Good evening,
It's Gina here.
Tonight we're joining Leo as he visits Mercury,
The smallest planet in our solar system.
So snuggle in,
Get cozy and warm,
And let's begin.
The evening sky above Leo's house was clear.
The stars twinkled softly like tiny lights welcoming him.
In the garden,
His little silver rocket stood waiting,
Its smooth surface glowing softly under the moon.
Leo padded out barefoot through the cool grass.
Ready,
He whispered,
Climbing into the rocket's round window seat.
The rocket hummed softly,
Wrapping him in gentle warmth.
He pressed glowing blue button,
And with a quiet whoosh,
The rocket lifted into the night.
Up past the clouds,
Through the thin blue air,
And into the wide velvet dark of space.
The earth grew smaller behind him,
A round glowing ball of blues and greens.
Ahead,
The stars spread out like a sparkling ocean.
Leo's rocket glided towards the Sun,
Faster than light,
But as smooth as a dream.
The further he went,
The brighter everything became.
Golden light shimmered on the rocket's silver sides,
Painting soft reflections across the window.
And then,
There it was.
Mercury.
A tiny grey and silver world,
Close to the blazing Sun.
Its surface glittered with craters and shining dust,
Glowing softly in the sunlight.
Leo floated the rocket closer.
Half of the little planet shimmered with bright golden light,
The day side,
And the other half was dark and quiet,
The night side.
Half warm,
Half cool,
Leo whispered.
He smiled.
It's like the planet is taking turns resting in the Sun and sleeping in the shade.
Mercury spun slowly,
But it moved quickly around the Sun,
Faster than any other planet.
As Leo hovered above the glowing craters,
He saw gentle silver clouds of dust swirl below.
The sunlight danced along the edges of the rocks,
And the horizon shimmered like warm metal.
He imagined stepping softly onto the surface,
His footprints light and small in the dust.
He could almost feel the warmth on his toes,
And the cool shadow on his heels.
The air was quiet,
No wind,
No waves,
No sound at all.
Only the hum of space,
And his own slow breathing.
In,
He breathed softly,
And out,
He smiled.
Even Mercury rests between warm and cool,
Day and night,
Just like I rest each night on Earth.
Leo leaned back in his seat and looked out at the horizon.
From this close,
The Sun looked enormous and beautiful.
He stretched his arms out and imagined the sunlight filling one hand with warmth,
While the cool darkness touched the other.
Warmth and coolness,
Light and shadow,
Perfectly balanced.
He whispered quietly,
I can be both calm and full of energy.
I can shine brightly and still rest deeply.
He took another deep breath in,
And a slow easy breath out.
He spent a few quiet moments looking out at the Sun.
He felt warm and calm,
And his eyes started to feel heavy.
It was time to go back home.
Leo took one last look at the little planet below.
Good night Mercury,
He said gently.
Keep shining and spinning,
I'll visit again.
The rocket turned slowly,
Drifting away from the golden light and into the cool quiet of space.
Behind him,
Mercury twinkled like a little bead of silver near the Sun.
As the rocket glided back towards Earth,
Leo closed his eyes,
Listening to the hum of the rocket,
Calm and low,
Like the world's gentlest lullaby.
Soon,
Leo could see the soft blue glow of home below.
The rocket floated down through the clouds,
Landing gently in the garden.
He climbed out and tiptoed back into his warm room.
He looked out his window and saw Mercury,
Faint but still glowing near the horizon.
Leo smiled sleepily.
Good night little planet.
He climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up to his chin.
The hum of the rocket still lingered in his chest like a heartbeat.
Slow,
Steady,
Peaceful.
He took a slow breath in and a gentle breath out.
If you are listening at home,
You can join Leo as he takes a few calming breaths.
Gently in through your nose and out through your mouth.
And one more,
Gently in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Leo drifts off to gentle dreams.
If you've enjoyed this journey with Leo,
Perhaps you'd like to join us again tomorrow when Leo will be visiting Venus,
The next planet in our solar system.
Until then,
Good night my friend.
