Teenage Bernard was considered a complete nerd at school. He paced the hallways muttering to himself, and in class, he wrote or drew aliens. In astronomy, he talked about life on Mars and intergalactic travel. He didn't make any friends, which was mostly his classmates' fault. Bernard was short, the shortest in his class, maybe even in school. His classmates were already starting to mature or were already young men, and he had a round, smooth, childlike face and a high-pitched, girlish voice. It was mainly the lack of acceptance from his peers that made him withdraw into his own world of distant planets, aliens, and interstellar spaceships.
One day, Bernard was walking to school, sleep-deprived, having nightmares, and unable to sleep. He walked slowly, keeping his head down, even though he was already late. He got halfway there and checked his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed, and it wasn't worth going to this lesson anymore. He sat down on a bench. He didn't want to go to school and listen to his classmates' teasing.
Berni sat there, staring at the sky. Suddenly, an old man sat down next to the boy and started looking up too. Suddenly, he said,
"What do you see there?
" "Nothing yet, but when it gets dark...
" "I see it. Look, there, behind the trees, a red spot—that's a lion, and here, by the building, the blue one. Oh! That must be a dolphin. See?"
Bernard at first thought his grandfather had gone crazy, but he began to stare at the indicated spots and... saw colorful spots that slowly transformed into animals in his eyes. Now the boy clearly saw a fierce lion and a cheerful dolphin.
"What's that?" Berni asked.
"What do you think? Planets. People think you can only see stars at night, and they haven't even tried to see them during the day. Do you want to see something?
" "What's that?"... Anyway, never mind. I'm going."
And they set off. The old man took Bernard by the hand, led him out of the park, and down to the sea. The boy had completely forgotten about school; he was thinking only about what his grandfather would show him. They continued walking through the forest, eventually reaching a hill, and the old man pointed to a point in the sky, directly above their heads.
"There's the Portal of Heaven," the old man said. "It allows travel to all planets in the Universe, but only a select few can use it. Only those with pure hearts can."
The boy stared at the indicated spot, trying to see even a trace of anything there. He had to strain his imagination to even consider the possibility of what his twisted grandfather was talking about. He wondered why the old man was telling him this. "Probably some lunatic," he thought, but then changed his mind. "I saw what he was showing, but..." He didn't know what to think.
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.
"Don't you understand?" the old man asked in surprise. "You're one of us, the chosen ones, the Blue Walkers! You too can travel through the Portal.
" "Nnnn... I understand," the boy groaned, confused.
"Give me your hand and I'll show you."
The old man grabbed the boy's hand, and suddenly Bernard felt himself being lifted upward. Then his body began to disintegrate, and his spirit struggled to escape his corporeal shell. Finally, the boy felt a tug and realized he was spinning. He carefully opened his eyes, but saw nothing but darkness, and immediately closed them. Suddenly, he was tugged again, and he felt his soul return to his body; soon he returned to his previous form. Then he began to fall, and his feet landed on solid ground. He opened his eyes again. He was on an icy hill, and around him stretched a purple forest, and beside him stood a strange old man.
"Where are we?" Bernard asked fearfully.
"On the planet Leo, the one you saw in the park, and over there"—he gestured to the eastern sky—"is the Dolphin."
Bernie's eyes swept across the sky and he looked at the indicated planet. He saw it clearly, its blue surface and three blue moons. He was amazed; he had never seen a planet this close.
"What galaxy is this?
" "The Eudonia Galaxy. Unknown on Earth. It consists of only four planets and is the smallest galaxy in the Known Universe. This planet is the largest in the system, with the other two being the Dolphin, the Eagle, and the Bat. Come, would you like to meet its inhabitants?"
As he spoke, a youthful glint appeared in the old man's eyes, his pale face took on color, and his hair began to shine. Apparently
, Grandpa was in his element. "Of course I do!" Bernard replied.
The boy and the old man slowly descended the snow-covered slopes and entered the purple forest. Berni discovered that it was much smaller than he had thought when looking from the hill.
