A Cloud Named Kelly:By Quinn McAuley
Way up high, high in the sky, lived a little cloud named Kelly. Kelly was a small, wispy, white cloud, who was very gentle and kind.
Her father was a great big, gray-blue rain cloud with a big booming voice. "Where's my little Girl?" he would thunder merrily when he came home from work. Kelly's father had a very important job. As a rain cloud, he had to keep the farmers' fields watered so that the crops would grow. Kelly was so proud of him. He always gave just the right amount of rain. Never too much, nor too little, but just right.
Kelly's mother was a beautiful, puffy, pink cloud, like a massive mound of cotton candy. She often spent time helping people by giving them shade from the hot, hot rays of the summer sun.
How wonderful it must be to help people, Kelly thought. She wished that she could help people too, but she was much too young to be a rain cloud like her father, and much too small to be a shade cloud like her mother. Some day I would love to help someone too, Kelly thought to herself, but how?
Now there happened to be a little Schoolhouse beneath the part of the sky where this little cloud lived, and everyday, after lunch, all the children would come outside for recess. Kelly loved to watch the children play because they always had so much fun. But one afternoon, while Kelly was sailing silently through the sky, she saw a small boy sitting beneath a tall apple tree, and he seemed so sad.
"Why aren't you playing with the other children?" asked Kelly softly, as she floated down just over the boy.
The little boy looked up at her and said "My mom made me a lunch, but two of the big kids took it from me and I've had nothing to eat." Kelly saw a tear roll down his little red cheek.
"Oh dear", she said sadly. Kelly thought for a moment...
"Look up at the very top of the tree," she cried suddenly, with a big smile. Pointing to the reddest, ripest apple on the whole tree, Kelly told the little boy to get ready. Then she took a deep breath and WHOOSH, blew that apple right off of the tree and right into that little boy's hands!
As Kelly floated away she watched him eat the apple. He smiled and waved goodbye. The little boy was no longer hungry, and Kelly was glad that she could help.
A few weeks later, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the little Schoolhouse there was the annual Kite Flying Contest. Every year all the children would spend weeks making their kites and then they would fly them in the hopes of winning the grand prize. The kite that went the highest would win the grand prize, and this year that meant a shining gold medal!
There were kites of every shape and every size; all the colors of the rainbow. Kelly was fluttering around, looking at all the pretty kites, when she saw the little boy she had helped before. He had tried to fly his kite, but he could barely get it off the ground. "Look", said the boy, with a tremble in his voice, "It's broken".
Kelly looked and saw that it was indeed broken. Those same kids who had taken his lunch, had now purposely broken one of the supports on his kite. She saw the bullies pointing at the boy and laughing loudly. Their kite was certain to win the gold medal. No other kite was anywhere near as high in the air as their's was.
"I worked so hard on it and now it would take a miracle to make it fly", he said.
Kelly was angry that they had done this to his kite."Hold onto your string", she said rather firmly to the little boy. "HOLD ON TIGHT!
Then, she swooped down, and with all her might, began to blow against his kite.
Up soared the kite, higher and higher; faster it rose, on toward the sun.
Up stared the boy, smiling ever wider; faster he ran, Oh, did he have fun!
Kelly sailed off a short time later. The little boy, still smiling, waved goodbye, and his little kite was still flying, high in the sky. The little boy was now happy, and Kelly was glad that she could help.
It was several days later, while Kelly was flying high above the playground that she heard the terrible cries of the little boy as he was being chased by two much bigger, mean looking boys: those same horrible bullies. (With Kelly's help, the little boy had easily won the gold medal, and now these two wanted it for themselves.) He sobbed as he ran and ran, trying to stay ahead of the bullies, but they kept chasing him. They were getting closer! Kelly was very afraid for the little boy, but what could she do?
Suddenly she had an idea. She raced down right in front of the bullies, and blocked their path. They were so mean looking, that even Kelly was scared!
But then, she took a breath (a deeper breath she'd never taken)
She let out a gust (those big bullies were completely shaken)
She blew so hard (this will amuse)
Those bullies were blown clear out of their shoes!
Kelly then smiled at the little boy, and he smiled back. The little boy was now safe, and Kelly was very glad that she could help. The End
© 1996 Quinn R. McAuley |
