Barnaby the Balloon was blue, a bright and bouncy blue, the bluest blue there ever was, and oh, how Barnaby loved to SWOOOOSH!

He lived in a land where balloons never touched the ground, they just bobbed and swayed in the air with happy, squeaky sounds.

Barnaby loved to play games like 'Catch the Cloud' and 'Who Can Touch the Highest Rainbow', he was a balloon full of glee and never a grouch.

One day, a little boy named Timmy pointed up at the sky and said, "Look at that blue balloon, I want to fly so high!"

Barnaby heard Timmy's wish and thought, "Maybe, just maybe, I could let him hold my string, just for a little while, wouldn't that be easy breezy?"

So, Barnaby floated down, down, down, closer and closer to the ground, something he had never done before, it felt very strange, like a brand new sound.

Timmy was so excited! He reached out his hand, his eyes wide with glee, ready to grab Barnaby's string and finally be free!

But just as Timmy was about to touch the string, Barnaby felt a funny feeling, a little voice inside him started to sing.

The voice whispered, "Don't let go! Balloons belong in the air, soaring high, that's where the rainbows are, that's where dreams take flight, it's just not fair!"

Barnaby didn't know what to do. He wanted to make Timmy happy, but he also wanted to stay up high, soaring with the fluffy white clouds in the sky.

Then, Barnaby had a WHOPPING, POPPING, AMAZING idea! He puffed himself up big and round, like a big blue sphere.

He floated close to Timmy and whispered, "Close your eyes and make a wish, any wish you desire, anything your heart can wish!"

Timmy closed his eyes tight and wished with all his might. He wished to fly high above the clouds, to dance with the stars and shout out loud!

Barnaby listened to Timmy's wish and smiled, "Open your eyes, little Timmy! Your wish will come true, in a little while!"