Ema was the kind of girl who felt like the world was one big, wonderful mystery. She wore a mustard-yellow sweater so big it swallowed her hands, and her round glasses were always sliding—just a little bit—down her nose. One windy Tuesday, Ema was standing in the schoolyard when she heard a very peculiar sound.
Whump!
It wasn't a loud thump or a scary crash. It was the sound of a giant, rainbow-striped hot air balloon landing right on the hopscotch squares. The basket was made of golden wicker, and the pilot was a tiny, fuzzy owl wearing a shiny silver vest. This was Captain Hoot.
“Good morning, Ema!” hooted the owl, adjusting his tiny goggles. “Today is a big day. I am here to take you on a journey! But,” he held up a feathered wing, “you must make a Choice. We can fly to the Land of Giant Sweets, where the rivers are chocolate and the clouds are marshmallows. Or, we can fly to the Forest of Talking Books, where the trees whisper ancient tales and the leaves are made of poetry. Which will it be?”
Ema’s heart did a little dance. Can you imagine having to choose between chocolate clouds and talking books? Ema tugged at her oversized sleeves. Her brain felt like a dizzy carousel. She wanted to see the gumdrop mountains, but she also wanted to hear the secrets of the paper-birch trees. She climbed into the basket, and with a gentle Whoosh!, the balloon rose into the air.
As they floated high above the school, the sky turned a soft shade of lavender. To the left, Ema could smell cinnamon and sugar. Pop! Pop! Pink candy bubbles floated by. A tiny Sugar-Sugar Mouse with a caramel tail scampered along the edge of the basket. “Come to the Land of Sweets!” the mouse squeaked. “Everything is crunchy, munchy, and deliciously sweet!”
But to the right, a soft Sshhh-ssshhh sound drifted on the wind. It was the sound of a thousand pages turning at once. A Book-Bird, with wings made of colorful maps, circled the balloon. “The Forest is waiting, Ema,” the bird chirped. “There is a story there that only you can hear.”
Ema felt a little bit sad. She felt like choosing one meant she would lose the other forever. She looked at Captain Hoot. “How do I pick? If I go to the chocolate river, the books will be lonely. If I go to the trees, the candy will melt!”
Captain Hoot blinked his big, golden eyes. “Choosing isn't about what you lose, Ema. It’s about what you are ready to discover right now. The other path isn't gone; it’s just waiting for a different day.”
Ema took a deep breath. She thought about her cozy sweater and how much she loved to dream. She looked at the Forest of Talking Books. She wanted to hear a story. “I choose the Forest!” she said, her voice small but sure.
Zip! Zoom! The balloon dove through a cloud that smelled like old libraries and fresh rain. They landed softly in a clearing of shimmering silver trees. Every leaf was a page from a book! As Ema walked through the grass, the trees started to whisper. One tall Birch tree leaned down and told her a brave tale about a girl with wire-rimmed glasses who traveled across the sky. Ema listened with her whole heart.
When it was time to go home, Captain Hoot gave her a single, glowing 'story-leaf' to keep in her pocket. As the balloon landed back in the schoolyard with a final Bum-bump, Ema stepped out onto the grass. She hadn't visited the Land of Sweets, and that was okay. She felt brave and tall—even in her oversized sweater—because she had made a big decision all by herself.
And that’s how it all turned out just right.