William loved to jump! He jumped on the couch, he jumped in the garden, he even tried to jump in his sleep! "William, honey, why don't you go jump in the backyard?" Grandma asked. "Dinner will be ready soon!" But William wanted to jump somewhere new! As he pushed open the back door, he saw the biggest jump rope he had ever seen! It hung way up in the sky, almost touching the tippy top of the oak tree. It looked shimmery and silver, almost like the moon...
William took a deep breath and jumped! He jumped so high, he felt like he was flying! And when he landed, he wasn't in his backyard anymore. He was standing on the moon! Everything was bright white and covered in moon dust. He could see Earth far away, like a giant blue and green marble. "Wowzers!" William whispered. He saw a group of kids playing a game with what looked like…shooting stars? "Hey, can I play?" he asked.
The kids all stopped and looked at William. They had pointy ears and sparkly shoes! "You can play if you can catch this!" one said, throwing a shooting star. William reached out and caught it with one hand! The kids gasped. "He has the Moon Strength!" one whispered. "Welcome to the Moon Games!" said another.
William learned that the Moon Games were a special competition held every year on the moon. The games were organized by a friendly Magician with a long white beard and a hat full of stars. He explained to William that the Moon Strength was a special gift given to someone who loved to jump. "Jumping keeps you healthy and strong!" the Magician boomed.
William loved the Moon Games! He played moon tag, where you had to tag someone with a moonbeam, and crater hop, where you had to hop across a giant crater without falling in. He even learned how to fly on a moonbeam, which was like riding a roller coaster, but you could go upside down!
After a while, William started to miss his grandma's cooking. He realized it was time to go home. "Thank you for letting me play!" he told the kids and the Magician. "Jumping is the best!" William said, giving a big wave goodbye.
The Magician smiled. "Of course! Now, how about I give you a ride home on this giant jump rope? You’ll need to use your Moon Strength to jump back down to Earth!”
William took a deep breath, held onto the rope, and jumped! This time, he landed softly on the grass in his backyard. He could smell Grandma's cooking from inside. It smelled like spaghetti and meatballs!
When William came inside, Grandma looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Did you have fun jumping on the moon, honey?" she asked.
William gasped. “How did you know?!”
Grandma just winked. “A little birdie told me.” William laughed and ran to wash his hands for dinner. He knew he would never forget his trip to the moon and the amazing Moon Games! And he knew that no matter what, jumping would always make him happy.
