Plato

I look at our planet from afar, it looks rather small from here. A drop in an ocean. In this vast expanse, known as the universe we should not matter. Yet we do. All the wars, earthquakes , famine, money, animals, greed, insecurity, our inherent goodness, trivial matters of the heart, competition between friends and brothers all exist in this tiny blue planet. These things loom large in our minds , in our consciousness. Yet if you take a shuttle and travel a million miles away from our planet like I do, then all these things fade away. At least the things that do not matter fade away. The thing that sticks is family and loyalty. In this tale of mine i journey across the universe to find danger, injustice and other things that would tear any family apart. Yet, they stay together against all odds. Love triumphs against all odds.

My name is Plato and I'm a space traveler. And this is my story. I collect rare minerals from planets in our galaxy and other planets in far away galaxies as well. I was born in a poor family and stayed with my parents until I was about 12 years old, and then I moved away to make a living on my own. I remember my parents, they were not sad to see me go. There was a sigh of relief on their faces. I did not make too much of it, I had 5 other siblings. So I understood their reaction. My mother even packed a sandwich for me. So, I made my way to Russia from Greece, that is where I was born. And I was named Plato after the great Philosopher Plato. To this day, I do not know why they named me Plato. There is not even the slightest of resemblance to the great man. So yes, I packed my bags and took along the sandwich my mother made for me and headed towards Russia. I had a friend who moved there about a year ago. His name is Dimitri. He too was born to a family who was relieved to see him go. I had to reach this place called Minsk.

My father had already purchased a train ticket for me the previous day. As I reached the train station. I took out the ticket and handed it to the ticket collector. The train station was grand and neat and tidy. A stark contrast to where I came from. The ticket collector guided me to the platform where the train was waiting for us. I boarded the train and seated myself in the assigned seat. There were hardly any people in my Wagon. Only a couple of old people and a few businessman. There was no one my age or even close to my age. But that did not bother me. I was considered large for my age. I had really broad shoulders and I was about 5 foot 8. Really tall for my age. Plus I was growing a stubble. And I certainly did not fear anyone. I could stand up to anyone. The neighborhood I grew up certainly was not a fairytale. It had alleyways you would not dare step on in your wildest dreams. I could fight a bit as well, my father taught me to fight when I was about 5 years old. He used to always say to me. You are really strong son. You have to take care of the family one day. One day i would need to, i thought. But right now i need to be away from them. I looked outside the window and the train started to move away from the platform slowly. I was a bit nervous and even excited as well. This is a great chance for me to escape poverty. I just have to work hard and I will be fine. It would take a couple of days to reach Minsk. An old and cold Russian town. A perfect place for a nuclear reactor. Far away from civilization. The train was far away from the station and now it began to gather steam. This was the first time, i was stepping outside my hometown.

Two days later

A couple of days had passed. And I was really sure that not a single word was uttered in the cabin, except when the attendant had come. There was a bit of a commotion when we entered Russia. The official had asked this one Gentleman for some documentation. And his documents had some problems. So, he was asked to leave. And this fine gentleman thought it was a good idea to throw a fist at the official. I think he was just desperate to reach Russia. And as he almost landed a punch on the face of the official. He started to whistle and a lot of there officers, this time in police uniform came in and dragged that gentleman out. They did not take a second look at me. I think they just thought I was harmless. So the train reached cold Minsk. It was bout 7 PM. I looked out the window as the train made its way to the platform. I was indeed searching for Dimitri. I looked around and i started to worry, he would not be there. As the train halted, I looked at the entrance to the Train station, there he was Dimitri. Just beside the entrance. I was really relieved. I took my bags and got down from the train and entered the platform. Dimitri was a couple of years older than me, but if you were to ask a stranger. They would bet their life that I was older than he was. He was a small kid, scrawny and there was no stubble or anything of that sort. Although he had the most beaming smile I have ever seen on a person. It was just pure optimism, it indeed was a rare quality.