A swirling, prismatic Milky Way drifts slowly, wrapped in kaleidoscopic nebulae. Tiny stars scatter across the deep void like honey crumbs, while miniature asteroids pockmarked with craters hang suspended in boundless space. Dr. Burgher, an interstellar wanderer clad in a white spacesuit edged with scarlet red, has just finished a cross-galaxy scientific expedition. Having spent years surrounded by precision equipment and orbital computations, he long believed the universe’s true essence lies within cold data and far-flung interstellar flight routes—for him, exploration was a rational adventure exclusive to adults.
One day, he lands on an uncharted minor planet to rest, and chances upon the Little Prince with flowing blonde hair. The boy clutches a crimson watering can, bending down to gently tend a lone red rose planted in the soil. Thin streams of water trickle beside its delicate petals, shimmering into flecks of silver light refracted by starlight, and this tender sight strikes Dr. Burgher out of the blue.
The Little Prince lifts his head to meet the astonished astronaut’s eyes, his clear irises holding an entire ocean of stars. “Sir, do you know why my rose is irreplaceable? I devote countless days to watering and caring for it. Nothing precious in this world can ever be measured by scales or formulas. The eyes only perceive outward appearances; only the heart can see the soul of all things.”
Dr. Burgher kneels, resting his bulky gloved space hand softly on the boy’s shoulder. He has roamed countless galaxies, surveyed desolate planets and glowing nebulae, calculated black hole trajectories, yet he has never stopped to appreciate the vitality of a single small flower. In that instant, the knot in his heart forged by his utilitarian pursuit of cosmic secrets unravels entirely. He had spent his whole life chasing the grand mysteries of the universe, only to lose sight of the simplest tenderness and warmth. Reason paved the path for his explorations, yet childlike innocence and love are the ultimate romance that carries wanderers across endless star seas.
Enchanted by their encounter, the two immediately resolve to hold a casual cosmic picnic. The Little Prince clears a smooth patch of ground, while Dr. Burgher rummages through his backpack to take out his supplies: roujiamo and steaming hot coffee, laying out a unique feast for this metaverse gathering. The doctor removes his helmet, revealing his fluffy fiery red afro rippling in the faint interstellar breeze. With a roujiamo in one hand and a coffee mug printed with “MET” on the other, Dr. Burgher sits on a circular rocky ledge, the Little Prince perched lightly on his lap. Beneath them lies the cratered, uneven planetary surface; behind them surges the dreamlike iridescent mist of the swirling Milky Way, with shooting stars streaking across the sky trailing ribbons of colourful light every now and then.
As they chat through the picnic, the Little Prince tells Dr. Burgher tales of Asteroid B612: its three volcanoes, his prickly yet vulnerable rose that demands constant care, and the bizarre grown-ups he met on his travels—a merchant obsessed with hoarding wealth, a king consumed by lust for power. These absurd figures prompt deep self-reflection in Dr. Burgher. So many people get trapped by fame and fortune as they mature, rushing after numbers and status, gradually forgetting how to look up at the stars, and abandoning the softness that makes one pause for a single flower.
Cosmic wind, carrying stardust, drifts down onto the rose branches. The picnic is drawing to a close when something unexpected happens. A swirl of purple mist suddenly appears, and an elderly sage rides forward atop a black ox. It is none other than Lord Laozi. Wandering through the Void, he was drawn by the laughter of the two people and came to see what the commotion was about.
From then on, Dr. Burgher’s aimless interstellar journeys bear brand-new gains. He no longer fixates merely on cold research data. As he travels through the cosmos afterward, he will pause to savour the tiny, lovely details on every planet, guarding the undimmed childlike purity deep in his heart—and countless pleasant surprises await him along the way.
Allegorical Epilogue
The cosmos stretches endlessly vast, yet far too many mistake cynicism for maturity and self-interest for growth as they mature. Busy chasing ambitious futures and counting gains and losses, we gradually forget how to love wholeheartedly and appreciate life’s subtle blessings. Just as Dr. Burgher learned from the Little Prince: true adulthood never means outgrowing your inner child. To mature gracefully is to retain the willingness to water a single rose and marvel at a sky full of stars, no matter how many years pass. To keep a rose and a sky of stars forever in your heart is the finest form of self-taming life can offer.
*Dedicated in respectful tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, creator of The Little Prince, whose timeless fable of love and innocence travels eternally across the stars.
*Supreme Lord Laozi is the supreme divine avatar in Chinese Taoist legends, wandering freely between the mortal world and celestial realms.
