Jonah lived on Lune Port, a city built inside a wide glass dome on a small moon. The sky above him was always the same soft blue, created by filters in the dome. Real space was too dark, too cold, and too empty for comfort.

Every morning, Jonah rode his bike along the curved streets to the Power Garden, where giant solar flowers followed the distant sun. His job was simple. He checked their joints, cleaned their panels, and logged their movement.

One day, he noticed something strange.

The shadows were wrong.

The flowers were turning too slowly, and the light across the ground looked thinner, like weak paint on a wall. Jonah frowned and checked his tablet. The system showed no errors, but the numbers felt wrong.

He climbed one of the tall service ladders and looked beyond the dome. The real sun was partly hidden behind a huge orbital mirror that normally helped light the city. The mirror was drifting out of position.

If it moved any further, Lune Port would lose half its daylight.

Jonah reported the problem, but the central office answered, “We will look at it tomorrow.”

Tomorrow would be too late.

Jonah made a risky decision. He took a small repair pod and flew toward the mirror. His hands were steady, but his heart was loud in his chest. He was only a technician, not a pilot.

The mirror was larger than a football field. Its surface reflected stars, space dust, and a tiny image of Jonah himself. He landed near a damaged control ring. One of the engines had stopped, leaving the mirror slowly spinning.

Jonah climbed out and pulled himself along a thin rail. He reached the control box and opened it. Wires floated gently like silver grass.

He remembered his training and reconnected two loose cables. The engine coughed, then came back to life. The mirror slowed, then slowly returned to its correct position.

Jonah closed his eyes in relief.

On the way back, he looked at Lune Port. The city glowed warmly again, safe inside its glass world.

When Jonah landed, security officers were waiting. His supervisor looked angry at first, then tired.

“You broke the rules,” she said.

Jonah nodded. “But I fixed the light.”

She looked up at the bright dome above them. After a long moment, she sighed. “Yes. You did.”

Jonah was suspended for one week. But when he returned, people greeted him with quiet smiles. The children called him the man who saved the sky.

That evening, Jonah rode his bike home under the steady blue light. He knew he had not changed the universe.

But he had protected one small horizon.

And sometimes, he thought, that was enough.

---

Vocabulary Notes

Dome
Meaning: A rounded roof or structure, often made of glass or metal.
Example: “The city glowed warmly again, safe inside its glass world.”
Similar words: canopy, shell, covering, vault
Extra example: The dome protected the city from cold space storms.

Drift
Meaning: To move slowly without control or clear direction.
Example: “The mirror was drifting out of position.”
Similar words: float, wander, slide, move slowly
Extra example: The small boat drifted across the quiet lake.

Risky
Meaning: Involving danger or possible harm.
Example: “Jonah made a risky decision.”
Similar words: dangerous, unsafe, bold, uncertain
Extra example: It was risky to climb the broken ladder.

Relief
Meaning: A feeling of comfort after fear or stress ends.
Example: “Jonah closed his eyes in relief.”
Similar words: comfort, ease, calm, release
Extra example: She felt relief when she heard her child was safe.

Suspended
Meaning: Temporarily stopped or not allowed to continue.
Example: “Jonah was suspended for one week.”
Similar words: paused, stopped, delayed, held back
Extra example: The match was suspended because of heavy rain.

Horizon
Meaning: The line where the sky seems to meet the land or sea; also a symbol of hope or future.
Example: “But he had protected one small horizon.”
Similar words: skyline, future, boundary, edge
Extra example: She believed a better future waited beyond the horizon.

Story written by ChatGPT.

Image created by ChatGPT.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

British short stories, learning English, English speaking, English speaking practice, English reading, English reading practice, reading English, ielts, ielts listening, English listening practice, listening practice, short story, story time,