Happyville (ePub)

Xanda loved her Groccolli toy more than anything in the world. It was a fanciful robot that did everything for her; it had a cute smile and big eyes. She took it wherever she went and hugged it every night before going to sleep. But one day, she couldn't find it anywhere. She searched her room, the living room, the kitchen, and even the bathroom, but the Groccolli was nowhere to be seen. Xanda didn't feel like playing or talking to anyone. She just wanted her Groccolli back. She felt sad and lonely without her best friend.

While still upset, she wanted to go visit her grandfather who lived nearby and her parents took her to his house, hoping he could cheer her up. He always cheered her up with his stories and jokes. He also had a lot of interesting things in his house, like old books, paintings, and gadgets. Xanda liked to explore his house and see what she could find. She went to his old shed the next morning, where he kept all kinds of tools, appliances, and other stuff. She opened the door and saw a big metal object that looked like a rocket. It had a red nose, brown body, and grey fins. It also had a propeller and a red button on the side that says: 'DO NOT TOUCH!' Xanda was curious and went closer to study it. She saw the words written below the button that said: "Launch". She wondered what would happen if she pressed it.

She reached out her hand and touched the button. Suddenly, the rocket's engine started and it began to shake and make a lot of noise. Xanda was scared and wanted to run, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Terrified and unsure of what to do, she grabbed the vibrating capsule firmly, but the shaking got worse as the rocket started to roll out of the shed and onto the grass verge. So, she wrapped her body around it and held it tight for dear life. The rocket lifted off the ground and blasted into the sky. Xanda felt like she was on a roller coaster. She was now screaming. She felt both scared and excited at the same time.

Moments later she looked down and saw the ground getting smaller and smaller and she saw her grandad's house as it resembled a tiny dot on the ground. She looked up and saw the sky getting darker and darker. Although she didn't know it yet, she was going to space! She didn't know where she was going or what would happen to her. She closed her eyes and wished she had the Groccolli with her to comfort her. The rocket flew faster and faster until it reached a strange planet with purple clouds and rainbow rings. After they had flown for a while, it slowed down and landed softly on a field of fluffy clouds. Xanda opened her eyes and looked around. She gasped in amazement. She had arrived on a beautiful planet with colourful clouds, sparkling stars, and rainbow rings.

She quickly let go of the rocket and began to walk around. She couldn't believe she was in a different world! While walking around the place, she saw strange creatures flying above her, like birds with butterfly wings, and dragons. When she looked up again, she saw some weird creatures, some hopping, and others crawling around her. Some had wings and horns and others had tails and eyes of different colours. They looked friendly but also scary. They noticed her and started to fly towards her. Xanda felt nervous and curious. Who were they? And what did they want?

She didn't know it yet, but she was about to have the most amazing adventure of her life. She was in Happyville, a supercomputer planet where anything could happen at any time!