Life is Boundless

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Summer was at its end, and after the big crimson sun sunk in the sea, the weather became autumn-like chilly. The darkened sky was abundantly dotted with glimmering stars. There were two of them, a boy and a girl between two big rocks, by the campfire lit on the seaside. They were talking, almost whispering, as if they were afraid of being heard, or shatter the loveliness of surrounding night.

– Just look at the stars, Nastya! It seems that they are dancing flamenco, – said the boy pointing at the sky, – they are just like you!

– And I think they are like pearls in a necklace, – said the girl, being silent for a while,– in the most beautiful of all necklaces that one can imagine.

– Each one of those in the necklace has its name, – the boy pointed at one of the stars. – Here’s Proxima Centaura! The closest star to the Earth, it is situated four hundred light years beyond. For you to imagine – this is two hundred seventy thousand times more than the distance between the Earth and the Sun. – He draw an invisible line with his finger. – And this is Arcturus from Boötes constellation. If you fly a spaceship at full-bore speed of light, you will reach it in thirty-four standard years.

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