Have you ever wondered what's really going on up in the sky? Is it possible that some other form of life could live in a world between Earth and outer space? Nah, that would be crazy or would it?

"Do you believe in aliens Roy?" "A part of me does." "Well then, you're really going to enjoy the story I'm going to share with you. It's about The People of the Clouds, a group that is not quite human and not quite alien. They've protected our planet for many, many years."

I first encountered these strange beings when I was on a mission when I was an astronaut. I was taking part in a solo journey to do some research on the moon. On my way back to Earth, the shuttle started to malfunction and it caught fire. I was spinning out of control. That was until The People of the Clouds saved me.

They guided my ship to safety as I landed gently on a cloud before I could reenter the Earth's atmosphere. I was surrounded by a collection of creatures that looked like gnomes or elves. They weren't very big but there sure were a lot of them. I didn't know if they were friendly or not so I hid in my spaceship for the first little while.

"I come in peace" I said to the odd little beings. "We know spaceman. We've been watching over your planet for many years." "Where am I?" "Follow us and we'll take you to our leader." They seemed harmless enough so I decided to go with them.

"Welcome to Cloudtopia, Commander Tom. My name is Hinglott and I am the leader of The Cloud People. We originally lived on the moon but once you earthlings started to explore space, we had to move to keep our existence a secret. We looked for another planet to call home but living on top of the clouds was the best we could do."

"We are a peaceful people but we have taken an oath to protect all of the species on Earth. Remember that Martian invasion back in the 1970s?" "No." "Exactly. We prevented it from happening by battling the Martians on our winged steeds." "Winged steeds? Horses with wings?" "They were here when we landed so we decided to keep them."

After a couple of days, The Cloud People fixed the shuttle and I returned home safely. In exchange for their help, I promised that I would join them whenever the world was in danger. Remember, nobody is supposed to know about this so I'm trusting you with this secret." "I won't tell a soul Commander Tom."

For a space geek like Roy, living next door to a former astronaut was the coolest thing ever. His Dad and Commander Tom had become good friends and he would visit often and talk about all of his space adventures. All except for the one involving The Cloud People of course. As Roy played in his room, he saw Commander Tom putting on his space suit.

"Hi Commander Tom!" "Not right now Roy. I have a bit of an emergency." "Does it involve The Cloud People? Are they in danger? Are we in danger? Should I tell my parents?" "You're not going to leave me alone unless I take you with me are you?" "Nope." "Alright, suit up then and let's go."

"Sorry about the outfit. My daughter's raincoat was the only thing that would fit you." "Where are we going?" "Anytime the clouds turn grey and you hear thunder, that means that there is a battle brewing up in the clouds. If you see lightning, that means that they need my help."