Once upon a time, there was a little mouse named Charlie. You can find Charlie living in a valley at the bottom of a big hill, in a little house made out of wood.

        On this morning, as Charlie lay in his bed, through the window he could see the sun shining, and he could hear birds singing a delightful tune. He could see the butterflies jumping from flower to flower, back and forth they danced along, and in the background the bees buzzed a happy song.

        It’s such a wonderful, sunny day, I must get outside, it’s time to play! So Charlie sat up straight, and then he got out of bed. He put on his slippers, the ones that were red. He then reached for a shirt - the long-sleeved one, of course. And his comfy pants that he always pulled on with a dance. It could be a little chilly first thing in the morning. Then Charlie finished up his glass that he'd filled with fresh juice and then gulped back his cereal, all with a swoosh. 

        Then he went outside to look around. He wanted to see what could make all this sound. Charlie looked up to the sky, he looked to and fro. The sun was shining, and all he could hear were the birds still singing, as if almost a cheer. And high up in the air, the bees were still buzzing without even a care. “Wow, this day is amazing!” Charlie said to himself. “I have an idea. Today will be great! Today will be fun!” 

        Charlie walked straight to the little shed which he had built just beside his house.

It was made out of sticks and mud. He had made it years ago, in fact all by himself on a day just like this one, full of adventure and fun. Once inside the shed, Charlie rummaged around, he gathered some things, even things that he'd found. He grabbed a roll of twine, which he'd used more than once, and an old wooden barrel he had not seen in six months. And a bike tire of course, that still sat on its rim, and some fabric he'd found, tucked away in a bin.

And a crumpled old tarp that had worn through here and there, and a needle and thread to make the repair. Then Charlie grabbed a wood stick and a long candle wick, and of course the green chair that was no longer quite fare. It had not seen much use since the flying machine he had built years ago.

        Once Charlie had all that he needed, he carried it back to his house, where he spread everything out, all over the deck. He broke up the barrel into various lengths and wrapped twine around each piece and pulled on it tight.

        He shook out the fabric and stretched here and there, then he dusted off the old green flying machine chair. And although it was twisted and although it was bent, Charlie knew it would be perfect for this event. And, with a little twine here and a dab of glue there, Charlie grinned with excitement, he giggled with glee, for he knew it was time to let the behemoth be free.

        Charlie had built a sailing vessel, which he named “the FreedzwerkChopnstillFloatin”. But we’ll just call it “Fropin” from now on, because the real name is just a bit too tricky to say over and over again. Ha ha! 

        Charlie started to pull Fropin down through the bushes and over the hill, just past the bent tree right down to the sea. Charlie needed to be certain his boat could be free. 

        So, Charlie pressed on through the very tall trees, and continued his way to the edge of the sea. Charlie pulled and pulled, but he didn't mind, as Fropin and the green chair were not far behind. 

        Then, as Charlie reached the bottom, he stopped to look around. What a beautiful sound. What a beautiful day, what a pretty sea, how very blue it could truly be. It was such a clear day as far as he could tell, there was just one little cloud and not much swell. He looked down at the beach that guarded the sea, it was scattered with shells in which small crabs lived for free. Charlie watched as the waves rocked up and down and the splashes that followed with a small crashing sound. 

        He could see the fish jumping with a smile on their face, with glows of happiness like they had all won the race. This made Charlie smile, as he so loved the sand and the wonderful sea air that he waved through his hand. 

        Charlie began to set up Fropin. He had made the vessel large, but not as big as an old ocean barge. Then with a push and a shove and a heave and a click, he was able to attach the big wooden stick. Then Charlie fastened tight the old green chair, for when he sailed out to sea, he would have no spare.

        Then with a push and a shove and a heave and a ho, Charlie raised up the tarp, which started to flow. Then suddenly Fropin started to move, back and forth she started, she started to grove. Up and down she went from side to side, the little boat rocked, as it leaned to port side. Then with a creek and a groan or maybe a moan, Fropin lurched at the horizon like it was on its way home. Charlie was so happy, as Fropin headed to sea. He sat himself down and into the chair, he was ready for adventure without even a care. Fropin carved through the sea top with a skip and a hop, like a kite in the air or a balloon escaping the Fair.