The universe is infinite. It is impossible to imagine how big it is. It is full of planets and stars, including the Milky Way. Everything in the universe is constantly moving. Some planets rotate regularly in the same direction. Our planet Earth also moves. It revolves around the Sun and on its own axis. Thanks to this, we have night, day, and the four seasons. But once, something terrible happened: the Earth stopped.
It happened one evening. The day was coming to an end. The sun should have been setting, but it hung high in the sky, as if confused. People were tired, animals were yawning and getting ready for bed. Flowers were also bending down, wanting to sleep. But night was not coming. Smarty the Gnome noticed. He was a little man who lived on Earth but could also fly into space. He could fix and repair everything.
That evening, Smarty the Gnome was frightened. He was sitting in a tree, looking around. He saw how tired everyone on Earth was, how they needed to go to sleep and rest. But they couldn’t, because it was still light and warm. At that moment, the gnome realized something. “The Earth isn’t spinning, it has stopped. That’s why evening and night haven’t come. The sun can’t set when the Earth is standing still,” thought the little man. He had to fix it. He had to get the Earth moving again. Otherwise, life on our planet would not be possible at all.
Smarty the Gnome didn’t want to waste a minute, so he ran as fast as he could to his little house. He put on the suit he wore whenever he flew into space. He activated the hand jets hidden in his suit and soared straight into the sky. He flew long and far – through clouds and fog, until he reached outer space. Finally, he arrived at the very edge of the Earth. He flew around it on all sides, and sure enough, the Earth wasn’t moving. And that was bad. If it doesn’t rotate around the sun and on its axis, nothing on Earth could change the way it should. No seasons, no day and night.
Smarty the Gnome had to fix it. He pressed his hands against the edge of the Earth, switched on the most powerful turbo in his suit, and slowly began to push the planet. It wasn’t easy. He had to use all his strength, and it took time. After all, spinning the entire globe is very difficult. At first, the Earth refused to budge, but the little man didn’t give up. He pushed even harder against the edge of the globe and let the thrusters in his suit run at full power. After a while, the Earth turned slightly. And then, little by little, it picked up the right direction. In the end, Smarty the Gnome succeeded. He spun the Earth.
“Hurray! I did it!” rejoiced the little man. When he saw that the Earth was spinning as it should, he returned happily to his little house. He took off his suit and, completely exhausted, lay down in his bed. A short time later, he watched as night finally fell. People, animals, plants – and Smarty the Gnome – could sleep peacefully because everything in the universe was once again moving exactly as it should.
