The evening smelled of cocoa and wet asphalt. Susie was sitting on the balcony looking through her little telescope. On the cushion next to her was purring Pixel, a robot cat with soft fur and eyes that lit up like two torches. When he was happy, a quiet little fan buzzed inside. - Can you see the big star? - whispered Susie. Pixel moved his moustache. His whiskers clicked softly: pyk, pyk, pyk. Suddenly, a thin, luminous line lit up over the edge of the roof. It grew, sparkling, until it transformed into rails of pure light that ran straight up into the sky. The air rang like a glass bell. Out of the gloom came a transparent wagon with soft, round corners. On the front it had the number 7 and the inscription: Star Tram. The door opened noiselessly and a small metal head with a copper beak slid out from inside. - Good evening, passenger Susie. Good evening, passenger Piksel - a cordial voice sounded. - I am Conductor Klekot. Tram No. 7 runs when someone takes a long look at the sky and has a very curious heart. - How do you know our names? - Zuzia was surprised. - I hear hearts saying hop-hop - replied Klekot and blinked the green light. - Shall we get in? The door was warm to the touch, like a ray of sunshine. Inside, the seats looked as if they were stuffed with cloud, and the ceiling was covered with dots of stars. Star-shaped buttons and circles glowed on the panel. The pixie hopped onto the seat, spun once and arranged its tail like a cable. - Where are we going? - Susie asked. - 'To Cloud Station or Moon Station 3,' calculated Klekot. - 'We can also make a round over the city and count the drones that are playing tag with the windmills today. - And can we see the clouds up close? - Zuzi's eyes lit up as much as Pixel's eyes. - 'As much as possible,' cooed Fluttershy and tapped the star with his beak. The tram softly pulled away from the balcony and skidded along the light rails. Beneath them, the windows twinkled, the roofs looked like tiles in a giant's bathroom and the river glowed like a blue ribbon. They passed a clock tower that waved its hands at them, and weather balloons that swayed like jellyfish. The higher they drove, the quieter the city became. All that could be heard was the purr of the Pixel and the quiet treble of good electronics. Suddenly the panel beeped: pip, pip, piiip. Three flashes appeared on the glass, then two, then one. - What was that sound? - Susie tilted her head. - 'It's a signal from the sky,' said Conductor Klekot, until the bars of sound inside him worked. - It appeared a moment ago. He said: "Here, here. The maps don't know him. Something shimmered on the horizon. A downy island slipped out from among the usual smooth clouds, and a glowing dot hovered above it. A thinner, new thread detached itself from the luminous rails and snagged on that spot like a thread on a button. - 'Oh dear,' whispered Susie. - Is there anyone there? - I don't know that - admitted Klekot. - But the signal sounds polite. Like a short 'hello'. Pixel set his ears. Its tail lifted and began to glow like a lamp. - Let's check,' decided Zuzia. - Please, Mr Klekot. The conductor tapped the new star. The tram turned slightly and moved along the young, pulsating rails. They drove into a cloudburst. Raindrops tapped against the windows like fingers on a drum: tick, tick, tick. The white clouds appeared to have silver skylights inside. The pixie blew, and tiny sparks sprinkled from its muzzle and danced between the drops. - 'Beware of turbulence from goodness,' warned Klekot with a smile. - 'In the cloud world, everything is a bit fluffy and a bit unruly. The tram slowed down. Ahead of them emerged a station like Susie had never seen before. It was soft and round, like a huge cushion. On its sides it had shiny mirrors in which the sky was reflected. Above the entrance hung a plaque with convex letters: Pillow-0. - 'This is the first time I've seen such a name,' muttered Klekot. - The numbering usually starts with 1. - Maybe it's the starting house for the cushions? - guessed Zuzia and giggled. - Or maybe it's something that's just learning to be a station - added the Conductor, as if he were talking about a chick. The tram docked softly. The doors slid open. The air smelled of freshly washed laundry and a hint of thunder. A soft rustling could be heard in the distance, like the pages of a book being turned. - 'I'm staying at the lectern,' Klekot announced. - If anything, I'll turn on the safe glow. Passengers can look out. Susie stood up. Her legs were as light as in a soap bubble. The pixie jumped to the floor, its paws clicked: click, click. - 'Stay close to me,' said Susie to her feline companion. The platform of Poduszki-0 was as soft as a feather. With each step, small indentations were made, which immediately disappeared. In the middle stood a lantern made of milky glass. It was not lit, but there were quiet sparks flowing inside it, as if it was learning to glow. A corridor led off to the side with walls covered with shiny tiles. Each tile was a different shade of blue. Pixel lifted his muzzle and sniffed. His ears flashed yellow. He walked up to the wall and touched one of the tiles with his paw. The tile glowed like a skylight and displayed a tiny line. Then another. And then a picture appeared next to it: three tiny traces of cat's paws. - Look! - cried Susie. - As if someone was saying: "Hello, cat!" Pixel squealed happily. Its tail made a figure eight. From the end of the corridor came the same signal to them: pip, pip, piiip, only quieter. As if someone was waving from around the corner, but not too sure how loud. - Is someone calling us? - Susie rested her hand against the warm wall. The wall seemed to answer her with a quiet tremble. As if it had said 'yes'. Conductor Klekot showed a beak through the tram door. - 'Remember, it's okay to back out,' he reminded gently. - Everything is new here. The new likes to be spoken to slowly. - OK - replied Zuzia. - We will speak slowly. They moved along the corridor. Each step awakened a soft sound: ding, dong, ding. As if someone had hidden a small, polite bell under the floor. The tiles lit up under their feet and faded behind them, like light snails. At the end of the corridor was a star-shaped door. A button shone in the middle - a tiny star like the ones on the tram panel. Hovering above the button were three luminous paws that blinked in a rhythm of pyk, pyk, pyk, like Pixel's moustache. - I think he wants you to try it,' whispered Susie. Pixel raised his paw and put it on the button. The star shone with a soft, honey-coloured light. Something beeped, a warm spring surprised somewhere. The door vibrated and... stopped. The light blinked once, twice, a third time. - Oh, and that's interesting - muttered Klekot from the carriage. - 'Pillow-0 is asking for confirmation from a human passenger. That is... from you, Susie. The girl felt a tickle in her fingers. Her heart did a hop-hop, faster than usual, but joyfully. She held out her hand. She walked half a step closer. At the same moment, the milk-glass lantern in the middle of the platform flared for a moment and dimmed again, as if she was nervous. - 'Calm down,' said Susie to the lantern, as if to a mouse. - It was almost there. She touched the star-shaped button with her finger. The air trembled like a string in a guitar. The star-shaped door began to slide open quietly, drawing a narrow gap full of soft light inside. From the depths came the sound of a tick... tick... like a clock learning to go. Pixel's ears perked up. His eyes lit up and his tail lit up like a torch. Susie held her breath. A shadow flashed from inside, just beyond the narrow gap - round, soft, moved as if it too was holding its breath. - Can you hear it? - whispered Susie to Pixel. Tick... tick... tick... And then suddenly, in the silence, something knocked exactly above their heads, as if an invisible finger had knocked on the roof: knock! The light in the corridor flashed and drifted closer to their feet, as if it wanted to envelop them. The door of the star vibrated a second time... and at the same instant, just behind their backs, a sound they had never heard before rang out in the tram car: a long, low, soft tone, like a protracted "oooh", and immediately afterwards the panel began to display new signs that even Conductor Klekot had not yet managed to name.