The Three Clouds

One day a little puddle was absorbed into the sky and became a little cloud. The little cloud was very lonely, for there were no other clouds in the sky, and he missed his little puddle friends. The cloud wished and wished he could go back down to the ground to see his friends, but he was not heavy enough to cry. A crow as black as night was flying in the sky that morning, minding his own business, when he saw the little cloud all by himself and asked him what was wrong.

“I cannot cry, my dear crow. I miss my companions,” said the little cloud.

The crow took pity on the cloud and told him, “Drift over towards the sun and tell her your sorrows. and she may also take pity on you.”

The cloud thanked the crow and drifted for five days over towards the sun that kept running away from him. When he finally reached her he said, “I cannot cry, my dear sun. I miss my companions. Won’t you help me cry?”

The sun, who was very wicked, said to the cloud, “If you can complete three tasks I will help you. For the first task you will receive nothing, but for the last two I will bring you a companion for each you complete.” The little cloud was overjoyed and could not help but accept the offer. “For the first task you must create a wind so great it blows away an entire village.” The cloud accepted and went on his way.

He drifted over to a small village not far from where he was and decided he would blow this one away. He took three deep breaths, and on the exhale of the last breath he blew so hard that the wind lifted the village off of the ground and into the far countryside. The cloud was so proud of himself that he wrote to one of his old friends and told him what had happened. The cloud received a letter back but was very upset at the disappointment of his friend. “Why would you destroy that village?” his friend wrote. “What had that village done to you?”

The cloud felt ashamed, but he soon got lonely again and forgot all about the horrible thing he had done. He drifted back to the sun and showed her he had completed her first task. “Well done,” said the sun. “Are you ready for your next task?”

“Oh yes,” proclaimed the little cloud. “I would do anything to have a companion in this lonely sky.”

“For your next task you must go to the sea and use your wind to create a wave so big that when it comes to shore, it wipes out everything in its path,” commanded the sun.

The cloud was doubting his duty, but his loneliness overcame his doubt and he drifted over to the vast ocean, took in three deep breaths, and on the exhale of the last breath he blew so hard that the wind pushed the water and created a ginormous wave that washed out four cities in its path. This time the cloud was not as proud of himself, for he was still affected by his friend’s reaction after the first task. Looking for some reassurance that he had made the right decision, he sent a letter to another one of his friends telling him about the massive wave he had just created. When the response to his letter came back the little cloud was anything but pleased. “Why have you destroyed those cities, little cloud? What had those cities done to you?” asked the friend.

The little cloud slowly drifted to the sun and when he got there he saw another little cloud and rejoiced, for he was no longer alone. The sun snickered and congratulated the little cloud. “You have done well!” exclaimed the sun. “Now, for your last task, you are to go to the highest mountain and blow a wind so strong that it breaks the mountain and destroys the country below!”

At this point the little cloud wanted another companion so badly that he no longer cared what his friends down below had told him, and he went off to find the highest mountain. The cloud soon came to the mountain and made the decision to follow through with the task the sun had given him. The cloud took three deep breaths, and on the exhale of the last breath he blew so hard that the wind broke the mountain and the rocks tumbled down, destroying the country below.

Now this whole time the sun had slowly been adding water to the little cloud, making him heavier and heavier, but the cloud had not noticed because he was so distracted by the tasks the sun had given him and the thought of another companion.

The little cloud saw what he had done but could no longer be proud of himself because he could not forget what his friends had told him. Looking for the slightest bit of reassurance the little cloud wrote to the only friend he had left. Once he received his friend’s response, he read it as fast as he could and was deeply distressed. “Why have you destroyed this country? What had this country done to you?” remarked his friend.

The cloud was so sad that it took him also the whole day to drift back over to the sun.

When the wicked sun saw that he had completed the third task she brought the cloud another companion and they waited for the little cloud to arrive.

“Congratulations!” beamed the sun. ”Here is your last companion. I will be on my way now; you all play nice.” The sun set and the three clouds went to play. The second cloud wanted to play the shape game, so the three of them went over a meadow and started playing. When the little cloud was not participating, the other two asked him if he was okay. The second those words left their lips the little cloud cried so hard that he fell back down into a puddle on the ground.

The little puddle traveled to his friends, but when he got there he was not given a warm welcome. “What are you doing here?” scoffed one of the puddles. “Have you come to destroy another village?”

“No! I only did that to get a companion!” the little puddle assured him.

“Oh, so you have come to destroy more cities!” accused another puddle.

“No! I only did that to get a companion!” the little puddle assured him.

“I know: you have come to destroy another country!” declared the last puddle.

“No! I only did that to get a companion!” the little puddle assured him. “It was so lonely up there all by myself, and I just wanted a friend. I promise I will cause no more harm,” cried the little puddle.

His friends were so upset by what the little puddle had done that they each gave him one hard kick and left him behind, all by himself.

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