Star Travelers, Through the Portal Part 1 & 2: Princess Aine Escapes through the Portal
Star Travelers, Through the Portal is the story of two girls, one from Earth and one from a starship somewhere in the cosmos, not too far from here, who run away from home at the exact same moment in time and, as a result, accidentally switch places in a space travel portal. These two girls have the same name, same appearance and could be twins.
In this story, you will have the opportunity to see the world of today from many different perspectives, to travel to many places including other planets in the stars. You will have the chance to contemplate your position in the world, to consider the concepts presented in the book and most of all, to focus your mind on world betterment in this time of extreme change.
Language Lesson
Setting: This story has two settings, switching back and forth between them: 1. the cosmos, including starships and other planets; the home of Princess Aine and 2. Earth, the home of Anya, from Kansas.
Characters: The two main characters in this story have a name (and appearance) to indicate they are twin souls: Princess Aine from the Stars and Anya, of Earth
Their names are pronounced exactly the same: “on-yah” or “awn-yah” or “awn ye”.
All names have meaning. Aine or often spelled, Anya, is a name means radiance and Love in Irish.
Contemplate: What is the full meaning of your own name?
Vocabulary
Please clarify the meaning of the following words using the dictionary.
Note that some words have more than one definition.
Compose in writing or verbally, a sentence for each definition.
Drape (verb)
Correspondence (noun)
Attire (noun)
Wrenching (adjective)
Portal (noun)
Abyss (noun)
Magnetize (verb)
Deafening (adjective)
Palatial (adjective)
Hitch (verb)
Mutation (noun)
Piercing (adjective)
Pang (noun)
Cosmic (adjective)
Allegory (noun)
Read and/or listen to the following passage, part 1 of Chapter 1 from the book Star Travelers, Through the Portal. The text of the passage is written below the video which is a live reading of the passage.
Star Travelers, Through the Portal Part 1
As Above, So Below: The Correspondence
Aine of the Stars Escapes through the Portal
Princess Aine stumbled, stubbing her slippered toe. She slid across the smooth floor of the starship, got up, and kept running.
She tore away the soft material draped around her body, freeing herself from its grasp and leaving behind a stream of bright, red fabric that had been decorated with precious jewels gathered from across the galaxies.
Princess Aine knew, within moments, her presence, (or rather the lack of it), would be discovered. She had prepared for this moment for endless days, it seemed. She had longed for it, hoping and imagining every detail.
She tore away the tight fitting wrap that bound her waist, her royal attire. And with it, she ripped away all that it represented to her: the cold demands, wrenching decisions, long moments of staring at faces that held no smile in particular for her, no real friends, despite peoples of many other worlds in endless meetings and councils. She did not understand the coldness toward her. There seemed to be no relief from her sorrow.
It was lonely out in space. She had always lived on this starship. It was enough now, she could not bear it — not one more day.
Her escape plan was to enter the depths of the ship, hiding in the shadows and waiting for that moment when the guards to the portal would sleep. Or if they did not sleep, she hoped they would turn away for long enough that she could jump.
Her breath was the only sound in the silent belly of the ship as she climbed the stairways; down through the corridor — where she turned again — to the gateway that would carry her over the abyss of machinery that was gently spinning below.
As they traveled through space, gliding in the winds and cruising vast expanses of the cosmos, those crystal gems magnetized and quietly turned — endlessly. She remembered her teacher explaining how crystals remained the sole energy of the ship indefinitely.
Perhaps she’d not learned her lessons well enough. To her, at that moment, it was just a lonely silence.
The Starship was a fantasyland of palatial gardens, pools and food of every kind — wonderful for a girl but not for the woman she had become. How could she discover herself? She’d no friends who understood her.
At this point, she didn’t care where the portal led. She didn’t care if she never came back. A pang of sorrow tapped at her heart. She would not miss anyone except her cuddlies and Philomena, her droid.
“‘Mina, I’m gonna miss ya!” she whispered, as she hitched her parachute one last time.
Listen to Part 2 (text included below the video)
As the winds of space rocked the magnificent dome through the cosmos, Aine cupped her hand over her mouth and whispered as if in prayer, “Let me find my place and my true home!” She tore away the final jewels still remaining in her hair. She tucked them into her flight pouch so they would not noisily drop through the barred staircase that led the way up to the portal. The Portal — it was her hope for change.
She approached and yes — the guard was sleeping. He had enormous ears and long arms, a mutation developed purposefully for his kind. She knew his piercing eyes were unavoidable, when or if they opened, so she resolved to maintain absolute silence. The tiniest sound could resonate through the belly of the ship to give away her heat or presence.
Aine approached the space portal, a glowing blue window out into the infinite universe. She knew it was only open to her hand, the one handprint that would allow it – the handprint of royalty.
She pushed. The alert sirens were deafening. In less than a second, she slipped through the tiny space as if being pulled, carrying only her flight pack, the warmth of her second skin-suit and her space parachute.
She pulled the rip cord and left the close presence of her body, and watched herself from above — the red pillow unfolding to parachute her softly in the wind.
She saw herself, a tiny red flame in the sparkling clouds and knew it was over at last. She would cease to be and feel the peace of death envelop her or she would arrive in some new world. Neither mattered anymore … she was free.
She let go and the winds of time took her on a journey of being and becoming, of not-being and non-existence all at once. It was a moment of complete nothingness and all of something-ness in an instant that both disintegrated and restored her, like one big, cosmic breath.
Comprehension
Please answer the following questions using words, illustrations, music or photographs/photoshop, etc.
- Please describe Princess running through the starship to reach the Portal. What does she look like? What does the starship look like? You may describe it using the medium of your choice (screen shot, words, music, illustrations, or a combination of these, etc.)
- Why do you think the Princess was running away even though she had a beautiful home? Please answer in a complete sentence, paragraph or essay.
- What does a Portal or doorway symbolize? Answer in a complete sentence, paragraph or essay. A HINT for your answer is in the first paragraph of this article: http://www.sbrusticdoors.com/blog/symbolism-of-doors/
- Read the first sentence of the novel. Note the use of the figurative language called Alliteration (each word begins with the same sound). Write a sentence of your own using Alliteration.
