Mara sat in the small space station window and looked at the blue planet below. Earth was quiet now. No one lived there anymore. People had left years ago, after the great storms and fires changed everything. Mara was one of the last people to watch the planet from space.

Her job was simple: listen for signals. If a message came from Earth, she must record it. For many years, she had heard only silence. The stars became her only friends.

One morning, the control screen lit up. A weak sound came through, soft and broken. Mara quickly put on her headset. “…hello… anyone there?” a voice said. She could not believe it. It was a human voice, coming from the planet below.

“Who are you?” Mara asked, her heart beating fast.

“My name is Eli,” the voice replied. “I live under the old city of London. We found a way to survive underground. There are twenty of us.”

Mara was silent for a moment. People were alive on Earth! She felt both joy and fear. The station was old and could not carry passengers back. But she could still help.

“Eli,” she said, “listen carefully. There are many empty stations above Earth. I will send power to the one nearest to you. Go to the surface when you see the lights in the sky.”

For two days, Mara worked without rest. She moved cables, repaired systems, and sent energy down to the old station. At last, the lights came on over the dark Earth.

“We see it!” Eli said. “We are on our way!”

Hours later, Mara saw a small shuttle rise from the blue-and-green mist of the planet. It came closer and closer until it stopped beside her window. She could see smiling faces behind the glass.

Mara smiled too. Humanity was not finished. Earth had spoken, and someone had answered.

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Vocabulary Notes

Signal
Meaning: A sound, movement, or light that sends a message or gives information.
Example: “Her job was simple: listen for signals.”
Similar words: message, alert, transmission, communication
Extra example: The radio signal was very weak, so they could not understand the message clearly.

Station
Meaning: A place where certain work is done or where vehicles stop; in the story, it means a space station where people live and work in space.
Example: “Mara sat in the small space station window and looked at the blue planet below.”
Similar words: base, headquarters, post, platform
Extra example: The astronauts returned to the space station after their walk outside.

Survive
Meaning: To continue living or existing after something dangerous or difficult happens.
Example: “We found a way to survive underground.”
Similar words: stay alive, endure, live through, persist
Extra example: Only a few plants can survive in the desert without rain.

Repair
Meaning: To fix something that is broken or not working properly.
Example: “She moved cables, repaired systems, and sent energy down to the old station.”
Similar words: fix, mend, restore, rebuild
Extra example: The engineer repaired the broken door so it could open again.

Humanity
Meaning: All human beings; people in general. It also suggests human kindness and connection.
Example: “Mara smiled too. Humanity was not finished.”
Similar words: mankind, humankind, people, society
Extra example: Helping others is a sign of true humanity.

Story written by ChatGPT 5.

Image created by Flux.1 Dev.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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