In long ago days, in a far away land, past the Woodward Large, where the trees whispered secrets and the ground kept them safe below -- even beyond Horse-Hoof Canyons, where half-shod hooves beat an echoed tune through granite caverns -- in this land lay Bouncy Park.

Now, unlike most parks you might see in the world today, the rolling hills of Bouncy Park stood springy underfoot, as if the ground itself was made of rubber. And it was toward this park that Tilly and her little brother Pip sprinted from the caverns, each of them running full tilt, giggling as they ran and leaving only laughter behind them. For today was the Great Bouncy Park Race, where children dashed, leaped, and tumbled along the park’s colorful curves, and they were already late to the party.

As little feet pressed down upon them, the trails shook and changed, their mystical blues parting before vibrant reds, pinks giving way to purples, each color morphing into the next as seamlessly as a child wakes from slumber, and the whole land seemed to giggle along with the children.

Pip, small but swift, streaked out ahead of Tilly, faster by far than his sister and gaining ground on those ahead.

“Go, Pip! Go!” Tilly cheered, breathlessly egging her little brother on as her red pigtails bounced on her narrow shoulders.

Her words drifted to Pip’s ears, and he sprang into action, leaping like a rabbit from one hill to the next, his soles squeaking softly against the springy soil as they briefly met the ground. He laughed with pure joy every time the wind blew his hair back from his forehead and tickled his cheeks as he flew through the air. First running and then leaping, he passed one child after another until finally, he took the lead.

However, as the race drew on and his energy flagged, a few other children zoomed past him, some cartwheeling, others somersaulting, all giggling wildly. Pip didn’t mind. He grinned as they passed, because he had visited Bouncy Park many times before, and he knew a trick they didn't know. A trick between him and the land itself.

He waited until the end approached, a glowing arch of starlight marking the finish line. Then, as his feet left the ground once more, he stared fixedly down, curling two fingers around each other in a fervent prayer. “Please, Bouncy Park," he whispered, shutting his eyes tight with concentration, "give me a bit of a boost!”

A ripple of light winked through the park, making the other children gasp in surprised wonder. Tilly stopped and grinned, watching the show unfold. She’d seen it all before, but even 

The next step Pip took launched him high into the air, sending him soaring far above the other children, arms spreading wide into a pair of golden wings. Then he bent them in and dove hard, his nose pointed toward the archway. At the last moment, he spread them out again and glided safely down, landing in first place, to the delight of all.

Starlight shimmered around him as Tilly ran to hug him tight around the middle.

“Congratulations, Pip! You’re the bounciest of all!” she said.

"No," he countered, gazing at the ground once more, "Bouncy Park is the bounciest of them all!”

That night, as they lay snuggled into their beds, Pip gazed at the starlight outside their window and thought about his day. A smile spread across his lips as he whispered into the night, "Thank you, Bouncy Park."

Outside, the wind carried his words to Woodward Large, where the trees heard and spread them all the way to the edge of Horse-Hoof Canyon, where the caves picked up their whispers, which bounced from one cavern to the next until they finally echoed out into Bouncy Park itself. And when that happened, for just a moment, as the memory of laughter floated across the land, the whole park lit up in one vibrant glow of light, the color of joy.

The Great Bouncy Park Race

A Children's Story

In long ago days, in a far away land, past the Woodward Large, where the trees whispered secrets and the ground kept them safe below -- even beyond Horse-Hoof Canyons, where half-shod hooves beat an echoed tune through granite caverns -- in this land lay Bouncy Park.



The Great Bouncy Park Race

A Children's Story

This is an Exclusive Story for supporters of Laura Pruett

About the Creator

Laura Pruett

Comments

Upgrade to see comments and join the conversation

Keep reading

A Dwarf's Life -- In Brief (Episode 2)

The Great Bouncy Park Race

A Children's Story

This is an Exclusive Story for supporters of .css-13w9qce-Text{display:inline-block;color:var(--text-accent);}Laura Pruett

About the Creator

Laura Pruett

Comments

Upgrade to see comments and join the conversation

Keep reading

A Dwarf's Life -- In Brief (Episode 2)

This is an Exclusive Story for supporters of Laura Pruett