Maks finds a tiny robot in the playground, and together they discover a glowing spaceship hiding in the park.
On a Saturday morning, Maks hurried to his favourite playground under the big oak tree. The air smelled of grass and warm bark, and birds flicked from branch to branch above him.
Then Maks stopped.
Beside the sandpit sat a silver ball, bright as a new coin. It gave a soft buzz, as if it had a tiny bee trapped inside. Maks took one careful step closer. The ball clicked open.
Out slid a little robot with twinkling lights on its head and a smile made of glowing dots. "Hello!" it said in a cheerful, squeaky voice. "I’m Blip. I’ve come from Planet Shine!"
Maks blinked. "You can talk?"
"Of course," said Blip, bobbing happily a few centimetres above the ground. "And I need to show you something before anyone else finds it."
Maks grinned and followed the robot through the bushes behind the playground. Hidden under a heap of leaves was a spaceship, silver and round, with a door glowing pale white. Maks’s stomach fluttered. It looked exciting. It looked strange. It looked like a secret.
"Ready?" whispered Blip.
Before Maks could answer, a soft tapping sounded from inside the ship...