Shiny sky

Every creature in the caravan had been assigned a role. The cats predicted rain, the zebra guarded the road, the clown made everyone laugh, and the woman was expected to know where they were going. Secretly, none of them had a clue.

They kept moving because admitting confusion felt more frightening than being lost. One clear afternoon, the machine stopped beneath a sky so bright it erased every signpost.

The woman finally said, ‘I don’t know.’ The clown answered, ‘Neither do I.’ Then the zebra chose a path, the cats chose another, and everyone laughed for real. They spent the night under separate stars and met again at sunrise, each carrying a different piece of the map.