Once upon a time there was a dog named Leo.
He wasn't big, he wasn't small. He was just Leo . And when he ran in the garden, it looked like happiness had four legs and a propeller tail.
Leo had a red ball.
It was the ball . Not just any ball. It had a cloud-shaped scratch, an old cookie smell, and a crunching sound that Leo thought was laughter.
He held her under his paw when she slept. He dragged her to the bowl. Sometimes he talked to her. (Or so it seemed.)
But one morning – a Monday, to be precise – the ball disappeared.
Leo immediately looked for it under the pillow, among the vases, in the biggest vase, in the smallest vase, and even in the kibble jar (which he always liked to check anyway).
Nothing. Gone.
In its place, a suspicious look and a dry leaf.
Leo understood that this was not a case he could solve alone.
So he went to Tito the Tasso, who lived in the hole near the hedge.
— Have you seen my ball? — asked Leo.
Tito raised his muddy muzzle.
— If it had passed by here, I would have smelled it. But all I smelled was boredom. Maybe you should look where the wind hides.
The wind?
Leo wasn't sure where to look for him, but he set off.
On the roof of the shed he found Gilda the Cat, queen of jumps and pauses.
— Gilda, did the wind by any chance bring you a red ball?
— The wind brings me only feathers and thoughts. But if it were a rolling ball…
- Yes!
— …then she could have gone down into the canal.
Leo went down, his tail a little lower.
In the ditch he found only a lazy stream and a philosopher toad.
“Are you sure she’s gone?” croaked the toad.
— Of course! It was there yesterday!
—What if she just went for a walk? Like you do?
Leo sat down. He hadn't thought that even balls could have a secret life.
He came home with his ears down.
He crouched in front of the door.
And just then…
THUMB.
Something hit him on the paw.
Something round.
Something creaky.
Something with a cloud-shaped scratch.
The ball!
Behind her, Luna, the human little sister of the house, with a guilty smile and hands covered in snacks.
— Sorry Leo, I just wanted to show you the world.
Leo looked at the ball. Then he looked at Luna. Then he did the wisest thing of the day: he jumped on her and licked her face all over.
The mystery was solved.
The ball had returned.
And Leo understood that even the objects you love can want an adventure… as long as they come home to play with you.