"Pick a Word, Paint a Story #07"

On this occasion I would like to participate in a contest held by @senehasa
about "Pick a Word, Paint a Story #07"
here is my entry

Under the Stars
In a small village in Indonesia surrounded by fields and pine forests, there lived a boy named Arka. He grew up in the midst of simplicity, but had a big dream that always revolved in his head. Arka was very obsessed with the stars. Every night, he would climb the roof of his wooden house to observe the sky decorated with millions of points of light.

For Arka, stars were not just distant lights. They were friends in the silence of the night. Every time he felt lonely or misunderstood, he would talk to the stars. "If I could fly there, I would bring everyone I love," he said one night while looking at the brightest star in the sky.

His father, a simple farmer, often teased Arka, "Why do you keep looking at the sky? Even though the ground beneath your feet is a real place." But Arka just smiled. He knew his father didn't understand.

One day, a new teacher named Mrs. Nisa came to the village. She taught enthusiastically and often told stories that the village children had never heard before. When Mrs. Nisa talked about astronomy and stories about the solar system, Arka felt like he had found a home. He began to ask many questions: about galaxies, planets, and how humans could explore the stars.

Seeing Arka's enthusiasm, Mrs. Nisa lent him an old book about astronomy. The book became Arka's most valuable treasure. His nights were now filled with reading by lantern light, trying to understand the distance, size, and secrets of the stars that had always intrigued him.

One winter night, the sky looked brighter than usual. Arka spent hours observing the cluster of stars. He noticed a star that looked closer and bigger than usual. It felt like the star was calling him.

Arka began to tell everyone about the star. But, as usual, many did not believe him. "You're just a kid with a wild imagination," said a neighbor. However, Mrs. Nisa believed him. She even brought a small telescope from the city so that Arka could see more closely.

That night, for the first time, Arka saw the star through a telescope. It wasn’t just a point of light; he saw incredible detail, a shimmering light that seemed to hide a great secret. His heart trembled, and he whispered to himself, “I’ll be there someday.”

Years passed, and Arka grew into a bright young man. He won a scholarship to study astronomy at a prestigious university. His perseverance and curiosity led him to become a respected astronomer.

One night, after years of hard work, he led a team that launched a new space telescope. When the first results came up on the computer screen, Arka stared at the image of the star that had captivated his heart since childhood. It was a star that turned out to be part of a system that had never been discovered before.

Proudly, he named the star Nisa, in honor of the teacher who believed in his dream.

Now, every night when he looks at the star, Arka remembers those nights on the roof of his old house. He knows that big dreams can start from small places. The most important thing is the courage to believe in the stars, and in yourself.

I would like to invite my friends
@santi06 @fannyescobar @haidee
to participate in this contest