Chapter 9

9 The cloud stretched as far as Rosie could see. She had flown above the clouds in a plane before, but this was very different. It felt like visiting a new land—where everything was made of clouds! Nearby grew a puffy tree, and off in the distance loomed a big puffy mountain. Rosie took a cautious step forward. She knew that clouds in the normal world were made of water droplets. There

was no way you could walk on that! But the clouds here seemed to be made of something more like snow, although it wasn't cold. Even better, it was also slightly springy! But just how springy was it? There was only one way to find out. Rosie tried jumping on the clouds. It was like bouncing on the best trampoline ever! The moment they saw her do this, Stella and Phoebe just had to join in, too, and soon all three Night Dragons were leaping around on the cloud. "Great jumping, Night Dragons," said the dad moth. "But don't you have a job to do?"

Rosie stopped jumping right away. "Oops, you're right," she said. "Have you noticed that the clouds keep changing shape?" asked Phoebe. "Yes!" said Rosie, gazing about in wonder. "That cloud over there was shaped like a strawberry bush doing yoga. Now it looks like a turtle driving a car." "That's right," said Mothew, fluttering up above the group. "Everything changes here all the time.

The only thing that doesn't change its shape is the head cloud." "That's where we're going?" Rosie asked. "We sure are," said Mothew. "That's where the Sky Skimmers make the daydream bubbles." Rosie and her friends beamed at one another. This was great news! "Mothew, what does the head cloud look like?" Rosie asked, eager to get going. In this place, anything could be shaped like anything. Even the all-important head cloud. "I just told you!" Mothew grinned, sounding surprised. "It's shaped like a head." Rosie burst out laughing. "Oh! I thought you meant it was the main cloud," she said. "It IS the main cloud," said Mothew, looking more puzzled than ever. "And it's shaped like a head. Look, it's over there." Rosie looked where Mothew's antennae were pointing. Sure enough, there was a huge cloud that looked a lot like a head.

"I can see things moving," said Phoebe. "They're soft and white and floaty." "Sky Skimmers," Mothew explained. "Come on, everyone." Like the Night Dragons, the moths couldn't fly in the thin air, but Mothew was an expert at hopping over the bouncy cloud surface. Although the Dragon Girls were much bigger, it was hard for Rosie, Phoebe, and Stella to keep up. It was fun but not easy! The dad moth decided to catch a ride on Rosie's back. It only took a few big leaps for the group to arrive at the head cloud, and as they approached, the mouth opened and something fluffy and white floated out. "Look at that little cloud!" Stella exclaimed. "It's got eyes!" The cloudlike thing seemed hurt. "I am not a little cloud," it said. "I am a fully grown Sky Skimmer."

"Sorry," said Stella, trying not to laugh. The Sky Skimmer had an unexpectedly deep voice! Rosie leaned her head down toward the Sky Skimmer. "We need your help," she explained. "As you probably know, the Magic Forest is stuck in a never-ending twilight. The daydream bubbles you're sending down keep getting damaged by the Fire Sparks." "I know. And it's a real problem because we cannot make any new daydreams." The Sky Skimmer sighed. "The material we make daydreams from grows overnight. We need night to fall so we can grow more." This was bad news! Without the daydreams being scattered by the Dream Collectors, night would never fall! Rosie showed the Sky Skimmer the net of daydreams. "These are the only ones left," she said. "They've been damaged by the Fire Sparks. Do you think you can fix them?"