Pip and the Moon Balloon

In the garden after supper, Pip found a balloon that wanted to go somewhere.

The balloon tugged, just a little, toward the moon.

Up they went, over the cottage with the crooked chimney.

Rooftops slid by. A cat on a weathervane pretended not to look.

An owl in an oak said, without words, that the sky was theirs.

They crossed a river that was made of stars and quiet.

Cloud-sheep waved with their woolly hooves.

The moon grew so large Pip could see the silver dust on it.

They landed as softly as a sock on a rug.

Pip shared a cookie. The moon, being the moon, was an excellent listener.

Home smelled like dawn and woodsmoke.

And the balloon, quite worn out, slept in a teacup by the cocoa.