The Kite With a Secret UFLI Foundations Lesson 92

It rained all week. May pressed her nose to the window every morning and said, 'Come on, sun!' Then one day, the rain blew away and the sky was bright. May ran to the street before her laces were even tied. Today was the day. Her kite was going to fly.

Kids lined the street, and the sky was full of kites. May could see a big green monster kite with big teeth and a shiny fish kite that swooped and dived like it was alive. May put one hand up to block the sun. 'Those are cool,' she said. Then she smiled. 'But not one of them has a troll queen.' Her kite was not just any kite. It had a secret trick. A good one.

It took May days to make her kite. Rule one: both sides must match. Exactly. May checked the left side. Then the right. Then she checked them again, just to be safe. A kite must be smooth and even. If one side is too long, do you see what happens? The kite spins off, tips low, and splat. Right into the dirt. No thank you.

May started with sketches. Lots of sketches! Then she took paper, tape, and glue. More tape, too, because you can never have too much tape. She cut the shapes with skill. Paper, not wood. Not metal. A kite must be light so the wind can lift it. You would not throw a brick into the sky and wait for it to float. Would you?

Next came the string. May unrolled it across her bedroom. Then along the hall. Then into the kitchen, past the big plant and the dishes, and almost to the back door. 'This string goes forever!' she yelled, leaping over a stool. The longer the string, the higher the kite can go. And the kite May made was going to fly higher than all the rest.

This was the best part. May went up to the roof and held her kite high. On it was her secret trick: a troll queen with a big smile and a gold hat on top. 'Your job is to fly higher than every kite on this street,' May told her. 'Can you do that?' The troll queen just smiled and looked cool.

The kite dipped and wobbled left and right. It fell so low that May could almost reach it. 'No, no, no, no!' Then a big gust of wind scooped under the wings, and the kite shot into the sky. It flew past the rooftops, past the monster kite, past the fish kite, and past every kite on the street! May jumped and yelled, 'Go, Troll Queen, go!'

She flew so high! The kite was just a tiny yellow shape against the sunset sky. The troll queen smiled up there, and her pink ribbons danced in the wind. The true queen of the sky. Do you want to make a cool kite of your own? Grab some paper and a good long string. Doodle something brave on it. Then send it up and see what happens.