Mr. Leo put on his soft suit. Zip-zip. He patted his pocket. “Snack,” he said.
He sat in his small ship. The seat hugged him. The light blinked green. Beep-beep.
“Ready?” said the ship.
“Ready,” said Mr. Leo.
He pressed one big button. Click. The ship hummed. Vmmm. Up they went, slow and smooth, like a lift. The sky turned dark. Stars came out, one by one.
Mr. Leo looked at a screen. “Air: good,” he said. “Heat: good. Fuel: good.” He nodded.
The ship flew to a quiet moon with a tiny lab. The moon was round and pale. The ship turned. Whooo. It lined up. Left. Right. Stop.
“Landing,” said the ship.
Thump. Soft.
Mr. Leo took a deep breath. “All calm,” he said. He opened the door. Psssh. His boots went tap-tap on the ramp.
Inside the lab, a little robot waited. It had bright eyes.
“Hello, Leo,” said the robot.
“Hello, Pip,” said Mr. Leo. He waved.
Pip rolled to a panel. “Light is low,” it said.
Mr. Leo smiled. “We fix it.” He took a small tool. Twit-twit. He pushed a switch. Click. The lab lights came on. Warm and nice.
“Good job,” said Pip.
Mr. Leo put a small seed in a clear box. “This seed likes moon dust,” he said. He poured a pinch. Plop. He added water. Drip-drip. A tiny fan went whir. The box glowed soft blue.
They watched. The seed did not move yet. That was okay. Mr. Leo held his snack. “We wait,” he said.
Pip played a gentle tune. Ding-ding. Stars shone in the window.
Mr. Leo looked up. “Space is big,” he said, “and we can be kind in it.”
Little steps and kind hands make big trips feel safe.
