The Burden of the Grey Mist

High above the rooftops of Sleepy Hollow, a small cloud named Cumulus was having a very difficult evening. Usually, he was as light as a handful of popcorn, skipping over the moon and playing tag with the evening stars. But tonight, his grey raincoat was soaked through with heavy, cold raindrops. He felt weighed down and weary, his fluffy edges sagging toward the chimneys. He tried to puff himself up and float higher, but the more he struggled, the heavier his coat became. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, yet he was too heavy to find his usual resting spot in the high atmosphere.

A Lullaby from the Garden

Down below, a little girl named Nora was watching from her bedroom window. She could see that the cloud looked sad and droopy, like a teddy bear that had been left out in the rain. She knew that sometimes, when the world feels too heavy, all you need is a gentle change in the air. Nora leaned her chin on her palms and began to sing a song her grandmother had taught her—a song about lightness, dandelion seeds, and the soft breath of a sleeping kitten. Her voice was small and sweet, drifting up through the damp night air like a warm ribbon of light.

The Transformation of the Rain

As the notes of the song reached the cloud, a magical change began to take place. The heavy, thumping raindrops inside Cumulus’s coat didn't fall to the ground. Instead, they began to soften and grow white. One by one, the cold drops turned into tiny, iridescent feathers. They were as light as a whisper and as soft as a dream. As the weight lifted, the grey color of the raincoat faded away, replaced by a gentle, glowing white that shimmered in the moonlight. Cumulus let out a long, misty sigh of relief, feeling the heaviness dissolve into a ticklish fluff.

Drifting to the Stars

With his new coat of feathers, the cloud felt lighter than he ever had before. He didn't have to struggle at all; the softest breeze caught his underside and lifted him gently toward the indigo heights of the sky. He looked back down at Nora’s window and puffed himself into the shape of a heart as a silent "thank you." Nora watched as her friend floated higher and higher, becoming just another silver speck among the constellations, finally free to drift into a deep and peaceful slumber.

The Quiet Night

The world became very still. The rain was gone, replaced by a quiet peace that settled over the trees and the houses. Nora crawled into her own bed, feeling just as light and calm as the cloud she had helped. She knew that Cumulus was tucked safely in the rafters of the sky, and soon, she too was drifting on her own sea of soft, feathery dreams.