Malady the Sock Monkey Flies to the Sun

One day that was finer than feathers, Malady the Sock Monkey decided to fly to the sun. Two knitted arms would not do. Malady went in search of advice from the birds.

Owl was fast asleep. Malady rang the golden bell.
‘What time is it?’ yawned Owl, ‘This ding dong day ruffles my feathers’.
‘I need a pair of wings’ said Malady ‘I want to fly to the sun’. Owl peered at him morosely,
‘The sky is too wide little monkey, stay in the treetops where you belong.’

Malady found a quarrel of sparrows hopping on a fallen log.
'Cake! Cake!’ they cried, ‘If you give us cake we will fly you to the sun'.
‘But I have no cake’, sighed Malady and the little birds took to their wings and disappeared into the dark wood.

Malady turned to the river bank where tall flamingos whispered in the wild grass.
‘Could you tell me the way to the sun?’ he asked the eldest.
‘Up there, above the mistletoe tree and onward to the bright light’ she replied, ‘but you aim too high, rest here with us beside the cool water’.

A lonely magpie landed at Malady’s feet.
‘I once went to the sun’, he chatted, ‘It was quite frightful and I wouldn’t recommend it at all!’
‘How long did it take?’ asked Malady.
‘Oh!’ he said, ‘a month of rainy Sundays at the very least’.

Malady wondered if he would ever make his grand journey. The birds had been no help at all. Looking up he watched the great fire slipping closer to the field of barley.
‘Of course!’ he cried as dusk began to fall, ‘I don’t need to fly, if I run fast enough to the edge of the world I can catch it on the way past’.

Off he took at a merry pace, the barley flying all around. The brave swifts on their great adventure called warning as they darted and swooped above Malady’s head,
‘Make haste, the sun is quicker than you think!’ Malady had never run so fast, his small feet barely touched the farmer’s field as he rushed hopelessly towards the far horizon.

All at once a immense wind blew up at Malady’s back and in the next moment a pair of talons clawed into his soft shoulders, scooping him up into the air. Golden Eagle was flying into the sun with Monkey faster than light. There was no sound other than the beating of the great and terrible wings.
‘So I did need wings after all’ he thought, ‘I just didn't guess which ones’.

When Malady opened his eyes, the field had vanished and only a ball of blue and green hung in the space below. With each breath the heat grew magnificent and the light drowned all his apprehension. The ball of earth disappeared at last and the loss was less than he had feared.

Eagle’s feathers held their form, his bright eye constant on the solar fire. Malady flew into the sun smiling and singing a tuneful song of accomplishment, with only the slightest intimation of a lament.