The following version of this story was used to create this study guide: Millhouser, Steven. The Knife Thrower and Other Stories, p. 77-87. Vintage Contemporaries, 1999.

The story begins with the first-person narration detailing the protagonist’s recollection of his childhood. When he was young, the unnamed protagonist experienced seemingly unending summer vacations. One of these summers involved each of the children in his neighborhood acquiring a new kind of toy: a flying carpet. When the protagonist got one of these carpets, he was cautious with it. He learned how to control it properly and only flew with it while his mother supervised him.

However, as he began to notice other children in his neighborhood flying higher, his ambition grew. He started flying without any supervision, and he flew high above the trees and across the city. Eventually, he grew wary of his increasing ambition. He did not want to desire these dangerous pursuits. Nevertheless, he continued pushing his limits.

As the summer drew to a close, the protagonist grew tired of his flying carpet. When school started again, life became ordinary once more. By the end of the year, the boy had stumbled upon his flying carpet collecting dust under his bed, and he had placed it in the cellar where it would certainly never be used again.