Galaxy Raiders and the Stolen Sun -Maisha Amin

Cox’s Bazar was once the brightest place on Earth. Tourists came from all over the world to see the golden beach, the gentle blue waves, and the glowing sunrise over the sea. But one morning, the sun didn’t rise.

People waited and waited. The sky remained dark. Birds didn’t sing. The waves lost their shimmer and stopped breaking on the beach. It was as if someone had stolen the sun, the nucleus of the solar system and the lone source of light for the whole sun family.

Ten-year-old Rafi lived near Kolatoli Beach with his grandmother, a retired schoolteacher who now sells dried fish. Rafi loved space and science. He often built small gadgets using scrap from the local market. That morning, when he saw the dark sky, his heart beat fast—not with fear, but curiosity.

He climbed the rooftop with his homemade solar tracker, hoping to catch even a flicker of sunlight. Nothing. Only stars above—twinkling too brightly for daytime. Something was wrong.

Suddenly, a silver light zoomed across the dark sky and landed near the Himchhari Waterfall.

Rafi gasped. “A spaceship?!”

He jumped on his bicycle and sped through the silent town, passing puzzled tourists and quiet fishermen. When he reached the waterfall, he saw it—a sleek spacecraft glowing with blue lights, half-hidden behind the rocks.

A door opened, and out stepped three strange beings. They had glowing eyes, metallic suits, and long fingers like dried tamarind pods.

“Who are you?” Rafi asked bravely, holding up a coconut like a shield.

One of them stepped forward and spoke through a buzzing translator.

“We are the Galaxy Raiders. We’ve taken your sun. It’s the last star we needed to complete our solar engine.”

Rafi blinked his eyes. “You stole our sun which is the single source of light on our planet?! What are we supposed to do—live in the dark forever?”

The alien named Zarnok replied, “Your sun will power our planet for a hundred thousand years. We only take suns from galaxies that are peaceful and won’t fight back.”

“But Cox’s Bazar is not just peaceful—it’s full of life! It remains vibrant day and night” Rafi cried. “Fishermen need the sun. The sea turtles need the sun. My grandma’s dried fish business will be ruined if there is no sun!”

The Galaxy Raiders looked confused. “What is…dried fish?”

Rafi saw a chance. He ran home, grabbed a packet of his grandma’s best shutki, and returned.

He offered it to the aliens. They sniffed, then nibbled.

Their eyes sparkled.

“This is…delicious!” Zarnok said. “Salty. Spicy. Crispy. A taste of Earth we never knew!”

Rafi grinned. “We’ll give you all the shutki you want. In return, give us the sun back.”

The Galaxy Raiders whispered among themselves.

“It is a fair deal,” Zarnok said finally. “Shutki is rare. There is no spice like this in the galaxy.”

They pressed a button on their wrists. Brilliant beams of light shot into the sky. Moments later, the sun returned, slowly rising over the Bay of Bengal. The beach lit up with golden rays again, and the waves danced once more, wearing back its signature feature.

People cheered and screamed in joy.

The aliens handed Rafi a glowing crystal. “This is a Sun Seal. If the sun ever disappears again, use it to call us. And send more shutki.”

The spaceship rose into the sky and disappeared into the stars.

From that day on, Rafi became popular. He also started a new business: Shutki Galaxy Express—Bangladesh’s first intergalactic dried fish service.

And Cox’s Bazar? It became known as the town that once saved the sun with a little courage, a smart boy, and a bag of spicy shutki.