Nimbus the Little Cloud: A Gentle Bedtime Adventure

There once was a cloud so small, it was no bigger than a kitten’s yawn. It was a tiny puff of white in a great big sky, a little like our friend Sparkle the firefly finding her own special glow in the wide, dark world. This little cloud’s name was Nimbus. Now, Nimbus was a lovely name, a name for a grand, important rain cloud. But our Nimbus was far too small and fluffy for rain. Instead of important storms, Nimbus was interested in shapes. Drifting high above the green and blue patchwork of the world, Nimbus would watch.

It saw cars like little beetles crawling along grey ribbons, and houses like scattered blocks. I wonder what it’s like down there, it would think. Then, it would try to copy what it saw. First, it puffed itself out and tried to make long, floppy ears. A rabbit! It bounced a little on the breeze. That was a good one. Then it stretched itself long and thin, pushing up a little peak in the middle. A sailboat, sailing on an ocean of blue. This was its favorite game. It could be ANYTHING it wanted to be.

As the sun warmed its edges, a new breeze began to blow. It wasn't a rough wind, just a steady, playful push. It nudged Nimbus away from the fields and towards the sleepy, purple mountains in the distance. Nimbus tried to puff back, to stay over the familiar green fields… but the breeze was persistent. It kept nudging, nudging, nudging. For a moment, Nimbus felt a little wobbly. It didn't know where this wind was taking it. But then… a new thought drifted in. What if… what if it just… went?

What if the wind knew a secret place? So Nimbus stopped pushing back. It relaxed all its fluffy bits and let the breeze take it. And suddenly, it wasn't wobbly at all. It was soaring. It was an adventure! The wind was its friend, showing it a new part of the sky it had never seen before. The breeze carried it gently, over the tops of the tallest trees, until they were floating above a quiet little meadow. And down below, lying in the soft grass, was a child, pointing up at the sky. Nimbus saw the child’s upturned face, and a feeling like warm sunshine filled its whole cloudy self.

It wanted to make its very BEST shape. Not a rabbit, not a boat… something… cozy. Slowly, carefully, Nimbus gathered all its fluff. It tucked in its corners, rounded its edges, and made a little head with two sleepy, folded ears. It became a soft, woolly lamb, curled up and fast asleep in the sky. And there it stayed, a soft, sleepy lamb sailing through the twilight, a perfect little dream for the world below.