Three months later. The Mars mission had begun. Fifty large ships departed Earth bound for Mars. The ships carried five thousand scientists, agriculturists, engineers. And millions of seeds, thousands of saplings, and Earth's most advanced technology.
Maya was going herself. Lina beside her. Excitement shone in Lina's eyes. She was returning to Mars for the first time, but now with Earth people.
"Madam Maya," Lina said, "can I really plant trees on Mars? Where I was born—will it really become green?"
Maya held her hand. "Not just you—your children, their children—together you'll turn Mars into a garden."
The ships moved forward. Earth receded behind them. Slowly Earth grew smaller, eventually becoming a blue dot.
A young scientist named Rahul stood by the window. He whispered, "Earth is so small, yet so beautiful. Why do we fight so much? Why so much division?"
Lina stood beside him. "Because we don't understand that we're all passengers on the same ship. In this vast universe, our Earth is just a speck of dust. But within that speck lies all our joy, all our sorrow, all our dreams."
Rahul looked at Lina. For the first time he understood—Martian and Earth people—there was no difference between them. They shared the same feelings, the same dreams.
It would take seven days to reach Mars. During these seven days, everyone on the ship lived together. They ate together, shared stories together. Earth scientists learned from Martians how to survive with less oxygen. Martians learned techniques for recognizing Earth crops.
On the fourth day, a problem arose. The ship's oxygen generator failed. Everyone panicked. So far out in space—if oxygen ran out, everyone would die.
Rahul ran to the control room. "How much time do we have?" he asked.
The engineer said, "Twenty-four hours. Then oxygen runs out."
Maya called everyone together. "Nothing to panic about. We'll fix this. Emon used to say, 'Don't die from fear of death—conquer death.' We'll conquer this."
Lina stepped forward. "On Mars, we learned to survive with less oxygen. Our oxygen requirements are lower. We can give half our oxygen to Earth people."
Maya shook her head. "That's risky. Your bodies are accustomed to low oxygen. Earth people's bodies can't handle that little."
Then Rahul had an idea. "We can use the plants. Plants produce oxygen. We have thousands of saplings on board. If we activate them, they'll produce oxygen."
Everyone got to work. Saplings were placed in every corner of the ship. Lights were turned on so plants could photosynthesize. Martians reduced their own oxygen consumption so the plants' produced oxygen would suffice for Earth people.
Twelve hours later, oxygen levels were normalizing. Everyone breathed sighs of relief. Rahul and Lina looked at each other and smiled.
Rahul said, "Your idea was good."
Lina said, "Your idea too. We did it together."
Maya watched them and smiled inwardly. Emon's words came to mind—"People don't grow alone—they grow together."
After seven days, the ships reached Mars. Mars' sky was red. Surroundings were nothing but dust and rock. Earth scientists felt somewhat disappointed seeing Mars for the first time. So gray, so lifeless!
But Lina's eyes held a different vision. She said, "This is my home. I grew up here. Here we'll build a new Earth."
The Martian city was quite large. Built inside domes. Inside had artificial atmosphere, artificial light. People lived here as if in a giant glass house.
Colonel Stone's son David welcomed them. He was now acting chief of Mars. His father remained on Earth handling administration.
"Madam Maya, welcome," David said. "Our city has been waiting for you. We heard you're bringing trees here. Is it true?"
Maya smiled. "Not just trees—we've brought new life. We'll make Mars green."
David's eyes filled with tears. "My father used to say Mars would never be green. But I believed—one day it would happen."
The next morning, the first tree was planted. On Martian soil, outside the dome. A small sapling brought from Earth. Lina dug the soil with her own hands, planted the sapling, watered it.
Hundreds of people stood watching. Earth people, Martian people—all together.
Maya said, "Twenty-five years from today, this sapling will become a massive tree. Then more trees will grow. One day this red desert will become a green forest. One day birds will sing here, flowers will bloom, children will play. One day Mars will become Earth's twin sister."
Lina looked at the sapling and said, "My children will play in this tree's shade. My grandchildren will eat its fruit. I may not live to see it, but my blood will remain in this soil, in this tree's roots."
That evening, Maya opened her diary again:
"Dear Emon, today we planted the first tree on Martian soil. A small sapling. But within this sapling lies the entire future. You used to say, 'Within one seed lies the entire forest.' Now I understand—you were right. Today we planted a seed. Future generations will see that forest. You didn't live to see Earth's transformation, but you'll live in this Martian forest. In every leaf, every flower, every fruit—you'll live."
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