You are about to swallow the stardust, then abruptly stop. Your conscience is right. You should ask for mister Badger’s permission. You drop the pinch of stardust in your hand back into the box, and slowly crawl out of the log. Over by the pond, you see mister Badger.
“Hello mister Badger.” you say to mister Badger as you slowly approach him in hopes of not scaring him off.
“Good day.” Mister Badger says in a very serious sounding tone.
“I was just in your log over there,” you say. “I saw that you have an excellent box of stardust. I was hoping I might bother you for a small pinch.”
“Why of course!” mister Badger says in a business like voice.
You both walk back to the log together. Mister Badger grabs the box, opens the lid, and holds it up to you. You take a tiny pinch and put it in your mouth. Almost instantly, you feel light headed. You feel as if you’re being released from everything that has ever held you down in your entire life.
You are dazzling in amazement over this wonderful feeling when POOF!, your feet leave the ground. You’re excited and frightened at the same time as you start floating ten, then twenty, then thirty feet off the ground.
You hear a loud POP! sound, and then fall from thirty feet in the air, straight into the pond. You swim to the edge and climb out, then walk over to mister Badger. Mister Badger sneezes into the box, and some stardust flies into the air. As you are showered with stardust, you instantly become dry.
“Good indeed,” says mister Badger. “Be sure to come next fall. Next years lineup is cherry flavored!”
You thank mister Badger, then go off on your way. Of to the right, you can see a small trail that leads into the wood. You decide to follow it. The path leads you deep into the forest. This forest feels surreal. The calls of the birds have this ethereal whispiness to them. Somewhere in the distance, you can hear beautiful music.
You follow this path as it winds and turns until you reach the base of an incredibly steep hill. There is a wooden staircase which ascends the side of this hill. You make your way to the stairs, and you begin to climb.