The balloons carry Sasha aloft. This is a dangerous mission. He hadn’t wished to alarm his dear friend, Freya the beautiful tabby, but he must focus on his mission to prevent himself lapsing into a state of nerves.
Focusing on the balloons, he grips the strings tightly as they carry him up into the slight breeze and drift westwards in the cool night air. For a while they fly in silence. The full moon seems to float over the sky and descends into the west. Much later the sun creeps up on the eastern horizon, springing up from the desert landscape. Soon it grows hot.
The sun travels over the sky. Sasha has never been so aware of the sun. Down below he can see dunes. One balloon breaks free and drifts off separately upwards. He feels thirsty, really thirsty. The balloons drift on and on. Night falls abruptly, the sun leaving a short twilight glow. The moon appears and begins to wander over the sky. How much longer can he hold on? It isn’t worth thinking about these things, but his muscles will eventually weaken and it is a long drop down to the sand.
Sasha looks down. It is a very long way. But it is no longer just sand. One section of his view has changed. At last, the carpet. It is hovering just below and it rises gently towards the exhausted cat.
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The carpet holds steady and makes no attempt to throw him off. Sasha sits quietly while the magic carpet produces some water for him and a bowl of much needed food. The two of them exchange a few thoughts. The carpet now feels sorry to have left. It is most impressed at Sasha’s efforts and expands itself into a larger carpet so he can relax. Sasha deflates the balloons and packs them away. He regrets that a few escaped during his journey, as he was aware they would pollute the environment. But most of all he is worried about Freya. He urges the carpet to return with him to Freya’s tent.
The carpet says that if it carries Sasha beneath, they can travel at an express speed. There is quite a distance to go to the tent. The carpet advises Sasha to take a cat nap and it will wake him later so they can start to travel at express speed.
Sasha wonders if he can do that. Does he have the strength to clutch the carpet while it travels at speed? After he takes a short nap, the carpet wakes him. They are flying through the sky like birds with the darkness below and the Milky Way above, so far away. He feels the carpet tugging at him from above. He must endure.
