At a park balloon festival, Zosia loses her favourite red balloon and feels a whole storm of emotions. Then a strange old lady in a purple hat steps closer with something in her hand.
One bright afternoon, Zosia walked through the park beside her mother, where the balloon festival had turned every path into a swirl of colour and sound. In her hand she held three balloons: one yellow like sunshine, one blue like the summer sky, and one red like a ripe strawberry.
Music floated through the air. Children laughed. Balloons bumped gently against one another above the crowd, and Zosia bounced with delight as her own strings tugged softly in her fist.
She turned to show them to her friend Antek.
Then the red string slid.
"Oh no!" Zosia cried, grabbing quickly, but her fingers caught only air.
The red balloon rose above her head, higher and higher, until the wind carried it past the treetops and into the wide blue sky.
Zosia stared up after it. Her chest felt tight. Something fluttered in her tummy like trapped butterflies. She felt sad, and then angry at the wind, and then sad all over again.
Antek came closer and put his hand near hers without touching. "It went so fast," he said.
Zosia blinked hard. The red balloon was only a tiny dot now, drifting far away.
Then a woman in a purple hat stepped out of the crowd and stopped right in front of Zosia. In her hand, she held ...