Highly Commended Story - Silly Planets

“Silly Planets” by Umer Asad, Beaconhouse School System, Pakistan, is the Highly Commended story in the sub-junior category of the first biannual Short Story Contest 2019.

Umer Asad is a 9-year-old from Karachi, Pakistan who studies in grade 4 at Beaconhouse School System. His early education was in Dubai, till grade 2, at Oxford School Dubai. His favourite past time includes reading books, playing cricket and watching wrestling. Being a Math genius Umer wants to discover new geometrical formulas. He is also working on his writing skills by reading more books and listening podcast for kids. He loves his family and in the future he wants to be a civil engineer like his father.

Silly Planets

Once the planets decided to change their positions around the sun, as they got bored of rotating at the same place since ever.

“I am burning from the heat of the sun,” Mercury groaned.

“And I am freezing from toooo cold!” exclaimed Neptune.

One night when the sun was sleeping the giant Jupiter called a meeting of all the planets. They decided to change their places secretly without telling the sun.

Next morning, Sun felt something different but as it was summer, and he was quite busy so he just ignored and started burning off.

The Planets were really happy for being at a new place. They were jumping and dancing and revolving in their new orbits.

It kept on happening for few days but planets were no longer happy. Mercury was exhausted of travelling too long in Jupiter’s orbit while Neptune got sunburns for being in Mercury’s orbit.

The dwarf Pluto also joined them in this adventure. It exchanged its place with Venus and now it was suffering from continuous fever. Venus was coughing and sneezing all the time, it could not get some steam as it was too far from the sun and even the steam was frozen.

“Help me! I am feeling dizzy, the orbit finishes too fast and I am too big for such a small orbit,” screamed Jupiter who exchanged his place with earth.

All the planets were in great agony. They terribly wanted their orbits back. One night when the Sun returned back to his home he felt that it was quiet everywhere, no cheering, no chatting and even no smiles to welcome him. He called his nearest child Mercury, but it was not there to respond quickly, instead Neptune answered the Sun.

Sun got to know the whole story and decided to find the solution of their stupidity.

He texted on his WhatsApp group ‘Sun family’.

“Dear all,
Nature chooses the best for all of us, so we must be thankful always. This is the secret behind happiness.”

Next day all the planets were in their own orbits with glowing faces, giggling, cheering and thanking the nature.