It has been soooo long, the little rock thought.

It sighed. It was so long, the rock didn't even know HOW long. The little rock thought some more.

When was the last time I moved? When was the last time I was wet? When was the last time I saw rocks OTHER than these other boring, old rocks?

It couldn't even remember, it had been THAT long ago.

What Happened Long Ago?

Little Rock remembered the time, so very, VERY long ago, when it sat on a high place and could see ALL around, far into the distance.

Ah, that was fun! I could see when the Winds were coming. I could see the sun rise and set. The big rocks around me would sing songs of the beginning, when they were all swirling in so much energy, back when we all came into being!

But then Little Rock had fallen down the mountain, bit by bit, as the Wind blew, and when the ground sometimes trembled. So it left the mountain, and that was a sad time for the little rock.

Until one day, when it rolled into a mushy riverbed!

	Ooooh, the cool mud felt so good! It couldn't see the sunset, but the little rock loved the cushy spot it could roll around in.
One day Water rushed over Little Rock! Water felt so smooth and refreshing! It made the rock tumble along, like the Wind did.

But while the Wind sometimes blew sand on the rock when it pushed it, the Water caressed the little rock and soothed its rough edges, as it gently nudged it along. Little Rock loved the Water and was happy again.

Time passed,
many many years
and tens of years
and hundreds
and then thousands of years!

The Water came less and less, the mud felt dryer and dryer, and Little Rock was less and less happy. Then one day the rock realized that the Water hadn't come to push him and cool him in many many years. Where did the Water go?

Little Rock just lay there, and could only feel the Wind push him every once in a while.

Tens and hundreds and thousands of years rolled by.

And Little Rock just lay there, wondering what would happen next.

Then one day, something INCREDIBLE happened!!! It was night time, and the little rock was lying awake for some reason. It looked at the sky. The rock was at least grateful that there were these small points of light to watch, and they changed almost every night, unlike the Other Rocks which sat all around him.

Suddenly, one of the lights started getting brighter, and it was also headed RIGHT TOWARDS LITTLE ROCK!

Little Rock was scared... would this be the end?
Would this sky rock fall and hit him,
and crush him into sand
to be blown away and destroyed?
The light got brighter, and brighter,
closer and closer..

Then a very unusual thing happened! The falling light broke apart, and the top of it had a white hood and the bottom part seemed attached by long strings. This was the STRANGEST sky rock the little rock had ever seen! Then the bottom part split in two! and the part that was lowest suddenly PUFFED UP!

Sparks started flying out of the middle part, and the puffy sky rock now broke away and started falling RIGHT TOWARD THE LITTLE ROCK!

	Oh, OH! I'M GOING TO BE HIT! the little rock cried. The puffy rock zoomed down and --
BOUNCED!		Little Rock couldn't believe it! It had never seen a rock bounce like that before!! The puffy rock soared back up into the sky!		WOW! Little Rock thought. I wish *I* could bounce into the sky!! The rock watched with awe.

Puffy rock soared up, Up, and UP, then it hung in the air, and then, uh oh! It started coming back!! The little rock got scared again... WAS IT GOING TO GET ME NOW??

Puffy rock fell right toward Little Rock and just INCHES away, hit the ground and bounced up AGAIN!

Ooh, this looks like so much fun!!! This puffy rock will be FUN to have around here! It can show us ALL how to bounce! the little rock thought.

BOUNCE! BOUNCE! Bounce! Bounce! bounce! bounce! bounce!

The puffy rock just lay there now, like all the Other Rocks.
Well, that was exciting, Little Rock thought.

But it realized that Puffy Rock wasn't going to be like Water, which would move the rocks and make them cool and wet.

Puffy Rock isn't going to make US bounce, I bet. This strange sky rock is just going to be like us, now, and lie here,