Once upon a time, in a land where time floated like a lazy balloon, there lived a kind-hearted boy named Luca. His village, Snugglebrook, was nestled between hills that smelled of warm cinnamon and fresh rain. Every morning, the air hummed with the buzz-buzz of bees wearing tiny hats, and the grass tickled Luca’s toes like a thousand giggling fingers.

One day, as Luca munched on a jam sandwich (sticky as a frog’s kiss), he heard a whisper on the wind: "Psst! The Cloud School needs you!" His eyes widened. A school in the clouds? That sounded as silly as a cat wearing socks! But the whisper came again, this time with the crunch-crunch of invisible footsteps on dry leaves.

Determined to find this floating school, Luca packed his backpack with a banana (for energy), a whoopee cushion (just in case), and his lucky pebble (smooth as a soap bubble). Off he went, his boots squelch-squelching through mud that smelled of chocolate pudding. Suddenly—WHOOSH!—a gust of wind lifted him right off his feet! He spun like a top until—PLOP!—he landed on something soft. "Yikes!" Luca yelped. He was sitting on a cloud as fluffy as his grandma’s knitted blanket.

"Welcome, Luca!" chirped a voice. A tiny, round owl with glasses perched on a floating book. "I’m Professor Hootie! The Cloud School’s clock is broken, and without it, time here is all wibbly-wobbly. Will you help us fix it?" Luca gulped. The clock tower loomed above him, its gears grinding like a grumpy bear. But he nodded bravely. "I’ll try!"

Up the tower they climbed, past walls that smelled of buttered popcorn and floors that wobbled like jelly. At the top, Luca saw the clock—its hands spinning wildly, as if chased by a swarm of angry bees. Tick-tock-TICK-TOCK! it clattered. Luca’s knees knocked like castanets. "How do I fix it?" he asked.

Professor Hootie handed him a tiny hammer. "Just give it a tap!" Luca swung—BONK!—but missed and bonked his own thumb instead. "Ouchie!" he yelped, hopping on one foot. The owl giggled. "Try again!" This time, Luca aimed carefully. CLINK! The hammer hit the gear, and—WHIRRR!—the clock’s hands slowed to a gentle tick… tock….

The clouds below cheered, "Hooray for Luca!", and the school’s bell rang out, DONG-DONG-DONG!, sweet as honey. Professor Hootie beamed. "You did it! Time is steady again." Luca grinned, his heart as light as a feather. "It wasn’t so hard," he said, though his thumb still throbbed a little.

As a reward, Luca got to ride the school’s slide—a rainbow that whooshed him all the way back to Snugglebrook. WHEEEEE! He landed with a plop in his own backyard, where his dog, Biscuit, licked his face. "You smell like marshmallows!" Luca laughed, hugging him tight.

That night, as Luca snuggled under his blanket (soft as a cloud), he whispered to the stars, "Being brave feels like eating a whole bowl of ice cream—sweet and a little wobbly!" And with that, he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of floating clocks and owls in glasses.