Olek and his robo-cat Rex launch a homemade rocket into space and land on a strange red planet, where glowing mushrooms and a mysterious blue sphere wait for them.
Olek was seven, and his head was always full of wild ideas. He liked building things best of all, especially in his bedroom, where cardboard boxes could become towers, bridges, or secret machines.
His best friend was Rex, a robo-cat with shiny metal paws, blinking green eyes, and an electronic purr that sounded like a tiny engine. Rex could also count to one hundred without making a single mistake.
One bright morning, Olek jumped up from the floor and said, "Rex, let's build a rocket and fly into space!"
Rex's tail flicked. "Meow-beep!" he chirped, which meant yes.
So they worked all day. They stacked cardboard boxes, taped on a lamp for a nose, and added buttons from an old radio. Olek found an old colander and put it on his head like a helmet. Rex polished the control panel until it shone.
When the rocket was ready, Olek climbed inside and pressed the biggest button.
"Three, two, one... go!"
The room shook. The walls disappeared. Stars flashed past the window as if they were racing them.
Then, with a soft bump, the rocket landed on a red planet that glowed under a silver sky.
Olek and Rex stepped outside. Around them, mushrooms shone like little lanterns, and something in the distance hummed and buzzed in the dark.
Olek took one careful step forward.
Then a huge blue sphere rolled out from behind a rock and began to open.