This is a story of a boy named Isaac, who loved everything that had to do with Outer Space. He thought about it, researched it, and read about it whenever he could. His love for Space all started when Aurther, Issac’s best friend, had his birthday party at a planetarium. It was the greatest birthday party he had ever been to. After that day, he was obsessed. He studied planets and stars and the way that they move. He received an astronaut helmet for his birthday, and he stayed up late at night in order to watch the stars. He loved it with every fiber of his being. In fact, his bedroom was painted black with pictures of all of the planets in our solar system lining his walls. And he had hundreds of tiny stars hung on his ceiling that glowed bright yellow when it got dark. 

One day at school, Isaac picked up his favorite book, The Milky Way, and sat on a dotted bean bag that was made to look like the moon. It was very old and lumpy, but Isaac didn’t mind. He opened up the book and examined all of the pictures closely. He flipped through pages about stars, meteors, different moons, and finally planets. He quickly turned to the page all about Saturn. It was breathtaking. He ran his fingers over the page, and imagined what it would be like to see it in person. Saturn was Isaac’s absolute favorite planet. He knew all about it, and he talked about it whenever he could. In his mind, everything about it was incredible, but especially its rings. He dreamed about running on them, and floating above them. He dreamed about swirling the stardust through his fingers, and it tickling his skin. He dreamed that aliens would become his friends, and that they would spend hours everyday lying on the rings and noticing how small the earth looked from far away.

On Christmas, his dad gave him the most incredible gift that he could imagine. Isaac got a telescope. That whole day, he couldn’t wait for it to get dark enough to use it. He was so excited that he didn’t even ask for a second cookie after dinner. As soon as he could, Isaac rushed onto their balcony, careful not to slip, and watched his dad set up the telescope. When it was ready, Isaac peaked through the lens. He saw what seemed like a million stars filling the vast sky and a meteor that swooshed past his vision. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. It was undeniable. He saw Saturn with his own two eyes. It was the most incredible thing he had ever seen. He was finally getting a chance to see Saturn in person. Issac sat on the balcony for as long as he could, until his mom called him in to go to bed. While it was a struggle to look away, it was starting to get pretty cold out there, so he figured it was time to go back inside.

He put his pajamas on and crawled under his blanket. And with his head on his pillow, he drifted off to sleep.

Isaac opened his eyes, expecting to see the inside of his room, but instead he was greeted with a void of darkness broken only by a spec of white that seemed miles away. He rubbed his eyes, not sure if he was dreaming or not. 

“Hello,” a voice said behind him. Isaac jumped at the unexpected noise. He turned around, but nothing was there. He squinted his eyes, trying to see if he could make out a possible figure in the darkness, but no luck. 

“Who are you, and where am I?” Issac spoke timidly into the darkness.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the voice replied. Isaac tried to turn away and run, but to his disappointment, he wasn’t able to move very well. It almost felt like he was swimming in the ocean, except it wasn’t wet, and he could breathe just fine. 

“Please, close your eyes for a moment,” the voice instructed him. While he didn’t particularly want to close his eyes, he also wasn’t going to ignore the instructions of a strange voice in a dark void. Isaac shut his eyes just in time for an incredible burst of light and energy to fill the space. When he opened his eyes, he was unable to put the words together to explain what he saw. He looked around him and with a sudden realization, figured out that he was hovering above the rocky ground of Saturn. 

“Ahh, there we go. We finally have some light in here!” the creature said.

“Oh, forgive me for my rudeness, my name is Shoolia. What’s yours?” 

“Isaac.” 

“What a wonderful name! The queen is going to absolutely adore you,” Shoolia said with splendor. 

“Wait a second, what are you, and where am I?” Issac replied.

“I found you sleeping on a star. You seemed cold and lonely, so I figured I’d bring you with me!”

Woah, Isaac thought.

Before Isaac had time to process what was going on, Shoolia took his hand and started walking towards a giant castle-like building, far in the distance.

“Hey, wait a second. What’s going on?” Isaac asked, confused.

“Well, I’m taking you to see the queen, of course. She must know of your presence,” Shoolia replied.

Shoolia started down the pathway, and Isaac followed her.

After walking in silence for a moment, they arrived at a bus station called The Ring Rover. 

“What are we doing here?” Isaac asked.

“We’re taking the bus. You didn’t think we were going to walk across the whole planet to get to the queen, did you?” Shoolia replied

“Well, I don’t know. I guess not,” Isaac said, embarrassed. Shoolia stood still for a bit, until a loud beep broke the stillness.

