Katie Couric's Notebook: Balloon Boy

Millions watched in helpless horror as a helium balloon bobbed and weaved in the wind after breaking loose from a tether in his parents' yard.

As one side of the silver saucer began to deflate, you couldn't help but think - this is not going to end well.

But then it landed softly and empty. Turns out Falcon Heene wasn't in the air. He was in the rafters, hiding in the garage the entire time.

And today, a little miracle has turned into a mystery. Did his parents -- who have appeared on the reality show Wife Swap -- somehow stage the whole thing?

They say they didn't. And it's hard to imagine anyone would go to those heights - and put friends and neighbors in such distress - just for a little publicity.

The good news is that Falcon is safe and on the ground. But what really happened, in one of the strangest stories of the year, remains up in the air.

That's a page from my notebook.
I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.