1. Into the Unknown My friend Jenna and I were riding in a hot air balloon. I could see fluffy white clouds. I felt like we were floating on a big blanket in the sky! I peeked over the edge of the basket and saw the field below us. I could see my family, but they looked like ants. After I saw how far up we were, I started to feel a little scared.

2. Then, the wind came up and blew off my hat. I knew we were in for a rough ride. “Better hold on!” yelled the balloon pilot. Jenna and I gripped the ropes as tightly as we could. The wind carried us up into a layer of clouds. The air was cold and it was hard to see. Everything looked gloomy and gray.

3. Soon, we burst into the sunlight above the clouds, and the sky turned blue again. In the distance, I saw a dark, round object that seemed to be floating in thin air. “That looks like the tower of a castle,” I said to Jenna. We heard a distant voice calling out to us. “Help! Please! I’m stuck, and I don’t know how to get down!”

4. A few minutes later, we arrived at the tower. A boy was standing on the top, waving to us. He looked scared, but I had to laugh. He was wearing my hat! “How did you get up here?” Jenna called. “I was flying my kite, and it got caught in the wind. It pulled me up and up... right onto this tower.”

5. Sure enough, a big, red kite was caught on the wall of the castle tower. The pilot flew the balloon as close to the tower as he could. The boy jumped into the basket and pulled his kite in behind him. “Thanks! I thought I would be stuck up here forever. Here’s your hat.” We gave the boy a ride home in our balloon. Finally, we were all back on the ground. Whew! That was enough adventure for one day.