The wind tugged at the bright red kite as Ava tightened her grip on the string. Her dad stood a few feet away, smiling as he watched her. It was a perfect day for kite flying—sunny but breezy, with big, fluffy clouds dotting the sky. To Ava, the kite seemed alive, dancing and weaving as if it had a mind of its own.

“Don’t let go!” her dad called out.

“I’ve got it!” Ava shouted back, though the string tugged against her small hands.

As the kite climbed higher, Ava noticed how the clouds seemed to gather around it, almost as if they were guiding its path. “Dad,” she said, her voice curious, “do you think clouds ever feel lost up there?”

Her dad walked over and crouched beside her. “What makes you ask that?”

Ava shrugged, her eyes fixed on the kite as it dipped and soared. “I don’t know. They float around all day, but they don’t really have anywhere to go. They just… drift.”

Her dad smiled thoughtfully. “Maybe they’re not lost. Maybe they’re exploring. Just like your kite.”

Ava frowned. “But my kite has me to guide it. What do the clouds have?”

“Each other,” her dad said. “And the wind.”

For a moment, Ava thought about that. “I guess that makes sense. But what if the wind takes them somewhere they don’t want to go?”

Her dad adjusted the brim of his hat, watching the kite. “That happens sometimes. Life’s a lot like flying a kite. You can guide it and try to keep it steady, but you can’t control the wind. Sometimes, you’ve just got to trust that it’ll take you where you need to be.”

Ava held onto the string tightly as the kite dipped low, almost touching the ground, before soaring back up. “But what if it crashes?” she asked quietly.

“It might,” her dad admitted. “But you know what you do then?”

“What?”

“You pick it back up, fix it if you need to, and let it fly again.”

Ava smiled a little. “So, the clouds are like life, and the kite is like me?”

“Exactly,” her dad said, nodding. “The clouds might seem big and uncertain, but they’re part of the journey. Your kite is you—figuring out how to navigate, sometimes struggling, but always finding a way to fly.”

For a while, they stood there in silence, Ava focusing on keeping the kite steady as it climbed higher into the sky. The string pulled and twisted, but she held firm, learning how to adjust when the wind changed. She could feel the tension in her hands, but it didn’t scare her. It felt… exciting. Like she was part of something bigger.

When the wind finally started to die down, Ava reeled in the kite. It fluttered and swayed but came back to her safely. She hugged it tightly, looking up at the clouds that still drifted overhead.

“Thanks, Dad,” she said softly.

“For what?” he asked.

“For helping me figure it out.”

Her dad smiled and ruffled her hair. “You’re welcome. Just remember, even when the wind feels strong and the clouds look big, you’ve got what it takes to handle it.”

Ava looked at her kite, then back at the sky. “I think I’ll be okay.”

Her dad chuckled. “I know you will.”

And as they walked back home, the clouds began to scatter, and Ava couldn’t help but feel a little lighter—like a kite ready to fly again.