Artemis remembered the many nights by the pond, watching the shooting stars in the sky. The thought of actually reaching the stars and uncovering their secrets filled her with joy. She looked at Helios and asked hesitantly, “When can I come back if I go with you?”

  “Whenever you want,” he replied reassuringly. “With the Gordan, you can be as fast as you like from now on in.”

  At this, Artemis couldn’t help but break into a wide grin. With one last look at the forest and a deep breath, she made her decision.

  “I want to experience the colors and sounds of distant worlds and hear the stories of other creatures. Yes, I’ll come with you!” she said determinedly.

  Helios leapt with joy and did a cheerful little dance, whistling happily. He was delighted that he would no longer be traveling alone.

  Together, they stood beneath the spacecraft, which was still hovering above the meadow. Still whistling, the Linea touched a small silver panel on his suit, and a gentle beam of light fell upon them. With a wink, he said, “Let’s go! Come on, we’ll jump up.”

  The young turtle with her short legs looked at him in confusion. “Jump? How am I supposed to do that?” she asked.

  She pushed off the ground with all her strength to show Helios that she certainly couldn’t jump very high. To her surprise, however, she floated effortlessly up to the ship, with the Linea following behind. The force that usually pulled her down to the ground had suddenly disappeared. Artemis only felt her own weight on her legs again once she had stopped ascending.

  “We should do that more often!” she laughed.

  The inside of the spaceship was fascinating. It looked as though it was made from smooth stone in combination with advanced technology. To Artemis’s surprise, it was much larger on the inside than it had seemed from the outside.

  “I’ve often wished my shell could be like that,” she thought with a chuckle.

  “This way,” Helios said excitedly, leading her through the different sections. Artemis asked herself if maybe he had taken a piece of the sun to make it so bright in here. She had never encountered artificial light before.

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  First, Helios led her to a shelf filled with pictures, books, and electronic devices. Proudly, he explained that these were records and accumulated knowledge. To the young turtle, his words sounded like a different language.

  She gazed in awe at the many different objects, but even the images showed such strange things that she wasn’t quite sure what to make of them.

  Next, Helios led her to some floating spheres. “These probes help me explore the surroundings of a planet.” Noticing Artemis’s questioning look, he added with a grin, “I’ll explain exactly how they work some other time.”

  In another area, Artemis finally spotted something familiar – a few green plants, but they seemed to be growing out of rocks, something she’d never seen before.

  Helios said cheerfully, “Oh yes, we have a few green companions here on board to bring a bit of life to the Gordan. But don’t worry, there’s plenty more to eat, too.”

  A short time later, the silver ship rose high above the planet, and with sparkling eyes full of joy, the Linea skillfully guided the now-glowing spacecraft through the vastness of space.

  Artemis called out excitedly, “I feel as if I’ve grown wings and as if there are no more limits!”

  To her surprise, she felt no movement at all. Although she knew they were already traveling, it seemed as if they were standing still. But she easily accepted it, like everything else that was unfamiliar to her.

  The young turtle looked around with interest. Then she turned to her newfound friend, eager to learn more about him as well. “Was there a particular reason why you started your journey?” she asked.

  Helios, who had now settled into a seat that seemed custom-made for him, gestured toward the end of the room, where something large rested on a round table.

  “I received a special gift, this Kensho stone,” he said, and Artemis sensed his wistfulness. “My family told me that it holds something unique. A treasure that will only reveal itself once you’ve learned certain things about yourself and about life.”

  The turtle listened intently, her curiosity growing. “A treasure? That sounds exciting!” she said enthusiastically.

  The smooth surface of the stone shimmered in various colors and sparkled magically, as if tiny stars were dancing inside it. They both gazed at it in wonder, hoping its secret would soon be revealed.

  During this moment of silence, Artemis thought back to her home and her parents. “What would they say now?” she wondered, glancing around the spaceship.

  Her excitement was tinged once again with a hint of fear. “What will I find on other planets? Will they be similar to my home, or completely foreign to me?” she pondered.

  As her thoughts drifted, her gaze wandered to a window that hadn’t been visible from the outside. She marveled at the round planet in the distance as they approached their first destination.