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When I was little, I rode on lots of things. I rode the subway, and in the car. I rode a steam train, and a sledge, and a horse. Woolly always rode with me.
One day, Mummy took me to ride in an aeroplane.
To get to the aeroplane, we had to go through a big building that looked like the shopping centre with the painty face clown. There were lots of people hurrying around with suitcases and bags.
I gave Woolly a ride on my suitcase.
A lady checked Mummy and my bags. We wheeled them through the big shopping centre. Then we put them on a belt and they went away.
I wanted my suitcase back.
“We’ll get it back, Tig.”
“Are we going to buy something?” I asked Mummy. There were little shops here.
“We’re going flying, Tig.” Mummy told me. “In an aeroplane.”
I was excited. I hopped up and down, but I didn’t fly. I always fell back to the ground.
We stopped at a little cafe for lunch. A funny voice in the ceiling called out about gates. I didn’t see any gates like the ones on the farm.
Mummy took me to a place with lots of chairs, like the waiting room at the doctors. But here, there weren’t any toys. Then the funny voice in the ceiling talked, and Mummy said “That’s us!”
We went through a long tunnel. I wanted to stay in the tunnel, but soon we were inside the aeroplane. There were big comfy seats, and cupboards in the ceiling to put things.
We sat down. A man told everyone how to stay safe. We had to stay sitting and buckled, like in the car.
The captain said hello. Her voice came through the ceiling. “We’ll be taking off soon,” she said.
Mummy gave me a lolly. She said it would help my ears not hurt. My ears felt fine, but I liked lollies.
The plane started to move! I was excited. The plane got louder and louder. It went faster and faster! Suddenly, we took off! It felt funny.
“Mummy, we’re flying!” I said. I held Woolly up to the window, so he could see the ground falling away. Soon, all I could see was blue sky and the sun, and fluffy white clouds.
Mummy wasn’t looking out the window. Mummy had her eyes shut, but she wasn’t sleeping. Mummy held her armrests tightly.
“Do your ears hurt?” I asked. I offered Mummy a lick of my lolly.
“Thank you, Tig,” Mummy said, but she didn’t lick it. “I’m a wee bit scared of flying, is all.”
Mummy looked more than a wee bit scared. She looked very scared. I wasn’t scared. I wanted Mummy to talk and play with me.
I looked at Woolly. Maybe he could help Mummy, like he helped me.
Woolly stood up on my tray. “Hey, Tig,” he said. “Mummy’s scared, like you get sometimes.”
“But it’s not scary,” I said.
“Everyone is afraid of something,” Woolly said. “You were scared of clowns, and beards, and the cow. Mummy’s scared of flying. Flying can make you feel funny, like you’re about to fall.”
I wondered why Woolly wasn’t talking to Mummy.
“Mummy can’t hear me, but you can help her. You can take her mind off flying. You can play I Spy with the clouds.”
Woolly pointed at a cloud. “I spy cotton candy!”
I laughed. Clouds looked just like cotton candy.
“Go for it, Tig! Help take Mummy’s mind off her fear!”
Yes, I thought! I want to help Mummy like Woolly helps me. I held Mummy’s hand.
“Mummy, I spy something white.”
“The clouds?” Mummy guessed.
"Cotton candy!" I laughed.
Mummy and I spied shapes in the clouds. When I held Woolly up to the window, Mummy was scared again.
“It’s only my toy spider.” I told her.
Mummy sighed. She didn’t seem as scared anymore. We looked at clouds, and told stories, and got food from a cart that went down the rows of seats.
I like flying. I like helping Mummy feel less afraid. I love Woolly!