INFINITE SOUP
Infinite Soup
Written by Hana
Illustrated by Simon and Hana
You are a deep well
I’ll whisper my dreams into…
My infinite soup
BOOK 1:
ALIVE AND WELL
ACT I: HOW TO ENTER A CLOUD
ACT II: A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM
ACT III: THE UNKNOWN
ACT I:
HOW TO ENTER A CLOUD
Sitting parallel,
as the clouds shrug off the sun.
Take shape of my thoughts
Poppy sprinted out of the woods, where every tree whispered “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.” She ignored them all because just ahead, she caught a flash of Sirius’s tail slipping past a crooked sign that read:
YOU’RE NOW LEAVING THE FOREST OF HINDSIGHT
The trees spat her out into a wide field, stitched with strings of kites. They bobbed and weaved in the air, though no one appeared to be flying them.
“Sirius! Stop! Come back!” she cried.
“Hey! You there! With the heavy dark cloud!”
Poppy skidded to a stop. “Who said that?! What cloud?”
A crow in a snug little vest glared at her. She looked up and, to her horror, found a gray puff of sorrow floating over her head like a personal raincloud.
“Didn’t you read the sign?!” the crow barked, stabbing his beak toward the path.
Poppy turned. Sure enough, a sign had been nailed to a stump:
NO HEAVY THOUGHTS BEYOND THIS POINT
The crow sighed and fluttered down beside her. “Your thoughts have to be lighter. Think ‘’cotton candy’. Or ‘dandelion fluff.’
Not that soggy baggage you’ve got going on up there.”
“I can’t be light” Poppy admitted, clutching the dog collar in her hand. “I lost my dog.”
“Dog? Oh, you mean that one?” The crow squinted at the sky.
Poppy’s heart leapt, until she realized she was staring at a kite shaped uncannily like Sirius, furry tail and all, looping freely in the wind.
Her face fell. “That’s not him. That’s just a kite that looks like him.”
“Kite, dog, same difference once you’re up there,” the crow said.
“Everyone becomes a kite when they’re trying to get through.” explained the Crow.
Poppy’s eyes widened. “Get through to where?”
The crow turned his attention to a cloud nearby. “Hey! You! What did I tell you about flying too close to the sun?!”
Above them, a frog clung to a golden kite, spiraling higher and higher.
“Oh, brother,” the crow muttered.
“Here comes another Icarus with webbed feet. They never listen. Give it a minute and you’ll smell crispy frog legs.”
Sure enough, Poppy heard croaks turn into squeals as the kite zig-zagged towards the sun.
The crow shook his head. “Lightness does not mean recklessness. Don’t confuse the two.”
Poppy brightened up with new found hope.
“Hey, so how do I get up there so I can follow my dog?!"
The crow slapped a glossy wing to his forehead.
“Have you not been listening this entire time?! Are you even reading the signs?!”
Ahead, a gigantic billboard flickered.
HOW TO ENTER A CLOUD
1. Forget your worries
2. Close your eyes
3. Be light
HOW TO ENTER A CLOUD
1. Forget your worries
2. Close your eyes
3. Be light
Poppy took a deep breath and closed her eyes gently. A soft and warm buzz rolled across her chest. Her shoulders loosened and the dog collar slid in her hands. Poppy peeked one eye open one last time.
The kites above her began swelling like balloons, tugging the whole sky loose. The grass bent sideways. Her gray and soggy raincloud evaporated into fine mist. Her feet tingled, then lifted.
She was light.
ACT II:
A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM