The place where the world stopped was not so strange, but the vertigo was overwhelming. The girl could not decide whether or not it would be wise to jump.
Then she remembered her father's favorite saying, and grinned. "When in doubt, jump on out!" Houla landed roughly on all fours, and remained in that position for several seconds to get her bearings.
"Green grass... blue sky. And creatures that look like me. I could have done a lot worse for my first jump," she thought with satisfaction.
Soon she was lying sprawled out on the grass, as were others further away. "I guess this is a recreational area of some sort," she thought. Reluctantly Houla rose from the grass, and began to record the scene.
Except for her light blue skin tone, she could have passed as a native of the lush world into which she had blindly jumped.
"Maybe this place holds the answers. Just think how proud Dad would be if I brought back the solution on my very first try!"
She smiled, knowing that although he would be the most important, he wouldn't be the only one. All of Garalla would celebrate her victory. She would be the one to have brought warmth back to a now icy planet.
Houla strolled through the park, and eventually found a group of people around her own size. A grown specimen seemed to be in charge.
"And who can tell us what global warming is?" asked the adult, as he spread his arms outward, inviting the sun to warm him even further.
This instantly caught Houla's attention. "Global warming... I think that's exactly what we need."
She quietly sat down, close to the back of the group. A boy with light colored hair, and a pinkish skin tone raised a hand high in the air.
"Yes, Robert?"
"Global warming occurs when the Earth can't release the sun's heat, and it just keeps on building up. Sort of like with a greenhouse."
The adult nodded in satisfaction. "Can someone else please tell me, what are some of the major man-made causes of global warming?"
Hands shot up from within the group. Houla backed away, ensuring enough distance that she wouldn't be called upon. Still recording, she watched and listened with interest.
The girl had to use all of her self control not to draw attention to herself. "This should do it!" she exulted, carefully taking note of the coordinates for the world which seemed to hold so many possible solutions to her planet 's problems.
She strolled back out towards the empty green area, relishing in the warmth. She laid down in the soft grass, and enjoyed a few more seconds of sun before jumping back to Garalla.
A person about the same size as herself peered down, frowning. His blue skin was just a shade darker than her own, but his hair was as black as night. "Well? Did you find anything?"
"I believe so. Does Garalla have a black, flammable substance under the ice?"
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery
