Maria and the Planet of Whispers

Maria zoomed through starry space in her spaceship, the Star Hopper. It was the coziest ship in the galaxy, with marshmallow-fluffy seats and buttons that hummed happy tunes when she pressed them. Through her big round window, planets swirled by like giant scoops of ice cream—strawberry pink, minty green, and blueberry blue. Maria loved new things more than anything, and every new planet was a brand new adventure.

Suddenly, Cosmo, the ship's friendly computer, beeped. "Approaching the Planet of Whispers," it announced in a calm voice. "Known for its… mysterious sounds." Maria’s happy hums stopped. Mysterious sounds? Spooky whispers were the one new thing she did *not* like. Her tummy did a little flip-flop. They were supposed to land and explore, but her bravery felt very far away.

"I'll just listen from here," Maria decided, trying to be brave. She turned on the Star Hopper's outside microphone. A strange sound filled the ship: "Shhh-shhh-wooooosh." It sounded like a spooky ghost! The sound repeated, "Shhh-shhh-wooooosh." Instead of making her feel better, it made the flip-flops in her tummy dance a wild, worried dance. Maybe they should just go back home.

Just as she reached for the "Go Home" button, she remembered her mom’s words: "Bravery is being a little bit scared but doing it anyway." Maria took a deep breath. She put on her sparkly helmet, which always made her feel stronger. She didn't open the big door all the way. She just opened it a crack. The "Shhh-shhh-wooooosh" was softer now. Peeking out, she saw not ghosts, but giant, feathery plants swaying in a gentle breeze, their leaves rustling together to make the whispering sound.

Maria stepped out. The Planet of Whispers wasn't spooky at all! It was the Planet of Lullabies. When she gently touched the feathery leaves, they made a soft, humming tune. She spent the rest of the day discovering that the scary whispers were just a friendly song. Hopping back into her ship, Maria knew she had found her favorite new thing of all: the feeling of being brave.