The Quiet Smudge

Paintbrush Sheep Tower smelled like toast and strawberry jam.

At the rooftop door, Paintbrush Mother Sheep paused with a plate in her hands. Her rainbow cape bumped the frame.

Lucy and Susie stood near the ledge, each with cardboard wings taped to her arms.

Lucy clicked her phone timer.

“Three, two—Susie, go!” Lucy said.

Susie sprinted, hopped, and… flopped onto a rooftop cushion with a grunt.

Susie sat up, cheeks pink. “That was almost flying.”

Mother Sheep set the plate down hard. “Almost falling.”

Lucy frowned. “Mom, we practiced for weeks. You always swoop in before we even try.”

Mother Sheep’s gloved hand slid toward the oversized glowing paintbrush on her back.

Susie pointed at the sky. “Wait.”

A thin roar skimmed over the tower. Far above, a bright streak curved like wet paint across the morning clouds, fast enough to make the city’s flags snap

The Banner That Wouldn’t Behave

The bright streak dove lower, and the air boomed like a drum.

A long paper banner snapped across the rooftop, wrapping Lucy’s cardboard wing. Susie yelped and spun in place.

Mother Sheep grabbed the banner before it could tug anyone toward the ledge. The paper had a giant arrow and a square code.

Lucy’s thumbs flew over her phone. “It’s a sign-up. ‘Sky Tryout.’ It closes in twenty minutes!”

“Tryout for what?” Susie asked, still half tangled.

The banner flapped again, pointing past the tower toward the river side of the city.

Mother Sheep swallowed. “Hold on to my belt loops. Tight.”

“We can run!” Lucy said.

“You can fly with me,” Mother Sheep said, and jumped.

Her cape snapped open like a flag. Canvas Meadow City rushed up—painted rooftops, scooter lanes, and one very ordinary laundromat with a spinning sign.

Mother Sheep landed by the door. Water gushed from a hose, making shiny puddles across the sidewalk.

A short-haired human woman in a gray apron held up a shoe with a flapping sole. “I fix shoes,” she said. “And you three are about to slip if you—”

Susie’s sneaker hit the puddle and skidded