When Will We Go Back to Earth

Aidan was born on a spaceship.

He had never seen the blue sky. He had never touched real grass. He had only seen Earth in pictures—green trees, blue oceans, birds flying in the wind. To him, Earth was like a dream, a beautiful place from fairy tales.

He lived on Ark Voyager, a giant space station that had left Earth 80 years ago. It carried the last humans who escaped after Earth became too dangerous to live on—because of pollution, wars, and storms. Aidan’s parents were scientists who were part of a mission to find a new home.

But Aidan didn’t want a new home. He wanted the old one.

“Mom,” he asked one evening, while looking at the digital screen showing Earth’s image, “when will we go back to Earth?”

His mother paused. She was working on a report, but she turned to face him. “Earth is still healing, sweetheart,” she said softly. “Maybe one day... when it’s safe.”

“But I want to run on real ground,” Aidan said. “I want to smell trees. I want to swim in the sea, like in the stories.”

“I know,” she smiled sadly. “I want that too.”

Aidan would often dream about Earth. In his dreams, the sky was endless, the birds sang his name, and the wind felt like a hug. But every morning, he would wake up to the soft hum of machines and the same metal walls.

On the ship, everything was artificial. Trees were made of plastic to look “natural.” Water came from recycled tanks. Food was grown in labs. The stars looked beautiful outside the windows, but they were cold and far away.

Aidan had a small group of friends. All of them were born in space. They often asked the same question: “What was Earth really like?”

One day in their history class, the teacher showed them old videos—forests, rivers, wild animals, music concerts, rain falling on people’s faces.

“Why did people leave such a beautiful place?” one girl asked.

“Because we didn’t take care of it,” the teacher said. “We used too much, gave too little. We forgot Earth wasn’t just a place—it was our home.”

That night, Aidan couldn’t sleep.

He opened his notebook and wrote:

“I will go back to Earth. Not when it’s perfect. But when it needs someone to care for it.”

The next day, Aidan sneaked into the control room. He didn’t want to break rules, but he had to know. He searched for Earth’s status reports. Most of it was coded, but he found one line that made his heart beat faster:

“Surface temperature normalizing. Oxygen levels rising. Green life detected.”

It meant Earth was healing.

Aidan ran to his mother. “Mom! Earth is getting better! Why are we still here?”

She looked surprised. “Where did you see that?”

He showed her the report.

She looked at it for a long time. Then she hugged him. “You’re right. Earth is changing. Some people already started preparing for the return mission, but it’s very early. We need more time.”

“How much more time?” Aidan asked.

“Maybe ten years. Maybe less. But you know what?”

“What?”

“You and your friends might be the first generation to return.”

Aidan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes. And if you want to go back, you must learn everything—how to grow food, clean water, protect trees, take care of animals.”

Aidan smiled. “I’ll be ready.”

From that day on, Aidan studied harder. He learned how to plant seeds, build houses using natural materials, purify air, and work with animals. His friends joined him. They started calling themselves “Earth Keepers.”

Years passed. Aidan grew taller, stronger, and wiser. The day finally came when the spaceship announced:

“The Earth Return Mission begins in 6 months.”

People cheered. Some cried.

Aidan stood quietly by the window, looking at the little blue planet shining in the distance.

He whispered to himself,

“We’re coming home.”

Six months later, Aidan stepped onto real ground for the first time. The grass tickled his feet. The wind touched his face. The sky above was endless and alive.

He looked around at the trees swaying gently, birds flying freely, and the sound of water flowing in a nearby stream.

He closed his eyes and said,

“Thank you, Earth. I promise—we will do better this time.”

Moral of the Story:

"We don't inherit the Earth from our ancestors—we borrow it from our children." (Aidan's generation becomes the healers of a world they never knew)

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