On a free morning, Ton went out to play in the backyard as usual. But today was different - he noticed something he had never seen before.
In the corner of the garden near the big mango tree, a white spiral staircase rose up from the ground and climbed so high it disappeared into the clouds above.
Ton stood and stared for a while. Then he decided to climb.
Each step was soft as cotton. The higher he went, the cooler and fresher the air became. The clouds around him shifted between shades of pink, orange, and purple.
At the top of the staircase, Ton found a small house made of packed cloud. Its windows glowed warmly, and a curl of smoke rose from the chimney.
The door swung open, and a tiny old man with hair as white as cloud peered out with wide, astonished eyes.
“A visitor!” the old man exclaimed. “Come in, come in!”
Inside the house it was warm and smelled of fresh bread. On a round table lay a map of all the clouds in the world.
“I am the Cloud Keeper,” the old man said, introducing himself. “I look after every cloud in the sky.”
“How do you do that?” Ton asked, eyes wide.
“I knead them every morning,” the Cloud Keeper explained. “Clouds that aren’t tended grow too big and send down too much rain. Clouds that are looked after stay soft and just right.”
He led Ton outside and pointed at the clouds drifting past. “That one looks like an elephant. That one like a sailing boat. And that one…” he paused, thinking.
“A rabbit!” Ton blurted out.
The Cloud Keeper laughed. “Exactly! Very sharp eyes.”
The two of them sat on the edge of the cloud and looked down at the tiny towns and fields far below. A gentle wind drifted past.
“Come and visit whenever you like,” the Cloud Keeper said, as Ton started back down the stairs. “It gets a little lonely up here sometimes.”
“I’ll come every week,” Ton promised.
When he reached the garden, the white staircase faded quietly away. But Ton tilted his head back, looked up at the sky, and smiled. He knew now that up above, a friend was waiting for him.
