and Crispin flew on and on until they came upon the man in the moon.
"Will you give me that little boy?" asked the man in the moon. "It's lonely up here, and he could keep me company."
The man in the moon had a kind face, and he did look awfully lonely. But there were no chocolate chip cookies on the moon, and Crispin was so fond of chocolate chip cookies. "I'm sorry, but I can't," said Flora. "He's my brother and I'm taking him home."
"If the wind lets you," said the man in the moon.
Flora stomped her footâor would have if there'd been anything to stomp on. "I'm tired of hearing that. Why won't the wind let us go home?"
"You should ask him," answered the man in the moon.
Flora hadn't thought of that. "Oh, wind, will you let us go home?"
"I'll let
you
go home as soon as we find the right spot for Crispin," replied the wind. "You do want to get rid of him, right?"
"Yes. I mean, I did. I meanâ" Flora wasn't sure what she meant.
"Because I could even use him myself," said the wind. "You know, to work my bellows."
"No, thank you." Flora had finally decided. "I should take him home. My mother wouldn't like it if I lost him."
"If that's what you really want," said the wind.
"Yes, please," said Flora.
So the wind turned Flora and Crispin around and blew them home.
Flora put her super-special heavy-duty red boots back on, then straightened Crispin's hat and brushed a shred of rainbow from his coat.
She rang the doorbell and her mother opened the door.
"I decided to bring Crispin back," Flora told her.
"From where?" asked her mother.
"From the moon," said Flora.
"Nonsense," said her mother. "Now come inside. I've made chocolate chip cookies."