Luis chased the red balloon past the stone wall. A tall man stepped from behind a pine tree.
The man caught the balloon and lifted Luis onto a wooden sleigh. Luis pressed his river stone into his pocket.
The sleigh rolled through the snow. Crunch, creak. The wool blanket smelled of pine.
'Help!' Luis shouted. He rolled the stone between his thumbs. Click, click.
The man pushed aside the blanket. Blue crystals lit a cave mouth. Luis stepped inside.
The man set Luis down on moss. A small white fox watched from the shadows.
Luis held out the river stone. The fox sniffed and sneezed. 'Pfffffffft!'
'You can keep the fox,' Luis said. 'Take me home.' The man nodded.
The man lifted Luis onto his shoulders. They walked toward the cave mouth. The sleigh swayed left, then right.
The sleigh stopped at the village. Luis ran to the bakery. His mother's scarf smelled of yeast and woodsmoke.
