Do you know what I learned from Selfi? She told me one evening, as we sat and looked into each other’s eyes. Probably because she likes me a lot and because, when I perch over her and look into her eyes, she seems very happy, she said:
- Well, Timok, do you know anything about Neptune?
I looked into her eyes again and said that, since she caught me off guard, it’s clear she knows I understand what she says. So I didn’t hide and shook my head to say no, I don’t know.
- Neptune is a gas giant. That is, many say the planet is made up entirely of gases and that, if we wanted to land there, we wouldn’t have where. There are only clouds, understand? But these clouds, I think, are thicker than we would imagine. They are like a fluffier bread dough. I’ve been studying and studying them, and I think I’m beginning to understand what’s happening there.
In the clouds of Neptune live some interesting creatures. No one has ever heard them speaking. And no one has seen them too well. So, here on Pluto, many legends circulated about them. Some say they are huge monsters that eat anyone who approaches the planet. Others say they are flying shadows that can surround and scare you terribly. I’ve read all the legends and I don’t believe they’re true.
Instead, I believe something else. And I can’t wait for the moment when we get there, on the clouds near Neptune, to see if I’m right or not.
I looked at Selfi enjoying herself and thought that these little people are quite strange. Have you ever seen how they move their hands and head when they’re excited about something? And they laugh at us, animals, because we make faces and squint. Well, how do they look? Otherwise, the story with these monsters from Neptune, who in fact are not monsters, is interesting. I don’t really want to meet them, but if the whole family goes, so do I. Someone needs to protect them from those uglies, right?
The next day, I woke up like that, with a tight stomach for a reason I didn’t understand. You know, it was as if I had eaten some stones, and they had stayed there in my belly, very heavy. It’s not good to eat stones, you know. Otherwise, you can get very sick. I went to Selfi and showed her my belly. She gently stroked me there and I felt it relieved a bit. It’s so nice to have someone stroke your belly!
- I know, Timok. You’re afraid of those monsters, aren’t you? It’s normal to be afraid. We all are. But we’re going there together. As long as we’re very careful, nothing bad will happen. Plus, I think those monsters are different than we think.
Selfi calmed me down, so I went to Color, who was still fast asleep. I jumped on his belly and wriggled there for a while, until he opened his eyes. He seemed very happy, so I licked his face and wished him a good morning in my way. I bounced so much that I even farted from joy. Color looked at me, petted me between my ears, and then pushed me down from the bed. But I wasn’t fooled. He does this when he wants to play, I know. I sneaked on the other side of the bed and jumped on his back growling. He pretended to try to sleep again. I think any other little one in my place would have been fooled. But me, who am very clever, I understand immediately when Color is pretending and when not. And he knows how to pretend very well. Now, for example, he was snoring for real and, when I jumped on his back he pretended to wake up. What a good actor he is!
I got bored of Color when he started to stay in bed as if he were sleeping. It wasn’t fun at all anymore. So I sniffed around, until my nostrils caught an enticing aroma of food. You know, multiple people cook for me on the Ship. Even the Ship has offered me some really good canned food a few times. Today, I think Lumi will bring my breakfast. I’m not very sure, but she’s been in the kitchen for a while. I sneak tiptoe tiptoe, until I get behind her. There, I bark loudly, to surprise her. But she doesn’t get scared, as usual. I don’t know how she does it, but she always feels me approaching.
I don’t jump on her back, because Lumi is shorter in height and I’m afraid I might knock her down. With Color, it’s different. He knows how to pretend well, as I was saying. When I jump on his back, he falls down and all the things in his hands fly away, as if it was a real fall. With Lumi, however, I can’t play like that.
- Timok, today I made food for brave little ones. I know you’re afraid to descend on the clouds of Neptune, so I thought I’d prepare your favorite food: nibbles.
I don’t hear well what she says next, because I’m already with my snout in the bowl, gobbling. And when I gobble, I gobble. That is, I fill my mouth really, really full, and then I chew with my eyes almost closed with pleasure. In my ears I hear only crunch, crunch and I’m not interested in anything else. It happens now, when Lumi probably was telling me other things, but I couldn’t follow her. Because, you know, I really enjoy it when I eat what I like.
Then, I saw all the family members gather in a room, so I quickly went too, not to miss the assembly. They were discussing about Neptune and about the things that could await us there. Both Color and Lumi spoke, then Selfi and Music. I felt like speaking too, but I thought it’s not the time for everyone to find out about my powers.
We all dressed in our space suits and got to work. Oh, I didn’t tell you. The space suits from Pluto are made from a material that is almost invisible. That is, if you look closely, very closely, you will see something sparkling over our clothes. Close, right? Therefore, whenever you see us somewhere, in pictures, know that we have our space suits on. You just can’t see them. Now that we have clarified that, let’s go to Neptune!