less a helmet that crushes their delicate green antennae, so Rok only had to put on special glasses to be able to see clearly and pilot safely among all the cosmic dust.

– I’m ready to go. Goodbye, planet Sulex!

He entered his modern flying saucer, closed the hatch, sat down in front of the complicated control screen, and pressed a square button that sent him into orbit in a flash.

– Three… Two… One… Take off!

Rok was excited! Traveling across the galaxy at supersonic speed was not something one could do every day; But in addition, he had another great motivation: he wanted to be the first of his species to reach the solar system.

After many hours crossing space, black as a wolf’s mouth, he achieved it.

– Bravo Bravo! The road has been long, but nothing is impossible when you put enthusiasm into the goal. Anyway, let’s see what there is in these places so far from my civilization.

Rok passed in front of the most important planets and saw that there were not even ten of them. After a while looking at them carefully, he had to admit that he was disappointed, because except for one that had a huge ring around it, they all looked more or less the same to him.

– Wow, it’s not what I expected! I see a red planet full of dunes, another one covered in craters, that small one where it must be terribly cold… Believe it or not, none of them are better than mine!

There, in the middle of the darkness only punctuated by the brilliance of some distant star, he began to consider turning around.

– Nothing here, nothing there… If I find out, I won’t leave home. I don’t even see a liquid hydrogen station to refuel!

Rok realized that his interstellar journey was about to end.

– There is no point in fooling yourself, this is what it is. I’ll get back home before I run out of fuel.

He was about to turn the controls when suddenly, in the background to the right, he saw a huge sphere that stood out among the others.

– But what is that?!

To make sure it wasn’t an optical effect, he narrowed his large, bulging eyes.

– I would say that it is a planet, but a very rare planet because it has more colors than the rest of its neighbors.

He was so intrigued that he stepped on the accelerator and got closer to get a better look. Since it was half dark, he stood in front of the sunlit area, at an adequate distance to be able to make a good assessment.

– Wow, how interesting! I distinguish almost desert-like mountainous areas, but also large green areas covering the surface. And those blue expanses… could they be oceans?

Rok was absolutely fascinated.

– Although it is risky, if I don’t go down to explore I will regret it for the rest of my life.

He chose a random point and began the descent maneuver. As soon as he landed he turned off the engine, took off his glasses, opened the hatch, and before getting out he stuck his head out to check if the area was dangerous.

– My antennas do not detect strange signals or the presence of possible enemies. Let’s go there!

Rok jumped off the ship and was amazed to see that, under a blue sky dotted with clouds like shreds of cotton, stretched a wonderful, exotic tropical beach. He had just arrived on planet Earth.

– Oh mother!… This is a true paradise!

For a few minutes he couldn’t even move, overwhelmed as he was by so much beauty. When he was able to react, he left the ship behind and began to take short steps towards the sea. You can’t imagine the pleasure it gave him to walk on the white sand warmed by the sun and breathe fresh salt-scented air!

– What a joy! It is the most beautiful place I have seen in three centuries of life.

He was happy and excited when, suddenly, he began to feel terrible.

– Wow, I think I’m going to faint! I imagine it’s because I haven’t eaten anything for many hours.

Unlike Earth, where nature reigns, on Súlex there are no living beings, neither animals nor plants, and that is why its only inhabitants, the extraterrestrials, feed on synthetic products that they themselves manufacture with remains of space junk. For the hungry Rok it was urgent to find some industrial piece to put in his mouth.

– There must be something that can activate my circuits… With a couple of screws or a piece of aluminum foil I’ll do!

He entered the forest area and saw bushes full of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, but of course, those were not food for him. Fishing was not within his options either because, unlike for humans, fish could be harmful to his body.

– I need to regain strength or my internal electrical system will be disconnected forever.

He returned to the beach almost crawling, and the poor man really wanted to cry.

– I had to bring a bag of waste to last at least a week. How could I have been so foolish? If I don’t find something before nightfall, I’ll start to smoke from my ears and I’ll die.

Suddenly, a wave crashed against the shore and threw an old plastic bottle at his feet.

– What do my eyes see?! But it is food… and good food!

He grabbed the container before the sea returned it to the depths and began to salivate.

– How lucky I am! What a delicacy!

Rok threw his head back, put the bottle in his mouth, crushed it with his powerful alien jaws, and gulped it down.

– Oh yes, it was delicious!

The alien noticed how the current was reactivated inside its connecting cables.

– Thanks to this appetizer I feel a little better. I’ll see if there are more.

Rok entered the sea and saw that the bottom was littered with empty detergent bottles, rusty cans, pieces of glass, and many other polluting items that unscrupulous humans had thrown into the water. This waste, arriving from supposedly civilized places through ocean currents, was for Rok authentic ‘gourmet’ foods.

– These plastics, tires and brass objects are worthy of a luxury banquet. Decided: I’m staying on this planet forever!

Since that distant day, the small and curious alien Rok lives among us, and although he doesn’t know it because no one has told him, every time he eats he is doing a great favor for the environment. In fact, there are those who suspect that, thanks to this ‘maintenance work’, the little corner where he lives is one of the cleanest and most beautiful that exists on our beloved planet Earth.

Ah! Do you want to know what it is? I’m sorry to tell you that I don’t know, but I suggest that if you ever have the opportunity to visit a lonely beach, one of those that looks like something out of a movie, you take a good look at its waters when you go swimming. If they are crystal clear and have almost no debris, look around for any green aliens napping in the sun.