Where have the clouds gone? It’s not easy living in a desert. It seldom rains there, and it’s difficult to find water. In this story, a girl is concerned that there are no clouds in the sky. But, fortunately, a hawk comes to the rescue.
Where have the clouds gone?
Once, there was a girl named Eveline who lived in a torrid desert along with her brothers and sisters.
Her parents have a farm where they raise camels and goats.
To keep a family and manage the animals, you need plenty of water. But there hasn’t been any rain for several years.
That’s why Eveline’s father and her older brothers had to dig deep wells to draw some water.
One day, when yet another well ran out of water, her father and brothers went to dig a new one.
Eveline wanted to help. “Let the rain fall down,” she said, with hope in her voice.
But there were no clouds in the sky. Only the proud hawk _____ floated around peacefully, observing the wide open spaces of the desert.
The girl decided that he could help her. “Listen, Hawk! I need your help!” She called out for him.
A hawk, thought a proud bird, will never leave anyone unassisted.
“What happened, girl?” he asked Eveline.
“You always fly so far, Hawk, and you have been everywhere. You might know where all the clouds have gone.”
“Clouds? Well, you know, maybe they’re in the far mountains. They always love those places.”
“Could you possibly call them to come here? At least one of them?”
“Humph… That’s not so easy, but I will try. The way is long, so I won’t be back any time soon.”
_____ flew up and winged his way to the far mountains, which were a thousand miles away.
However, hawks are strong birds and such voyages are within their range.
When _____ reached the high mountains, he looked around in search of the clouds.
Unfortunately, they were not anywhere to be seen. Just mountains, nothing special.
But, all of a sudden, he heard a loud echo: “Snore… Sno-o-ore…”
The sound was coming from a hidden cavern inside the mountain.
The hawk flew up to the cavern and looked inside. There was a cloud sleeping soundly, and it wasn’t about to wake up any time soon.
_____, however, decided to wake it from its sleep. “Wake up, Cloud! Wa-a-a-ake u-u-up!”
“Oh, who’s there? What do you want?” the cloud muttered in a sleepy voice.
“Hey, Cloud! There hasn’t been any rain in the desert for such a long time. People need you!”
“Really? Can’t people just wait a little bit longer?”
“A little bit longer?!” _____ said. “Several years have passed already!”
“Several years? Oh my! Apparently, I was sleeping like a log in this cozy cavern. Okay, show me the way, hawk!”
“Sure! Follow me!”
The cloud and _____ flew towards the place where the girl lived.
Meanwhile, Eveline was gazing at the sky, hoping to see the hawk that could bring good news.
To her great joy, She not only saw the hawk, but she also noticed the cloud on the horizon.
“Hooray!” Eveline exclaimed when she saw them.
“Look, Cloud,” said the hawk, “that is the girl who asked me to find you.”
“Thank you, dear girl! If it wasn’t for you, I’d be sleeping for ages on that mountain. I can see how you’ve suffered here without water.”
“Thank you, Uncle Cloud, for coming here. And thank you, too, Hawk!”
“Well now,” said the cloud, “Let’s get down to business!”
As the rain fell across the desert, the cloud did its best filling the dried-up rivers and water the cracked soil.
It took a lot of effort, but the desert became fresh and blossoming once again.
Eveline’s family was happy.
And the camels and goats were drinking their fill. From now on, the desert will become a better place.
The cloud flew up to Eveline and _____ and let out a yawn. “Ah! I’m so tired… I hope the water will last for a long time.”
“And now I would like to take a nap. You know where to find me. Bye!”
“Thank you, Cloud! Come visit us more often!” Eveline called after him.
And then she and _____ went back home to help her family run the house.
