On a far away planet of Silluri, while most of the planet was still asleep, Fini walked in through the gates of their Astroschool. Sprawled over the biggest crater on the planet, this school had been his home for as long as he remembered. Right from being a student to walking in today as the Principal, the journey had been startastic.

Today was supposed to be a special day. In four hours, he was to take his students on their annual space trip. If only the ship hadn’t malfunctioned. The engineers woke him up early to inform that the trip looked difficult this year.

Living on Silluri wasn’t easy. Their planet just got 7 days of clear sky in a year. And since long, the Sillians had assigned those days for the school's annual space trip. They wanted their children to experience the wonders of space before being trapped in the treacherous atmosphere of their planet.

It seemed as if they would miss their window this year.

Even though the engineers had assured him that they would try their best, Fini was too anxious to just wait at home. And so, there he was, walking in through the familiar star-door.

More than an hour passed as Fini stood there watching the engineers try and repair the electronics failure. True to their word, they were giving it their best. But, like the humans say on their Earth Radio, some things are just not meant to happen.

Fini had lost all his hope when one of the engineers shouted something and the lights of their ship flickered on for a blink. In that one moment, Fini saw the grandeur of their spaceship.

Curved like a massive ‘C’, the ship was big enough to house all the children of Silluri. Small windows in the shape of stars lined the entire deck. Once in space, the kids would gather at the windows as Fini showed them the Suns, the Planets, their Moons, and the many wonders of space. But, those weren’t the only viewing gallery on the ship. Perched atop two massive towers were their almost-round gazing windows. The two towers housed in-ship rockets to take the kids there. During their five days in space, the kids would take turns going up there and have the time of their life. If you looked at the ship from far far away, it would seem as if someone was smiling.

Fini wasn’t smiling at all though.

For none of that looked possible this year. After that brief moment of hope, the spirits in the launch room had gone down. Fini never doubted his engineers. He knew they would fix the ship. But the question was, would they be able to do so in time?

As the red Sun crept up from behind the ship, the children slowly started to fill the room. The word of the ship’s failure was spreading fast. Fini was trying his best not to look at the sad faces around him. But his eye did catch the look on one. There, holding a hand of one of the older girls, stood his own daughter. This would have been her first space trip.

Fini watched helplessly as tears threatened to flow out of her eyes. He tentatively started walking towards her. It would be heartbreaking, but he had to console her. He had just taken a couple of steps when suddenly a bright glow filled the entire room. There was no mistaking where that glow came from. And sure enough, the wonder reflected in his daughter’s eyes. She seemed awestruck just like he was when he had first seen the ship in its full glory.

Still unable to believe it, he glanced at his team of engineers. They gave him a silent nod. Yes, they were ready. The ship was ready.

Opening the ship’s door, Fini looked at the gathered children.

“So kids, are you ready to make the universe smile?”

***

"When all hope is lost, just look up at the sky and let the invisible aliens lend you their smile."