Once upon a time, there lived a small rhino named Orion. Unlike the other rhinos, Orion wasn’t interested in charging through the tall grasses or showing off his strength. Instead, he spent his days gazing at the sky, watching the birds soar freely above him.

“I want to fly,” Orion would whisper to himself.
The others would chuckle. “Rhinos don’t fly, Orion. We’re meant to stay grounded.”

But Orion’s heart didn’t agree. He believed that if he dreamed hard enough and found just the right way, he could defy the rules of the earth.

One breezy morning, Orion stumbled upon a bright red balloon tangled in a bush. Its ribbon danced in the wind like it had been waiting just for him. Orion gently pulled it free and looked up at the sky.

“Maybe this is it,” he thought. “Maybe this little balloon can help me reach the clouds.”

He tied the string around his belly with hope and a knot of courage. To everyone’s astonishment, the balloon didn’t pop or fall it lifted. Slowly at first, then higher and higher, as Orion’s tiny feet left the ground.

Gasps and cheers echoed across the plains. The birds chirped in delight, circling their new sky companion. Orion laughed, the wind rushing past his ears, his dream finally taking flight.

From above, the world looked different, small, peaceful, and full of wonder. Orion wasn’t just a rhino anymore. He was a dreamer. A believer. A flier.

And from that day on, whenever the other animals looked up and saw a red balloon in the sky, they remembered that even the heaviest dreams can lift off the ground if you believe in yourself and carry just enough courage.

''He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.'' - Nietzsche

Acrylic on Wall, Istanbul, 2016.