The Little Spaceman Written and illustrated by Lawrence A.Gilson (Cosmos Illustrations)

In dedication and memory of my little brother, Thomas, who was still a child when he became an angel. May these adventures find you and bring you joy.

The little spaceman woke up one evening. He yawned and stretched, before getting out of bed.

The little spaceman showered and got dressed. He ate his tea and then packed his bag. “ I will go outside and explore today,” said the little spaceman, as he put his backpack on. “For there is a whole universe for me to explore.”

The little spaceman may have appeared confident. But he had fears over going out on his adventures. “There is a lot that could go wrong,” said the little spaceman. “But it must be done.”

So, the little spaceman took a deep breath. He opened the door and took his first step.

It was a fresh evening, as the sun had just set. The stars sparkled bright, as the little spaceman took one last glance at his house. He still felt fearful, but the sky was bursting with night-time colours.

The little spaceman began to walk and didn’t look back again. He started out by having a gentle stroll alongside a lake.

There was a small fishing boat there. “Maybe I will go out to the middle of the lake,” said the little spaceman. “It would be an experience to sit under the ref lections of the stars.”

So, that is what he did. The little spaceman climbed into the boat and rowed to the middle of the lake. He sat there for half an hour, looking upon the stars. The little spaceman even took his helmet off for a little while.

Once he felt content, the little spaceman rowed back to shore and continued his walk.

“Maybe, I will try the observatory next.” said the little spaceman, getting excited again. “It would be an experience to view the planets that are too far out of sight.”

And he began to walk again. The little spaceman entered the observatory, greeted the kind person at the entrance and entered the telescope room.

The little spaceman looked into the telescope. He was bursting with the emotion of happiness. After all, the sight was truly a beautiful experience to see.

“The planets are bright and cheerful,” said the little spaceman. “And there are even more stars than before. What a beautiful thing to experience.”

The little spaceman stayed at the observatory for at least an hour. After looking through the telescope, he sat for a while in awe. Eventually, the little spaceman left the observatory and continued his walk.

He had not planned an actual destination, for the little spaceman was simply following where the stars would lead him next. “There is a waterfall nearby,” said the little spaceman. “ I have heard great tales of how the moonlight f loods the waterfall. It would be a delightful experience to behold.”

The little spaceman walked to the nearby waterfall. It was truly beautiful under the starry night sky. And the moonlight did indeed f lood the area, as the tales had once said.

As beautiful as it was, the little spaceman was starting to become scared. The world was truly so big, and he was so very small.

The little spaceman became fearful again. He moved on from the waterfall but was unsure if he could go on.

“The world really is so very big,” said the little spaceman, gazing around. “And I am only so very small.” The little spaceman stopped by the open road and gazed upon the stars. He noticed that the stars were somehow brighter than before.

“You are so very big.” said the little spaceman. “And I’m so very small.” The little spaceman stood there for a while, silently staring up at the sky. The stillness and calm of the stars seemed to have calmed the little spaceman’s frightful state, for he smiled and said: “There is nothing to feel scared of.”

“But the world being so very big, and me being so very small.” said the little spaceman, “ Is what makes this adventure a truly beautiful experience to behold.” So the little spaceman continued to walk despite his fears. He wanted to continue his adventures, so on he went, with his backpack on his shoulder and his helmet on straight.

He was now ready for his next adventure, though his fear was still so great.

The little spaceman has a superpower and it’s called autism. Using his superpower, the little spaceman begins his adventures through a vast spacey realm. Where will his adventures take him?