“The bus is here!” Shoolia told Isaac.

“Really? I can't see it,” Isaac replied.

“You can't see it now, but you’ll be able to once you hop on,” Shoolia said.

Isaac wasn't sure about this. Maybe it would just be better to walk, he thought. Suddenly, Shoolia grabbed his hand, and stepped onto an invisible platform. Isaac flinched as he took the step, imagining what might happen if the platform wasn't really there. He closed his eyes, and desperately felt for support underneath his feet. When he could feel himself being held up, he opened his eyes, and was shocked to find that the inside of the bus was fully visible.

“Why does the bus have to be hidden?” Isaac asked.

“The queen wished to preserve the landscape of our planet. She felt that if we had a bus rushing all over, it may disrupt its natural beauty,” Shoolia replied.

A loud voice came on the speakers and said, “Next stop: Queen’s Garden.”

“That’s where we’re going,” Shoolia told Isaac. 

When the bus stopped, they got out and stepped onto the gravel-covered floor of the garden. 

“The pathway to the castle doors is just around this corner,” Shoolia said.

Once again, Isaac followed behind Shoolia, amazed by everything he had always dreamed of seeing. 

They arrived at a large flight of stairs, and Shoolia turned to explain some very important rules to Isaac.

“It is very crucial that when you get inside, you whistle your favorite song, and take off your shoes. If not, the queen will be incredibly offended. Oh, and be careful to not say any words ending with nine letters to her. The queen believes that nine is a very unlucky number. Last but not least, remember to never look her straight in her ninth eye. She can perform all sorts of magic, if you do.” 

“That’s a lot to remember,” Isaac said, nervous.

They walked up to the door, and asked a guard there to get in.

“Shoolia! It’s so good to see you!” the guard exclaimed. “Come right in,” he said. 

“Me and him have been friends since we were just little larvae. He always gets me in the castle,” Shoolia said with a smile. 

When they started walking through the halls, Isaac couldn’t help but notice how beautiful it was. Everything was colored in rich reds and browns, and the decorations were so intricate that someone would need a magnifying glass to see everything it had to offer. As they walked deeper and deeper through the castle, Isaac could hear the faint sound of music getting louder and louder, until they opened the door to the main room where a party was being held. Shoolia and Isaac both took off their shoes, and whistled their favorite songs. When Isaac walked through the doors, he searched around for the queen. He finally found her, sitting upside down on the ceiling.  She was the most beautiful and interesting creature Isaac had ever laid eyes on. Her skin was a deep shade of orange, and her fingernails were painted bright yellow. Her hair was wild and dark green, and seemed to flow through the air with every breath she took. She wore a long, flowing dress that perfectly matched the colors of Saturn, and her eyes were the most bold shade of emerald green he had ever seen. 

“Wow,” Isaac said, not realizing he could be heard.

“Stop the music!” the queen commanded boldly. With a sudden halt, every sound in the room became silent. “You there, what’s going on?” She pointed to Isaac. He trembled with fear, not knowing what might happen. Just then, Shoolia spoke up, “We need your help, your highness.” The queen gracefully dropped from the ceiling to the floor, landing right in front of Isaac and Shoolia. 

“Ahh, yes,” the queen said, inspecting Isaac. “You aren’t supposed to be here,” she said, confidently.

“I know. The issue is that I don’t know how to get home. Shoolia found me asleep on a star, and brought me here,” Isaac said.

“I do believe that I can help you,” the queen said. “You just need to look into my eye.” She pointed to the eye in the middle of her forehead.

Isaac, though a bit worried of what could happen, looked directly into her eye. He felt himself get incredibly sleepy, and watched as the queen reached her hand out to his face. She gently drew an invisible line circling his forehead, nose, and cheeks. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

That morning, Isaac opened his eyes, and was surprised to find himself in his own bed. How did I get here? He thought. It must have all been a dream, I guess.

While he was happy to be home, Isaac was feeling very sad about his dream that seemed almost too real. 

“Breakfast!” his mom cried. Isaac got himself out of bed and headed towards his door. While walking next to his dresser, he tripped over something unfamiliar, until he picked it up and examined it closer. It was a deep red rock with an inscription that read 

Thanks for the adventure -Shoolia

Isaac’s mouth hung open while he thought in his head, It was real!