Pip and the Comet

Pip snaps the buckles on a bright red helmet. Bop, a silver robot with spoon hands, wiggles. Their little spaceship, Sprout, waits with jellybean buttons that glow.

"Ready, Bop?" asks Pip.

"Beep-beep! Ready!" says Bop.

"Three, two, one... whoooosh!" Sprout lifts. Seats go bouncy. Earth becomes a marble behind them.

They drift by a blue-and-green world, a red dusty ball, and a long, stripey giant with a shiny ring like a hula-hoop.

Pip peeks through the round window. Space is wide and quiet. Swirls of color puff like paint. Then the radio chirps.

"Hello?" says Pip.

"Help," whispers a tiny voice. "I am Glim. My comet is stuck in the ring rocks. It is scared."

Pip taps a jellybean button. "We are coming, Glim."

They follow the shimmer of the ring. Pebbles click and ping like little bells. Glim floats above a tiny leaf-shaped ship. Glim is lime green and glows, with three bright eyes and a smile that wiggles.

"There!" Bop points with a spoon hand. A small comet tugs and trembles. It is wrapped in a loop of rocks, like a puppy tangled in a leash. A soft hiss comes from its tail.

"Hello, comet," says Pip softly. "We will help."

"Bop, bubble net," says Pip.

Bop opens a hatch. A net of bubbles blooms out, round and gentle.

Pip guides Sprout closer. Ping, ping. Little stones tap the sides. Pip lines up the net.

"Easy," whispers Pip. "Almost... now!"

Swoop! The bubble net slips under the comet. The loop of rocks slides away. The comet wriggles free.

"Wheee!" sings Glim, clapping. The comet zooms in a happy circle, then snuggles into the soft bubbles. Its tail sprinkles cool sparkles that drift like snowflakes made of sugar.

Pip pats the window. "You are safe."

Bop laughs, "Beep-beep-hooray!"

Glim glides close and waves. "Thank you. It tried to zip through the ring. The ring said no."

"Rings are tricky," says Pip. "Let us take your comet past the busy part."

They fly together, Sprout humming. Glim's little ship bobs like a firefly. The ring grows thin. Wide, open space waits, bright and calm.

Pip loosens the bubble net. The comet takes a deep breath sound. Ffffft. It peeks back at Pip.

"It can go now," Glim says. "Go on, Bright-Tail!"

The comet flicks its tail and sails away, leaving a lazy ribbon of mist.

Glim presses a tiny pebble into Pip's glove. It glows warm, the color of lemonade. "For you," says Glim. "A hello-stone. It lights up when friends are near."

"Thank you," says Pip. "We will visit again."

They all share crunchy space crackers. Bop balances three at once. Crumbs float and spin. Pip giggles and catches them with a napkin.

"It is time to go home," says Pip. Sprout turns, smooth and sure.

They pass the swirly paint clouds and the stripey giant. Glim waves until the glow is small like a firefly far away.

Back in their coziest seat, Pip tucks the hello-stone by the window. It shines softly.

"What will we help next?" asks Bop.

Pip smiles. "We will see."

Sprout hums a lullaby kind of song. Space is wide. Adventures are waiting, and Pip and Bop are ready.