Ravi and the Silent Planet

🚀 SpaceAges 8–9⏱ 3 min read

The crew of the rocket Starlight find a planet where nobody remembers how to laugh.

The rocket Starlight was on a mission to explore the farthest corner of the galaxy. Ravi was the captain. Rocco the robot was the engineer. Bruno the alien was the cook. And the three of them loved adventures.

One day, Rocco beeped, ‘Captain, there’s a planet ahead! It’s called Planet Titter.’ Ravi grinned. ‘With a name like that, it must be a funny place!’ They landed on its surface with a gentle bump.

But the planet wasn’t funny at all. The people were grey and gloomy. They shuffled along, staring at their feet. Nobody smiled. Nobody giggled. Not a single chuckle could be heard.

‘What happened?’ asked Ravi. A tired old resident sighed. ‘Long ago, the Great Giggle Stone fell into a hole. Without it, we forgot how to laugh. We’ve been sad ever since.’ Ravi looked at Rocco. ‘We have to help.’

Ravi climbed onto a crate. ‘Knock knock!’ he shouted. The residents stared. ‘Who’s there?’ asked one, because that’s the polite thing to say. And the crew told the funniest joke they knew. ‘Why did the moon go to the doctor? Because it was feeling a little crescent!’

There was a silence. Then someone went ‘Hee.’ Someone else went ‘Ha.’ Then a baby burst out in a giggle. And a grandpa started to snort. Soon, the whole street was in stitches!

Right then, the ground rumbled. Up from the hole popped the Giggle Stone, bobbing on a bubbly fountain of laughter. It had been waiting for someone to bring back the fun. The whole planet cheered.

As the Starlight flew off, the planet danced beneath them, brightly coloured and full of laughs. ‘Mission accomplished,’ said Ravi. ‘Best mission ever,’ giggled Bruno. And they were still laughing on the way home.

💡

The little lesson

Laughter is contagious, and sharing it is one of the best gifts of all.

Let’s talk about it

  • What makes you laugh the most?
  • How did the crew help the planet remember to laugh?

Finish stories to collect Ravi as a sticker in your Sticker Book.

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