My Troll Queen Kite UFLI Foundations Lesson 121

Rain splashes my window all week. All. Week. Long. Every morning, I press my nose to the glass and stare at the sky. Even a dreamer like me can't wait for the sun forever. 'Come on, sun,' I say. But today the clouds crack open and the sun lights up the yard. I race out the door, past the pink tulips, and feel the breeze tug at my hair. Today is the day. My kite is going to fly at last.

Out on the street, kites fill the sky from one end to the other! A big green monster kite with sharp teeth snaps in the wind. A shiny fish kite darts and dives like it is alive. What a flier! 'Those are pretty good,' I say, shading my eyes from the bright sun. Then I smile. 'But not one of them has a troll queen.' My kite is not just any kite. It has a secret weapon. But first, let me tell you how I built it.

Rule number one of kite building: every side has to match. Exactly. I am a careful maker. I check the left side. I check the right side. I check them both again. Then one more time, just to be sure. If one side is even a tiny bit longer, do you know what happens? The kite spins out, drops, and splat. Straight into the dirt. No thank you.

I start with sketches. Lots of sketches. Every artist needs a plan before picking up the scissors. Then I grab all I need: paper, scissors, tape, glue, and more tape. Because you can never have too much tape. I cut the shapes out with care. Paper, not wood. Not metal. Not bricks. Paper! A kite has to be light enough for the wind to carry. You would not throw a brick into the sky and hope it floats. Would you?

Next comes the string. I unroll it across my bedroom. Then down the hall. Then through the kitchen, past the big plant, around the dishes, and almost out the back door. 'This string goes forever!' I yell, racing down the hall. I feel like a runner in a big race. The longer the string, the higher the kite can go. And my kite? My kite is going to go higher than the rest.

Now, this is the best part. The secret weapon. I climb up to the roof, hold my kite high, and let the wind take it. Right on the face of the kite, there she is: my troll queen. Big eyes. Bigger smile. And a golden crown on her head. I am no painter, but she looks just right. 'Troll Queen,' I say, 'fly higher than every single kite on this street. That is the job.' The troll queen just smiles. She looks ready.

Back on the street, I watch the kite dip. No! It wobbles left. It wobbles right. It drops so low I can almost touch it. 'No no no no no!' Then a big gust of wind scoops under the wings, and my kite shoots into the sky. Past the rooftops. Past the monster kite. Past the fish kite. Past every single kite on the street! I jump up and down. I am the biggest shouter on the street. 'Go, Troll Queen, go!'

And she goes. She goes so high she is just a tiny yellow diamond against the sunset, with her crown and her smile and her pink ribbons trailing in the wind. The queen of the wide sky. Hey. Do you want to be a kite maker too? Grab some paper, some tape, and a really, really long string. Fold some strips to make your frame, then draw something brave on it. Then send it up and see what happens.