Space To Grow

Astrid didn't want to enter the Science Fair but her parents made her anyway. They were very keen astronomers and knew the sky like the back of their hand.
Every night they looked through their telescope. Astrid had no interest at all in space. The galaxies, black holes, universes, multiverses, gas planets, dwarf, planets, comets, asteroids, and the cosmic web were just some of the things that Astrid just hadn't seen yet.
One night, Astrid wanted to draw. Her parents wanted her to work on her project for the fair. She got so mad at them that she felt her face get hotter and hotter like a volcano that was about to erupt. 'Fine', Astrid shouted back. ''I'll work on the stupid project'. But Astrid had no intention of working. Instead she took herself off to the attic to be alone with her thoughts. Some people would call this sulking.
Astrid lay on the floor, staring up at the night sky through the glass roof that her parents had installed when Astrid was born. Her whole life, she thought, was watching people stare at stars. After half an hour, Astrid decided to look through the telescope. Not out of interest. She was bored. She grabbed her art book and decided to draw what she saw. That way she could start her project and draw at the same time. She peeped up at the night sky and could not believe her eyes.
The next day Astrid went to the Science Fair to present her drawings of what she had seen. Her parents couldn't have been more proud of her, until they saw her drawings. They thought that her drawings were made up because she had drawn a planet next to Jupiter. It was a big, black planet with white dots on it that made it look like it was made up of stars. Her mum gritted her teeth at her and remarked, “You can't present this! There is no such planet. It's all made up! I was so proud of you. I thought you really did it. You've really disappointed me Astrid." Her dad shook his head in disappointment as they walked away.
'Well' said the professor who was judging the competition, 'there is only one way to find out. We have to test every theory put forward today by everyone, including yours.'
That night, Astrid parents decided to attend the school the next day. They were angry and embarrassed that they would have to apologies on Astrid's behalf. When they entered the hall, they spotted Astrid up on the stage. 'Oh no' they thought. She is going to be held up as an example of what not to do.
'Ladies and Gentlemen ... the winner of the Science Fair is Miss Astrid Collins.'
Her parents could not believe what they had heard. Astrid's new found planet did exist and now the only thing that they needed to do, was to apologise to Astrid, and take a long look at the sky.

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