Gloomy the Big Black Cloud

By Pati Duyckers

It was summertime and very, very hot. Gloomy, the big black cloud had grown bigger and fatter and more and more billowy as he got hotter, and now was sitting high up in the sky. As well as growing bigger, he had become as black as the night. Now he was so big that he filled up the whole sky.

Gloomy knew he had to rain to fill up the lakes and the rivers that meandered across the land. Then the grass would grow, and the animals would have water to drink.  Gloomy was full of thunder and lightning and big fat raindrops. But he needed help. That was why he was looking very hard towards Cloud Land.

He was so big and so high in the sky he could see right over the edge of the world, past the sun, to the land where all the clouds lived. He knew them all by their proper names but liked to use their nicknames instead because their proper names were hard to remember.

First of all, he saw dense foggy Cumulo. (His real name is Cumulus). He was flat underneath and had a fluffy top. He looked like a wet dinner plate as he sailed up the sky. But Gloomy did not need him today.

Then he saw Cirry who looked like the tail of a horse. She was icy and feathery, and she was sitting high in the sky near the edge of the world. You can nearly always see her on any fine day. But today she was too high up and too far away to help. (Her real name is Cirrus)

Then Gloomy saw Alto, (real name Altocumulus), who was made up of lots of little white clouds arranged in lines. He was so thin Wind can easily tear him into bits and pieces. But he was also high up in the sky and of no help to Gloomy.

Cirro was nearby. He was made up of small, round tufts of cloud that look like fish scales. He was no help to Gloomy either. But Cirro would be a cloud you can find easily if you like watching clouds in the sky. (His real name is Cirrocumulus)

Then the sun slipped below the edge of the world and took the daylight away. The sky became dim, and the air became very quiet and still.  There was no moon and the night became very, very dark.

Suddenly, when everything was still, Gloomy saw Thunderstorm far, far away. So he called to Wind to blow Thunderstorm closer. Now, Wind was a solitary person who came and went as he pleased. He did not like being told what to do. Gloomy had to let the lightning flash just once to remind him that he meant business. That made Wind so nervous he quickly blew Thunderstorm into one big pile. Then sent him right up into the night sky until he was twice as big.

Then all at once, Thunderstorm was able to come whistling and swooshing and tumbling to help Gloomy release the raindrops. So the rain began to fall, and the thunder echoed and rolled across the hills. The lightning lit up the sky and made everyone jump, and the river quickly filled up with water.

As the rain fell, Gloomy knew he had done a good job because he became smaller and smaller, and thinner and thinner, until he was no bigger than a pin. Then he disappeared altogether.

- Total nr. of readings: 1,141 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.