Pip holds the red balloon string. Bramble the rabbit grabs the other end. "My turn!" says Bramble.
"No, my turn!" says Pip. They pull and pull until — zing! The balloon flies up and gets stuck in a bush.
Both freeze. Bramble hops away without a word. Pip stands very still.
The meadow feels too big and too quiet. Pip walks past the mossy log. Past the wildflower patch. Past the little stream.
A grasshopper hops by and disappears into the clover. Pip watches it go. His red balloon is still up in that bush somewhere.
Pip hears a rustle above. He looks up. His red balloon is tangled in the oak branches.
Pip scrambles up the trunk. His little feet slip on bark. His spines catch on twigs. He pulls and pulls at the string.
Finally — it comes loose! The balloon bobs free and drifts in the breeze.
Pip climbs down. At the base of the tree, Bramble sits waiting. Two plump blackberries rest in his paws.
Pip's tummy gives a quiet rumble. Bramble holds out the berries. Pip takes one.
Bramble takes the balloon string. They sit side by side in the green grass. The red balloon floats above them.
Bramble whispers, "Friends again?" Pip nods. The balloon bobs up and down like a happy nod.