After a short time, they reached a small town. It was a fortified settlement surrounded by a wooden wall, beyond which only the top of a tower peeked out. Two guards stood at the main gate. They didn't look like aliens; they seemed normal people, except that their skin was unnaturally pale, their hair white, and their eyes red. As they approached, the old man engaged in a conversation in some strong-sounding language. During the conversation, he pointed at Bernard at least a few times, clearly indicating that they were discussing him. The boy resented being the subject of the discussion, and he didn't know why. Finally, the conversation ended, and they were allowed through the gate. Bernard was about to ask what they were talking about, but the impression the town made on him left him speechless. The houses, small, resembling Negro huts, were built of strong, gray stone, and the roofs were made of panels made from the trunks of purple trees. One would think they must be drab and ugly buildings, but that wasn't the case. The cottages were decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs on the walls. The streets were unpaved, giving the appearance of water flowing through them. Yet, when you walked along them, you felt only solid ground beneath your feet. The inhabitants were modestly dressed. Men and women wore long silk tunics, children only loincloths. They were mainly engaged in trade, with various stalls lining the streets. Young people walked in groups, chatting in whispers, toddlers played in the sand, digging in the earth with their hands.
The old man led Bernard through the city to the ruler's palace. This structure looked completely different from the residents' residences. It was a brick building, painted in the colors of the rainbow, rising high above the rest of the houses. The roof, made of some metal unknown to the boy, was luminous and shimmered in various colors. The old man explained to the boy that this was the planet's greatest treasure: the Nadian. However, nothing but the building's elegance indicated that this was the ruler's residence. There was no grand iron gate, nor the gloomy gables so characteristic of the palaces the boy knew.
As they entered, Bernard was even more astonished. Instead of the grand, opulent vestibule he expected, he saw a narrow corridor. The ceiling was high, most likely for the tall inhabitants of the Universe, and the walls were brick. Torches hung on the bare walls, so far apart that the next one could barely be seen on the horizon. The floor was covered with sand, and cobwebs strewn everywhere.
The old man led Bernard through the corridor and wordlessly into an empty room similar in structure to the hall. There they stopped.
"Is this really the ruler's palace?" the boy asked, but the old man merely placed a finger to his lips, signaling silence.
They stood there for a moment, until two inhabitants of the planet finally entered the room. They wore masks and wore thick leather belts, with an orange steel sword tucked behind them. "Finally, some guards," Berni thought. The beings bowed slowly and spoke in their own language. The old man bowed back and led the boy down another corridor. This one initially resembled the previous one, but the deeper they went, the more elegant it became. Torches were more frequent, and sand replaced the floor. Later, paint appeared on the walls, and something resembling tile appeared on the floor. Finally, the flimsy torches disappeared, replaced by enormous chandeliers. Finally, they entered the throne room. Now Berni saw the difference. The entire chamber was made of nadian. Sumptuous carpets covered the floor, precious stones on the walls, and in the center was a huge golden throne. Around them were dozens of guards similar to those in the previous room. On the throne sat the king. He was typical of his race, with a pale face, white hair, and red eyes. He wore a richly decorated tunic and held a long staff of purple wood, a black pearl at the tip.
"Oh, that's right, Altenzi," the ruler greeted the old man.
"Oh, that's right, serzi," his grandfather replied. "Fij la nonkaza wi, Bernard an tu Fekkezzi.
" "Good, since he doesn't understand us. Welcome to Mostali, Bernard of Fekkezzi."
The embarrassed boy, unsure how to respond, merely bowed low. The king smiled faintly and asked one of the guards to show the guests to their rooms. Bernard couldn't wait to be alone with the old man. He had so many questions.
They were led up the castle to the apartments. Each was given his own room. They were spacious and airy, beautiful, comfortable, but not overly opulent. No sooner had Berni looked around than the old man approached him.
"How do you like it?" "
I never thought there was anything like this in the Universe.
" "The Universe is huge, boy. There are many extraordinary things in it. Actually, I haven't even introduced myself. Call me Harim.
" "If your name is Harim, why did the king call you Altenzi?"
The old man laughed softly and said,
"You probably don't know what 'Ah ta,' 'serzi,' and 'Fekkezzi' mean either." Altenzi is the name of the Blue Walkers. They'll call you that too. 'Ah ta' simply means 'Good morning,' serzi means king, and Fekkezzi means your home planet, Earth, in the local language."
"How long do I have to stay here? My parents are probably worried.
" "Easy," the old man said gently. "You'll be back on time. Or you can tell your parents you're stuck at school. Time moves a bit differently there than here. We'll stay until tomorrow.
" "And on Earth it won't be until 4:00 PM? Fine. How am I supposed to communicate?" Do they speak English?
"Of course not," Harim laughed. "Don't worry. Get some sleep, soon you'll be speaking this language as if you were born here."
The old man left, and Bernard lay down on the bed. His head was buzzing with the day's experiences. He didn't want to fall asleep, but after a while he felt terribly tired and sleep immediately overtook him.
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