The Cloud Palace

The Cloud Palace Yavuz DEMİRKIRAN

High above the mountains, where the air is crisp and clean, floated a palace made of clouds. Its walls were soft as whipped cream, and its towers sparkled with morning dew. Princess Skye lived there with her best friend, a young wind spirit named Pip. Skye had warm light-brown skin, wavy black hair in two puffs, and bright amber eyes that always looked for adventure. Pip was small as a cat, with a translucent teal body and a swirl of white hair that danced like a breeze. 1

The cloud palace floated because of special floating stones tucked under its base. They glowed with a gentle blue light and hummed a soft song. Skye loved to sit on the balcony and watch the sun rise over the snowy peaks. Pip would zip around her, leaving a trail of sparkles. "Race you to the top tower!" he chirped. Skye laughed and ran, her pale-blue boots tapping on the cloudy floor. 2

One morning, Skye woke to a strange wobble. The palace tilted left, then right, like a boat on a choppy sea. She hurried to the edge and gasped. A floating stone had vanished! "Pip, look!" she cried. The little wind spirit zoomed over, his big skyblue eyes wide. "Where did it go?" he whispered. They watched as another stone flickered and disappeared. The palace dipped lower, and Skye's heart thumped. 3

"We must find those stones!" Skye declared. She grabbed her silver circlet with the tiny star and put it on. Pip wrapped his cloud-fluff scarf around his neck. "I'll scout ahead," he said, though his tiny hands trembled. They climbed onto a soft cloud and flew out over the mountains. Below, the world looked like a patchwork quilt of green and white. Skye held tight to Pip's hand as they soared. 4

They followed a faint trail of blue sparkles across the sky. It led them over a deep valley and past a waterfall that tumbled into nothing. "The stones must be close," Pip said, sniffing the air. Suddenly, a shadow fell over them. It was huge and grey, like a storm cloud with arms and legs. Skye's eyes widened. "What is that?" she breathed. Pip gulped. "I think it's a storm giant!" 5

The storm giant sat on a mountain peak, his deep grey-blue skin blending with the clouds. His wild white beard billowed in the wind, and his lightning-yellow eyes glowed softly. In one big hand, he clutched several of the floating stones. With the other, he was stacking them into a lopsided pile. "Almost... a home," he muttered in a rumbly voice. He looked lonely and worried. 6

Skye and Pip hid behind a puff of cloud. "He's taking our stones!" Pip whispered. Skye watched the giant fumble with the stones. He placed one on top, and the whole pile wobbled. "No, no," he sighed. "I just want a roof over my head." Skye's kind heart softened. "He's not stealing," she said. "He's building a house. He just doesn't know how." 7

Pip fluttered nervously. "But he's so big! What if he's mean?" Skye shook her head. "He looks sad, not mean. Let's talk to him." She stepped out from the cloud. "Hello!" she called. The giant jumped, and stones tumbled from his hand. "Who's there?" he boomed. Then he saw tiny Skye and Pip. "Oh! I didn't mean to scare you. I just... I wanted a home." 8

Skye smiled her warmest smile. "I'm Princess Skye, and this is Pip. Those stones belong to my palace. But maybe we can help you build a house of your own." The giant's eyes widened. "You'd help me? No one ever helps me. They just run away." Pip zipped closer, sending a gentle breeze. "We won't run," he said. "We're good at building!" The giant's worried face broke into a shy grin. 9

The storm giant introduced himself as Boru. "I've been alone for a hundred years," he said. "My storms scared everyone away." Skye patted his huge hand. "Well, you're not alone now. Let's build you a cloud house!" Pip clapped his tiny hands. "I can gather cloud fluff!" he said. Boru looked at them, his lightning-yellow eyes shining. "You'd really do that for me?" Skye nodded. "That's what friends do." 10

They set to work. Pip blew gentle breezes to shape the clouds into walls. Skye showed Boru how to place the stones so they floated evenly. "Like this," she said, guiding his big hands. Boru was careful and gentle. He stacked the stones in a circle, and they glowed with a soft blue light. Slowly, a cozy cloud house rose, with a puffy roof and round windows. "It's beautiful!" Boru rumbled. 11

When the last stone was in place, the cloud house floated on its own. But the palace still needed its stones back. Boru looked at the pile. "I suppose you need these," he said sadly. Skye shook her head. "We can share! The palace has plenty of stones. You keep these for your house." Boru's jaw dropped. "Really?" Pip nodded. "We'll visit you! And you can visit us." 12

They flew back to the palace, and Skye placed the returned stones in their spots. The palace rose higher and higher until it floated safely again. Boru's cloud house drifted nearby, a new neighbor in the sky. Pip did a happy loop-the-loop, leaving a trail of sparkles. Skye waved to Boru, and he waved back with his huge grey hand. The palace hummed its happy song once more.