Nimbus stacks three smooth gray stones. He stretches his neck toward the thick white mist. "I want to see the top," he whispers.
He drags a massive, waxy green leaf across the rocks. Scrape, scrape, scrape. Then, he begins to knot thick vines together, one by one.
He ties the vines to a woven basket. Whoosh! A sudden wind catches the leaf canopy. The balloon jerks up, and Nimbus scrambles inside as it disappears into the fog.
Up, up, up the balloon spins into the icy, dripping dark. Suddenly—POP! It breaks right through the clouds into blinding golden sunshine. Nimbus gasps and drops his tiny woven hat.
Below him is a sparkling sea of fluffy white clouds. Dozens of glittering, glass-winged butterflies swirl around his basket. They are completely surprised to find a flying turtle in the sky.
Nimbus rests his chin on the basket. He lets the warm yellow light bake his shell. Waving at his new butterfly friends, he floats quietly above his mountain, perfectly at home.