The Cloudmaker

"My Gramma used to say... There was a young girl about my age who went to the cliffs every afternoon. Every time she was there, more clouds came into the sky. They called her the Cloudmaker...”

When I grew older and could leave the house by myself, I went there to the cliffs myself and tried to find the girl and this mystery about the clouds... And then one afternoon when the skies were already pink and the sun setting, I saw her... She had her hand up in the air, and for a second I thought she was making clouds, but it turns out that the village myth is not true...

The clouds from all over simply came over to her, to kiss her hand... Clouds from the east, from the west - from all over... And then I inched closer and closer, until I could see what was going on...

They weren't kissing her hand... They were... The clouds were...

They were crying... Rain, well, a little rain was falling onto her fingers and her hand. It was as if she was a comfort to these clouds. 

And then to my surprise, the girl turned away and looked at me. Directly! At me! I could not move. Then she said, 'They're crying, because they see what happens from above. They see good things, but they see also bad things. Our Earth needs more care, they said...'

And then I said to her, 'I see them vanish after going a few yards away from you. Well some of them.'

'It's the tiny clouds... They can't take the pain, so they just vanish fast. You're so curious about this... I can sense you want to help. Would you like to help the clouds and Earth?' 

I walked closer to her, slipped a little on the ground because she was so... filled with warmth and concern for the planet... Then I stood up again and held out my hand up in the sky too. A tiny cloud went to me, slowly. It did not bring any tears... Or, I mean, rain onto my hand. Then it just went away. '

'That cloud thought you're funny. My name is Claudine.' 

'I see what you did there,' I said to her! 'Clouuudine!'

'Just kidding,' she laughed, 'Rosa's my real name.' 

We laughed together so hard that afternoon that all the other clouds that went by did not bring rain at all. They simply wanted to say hi. Or give hope that maybe... joy and friendships... can do much for Earth. 

And love. Love always."