Luna loved looking up at the clouds. Every night, before bedtime, she’d lie on the grass with her mama and try to find shapes in the fluffy white puffs. Sometimes she saw dragons, sometimes giant bunnies, and sometimes… well, sometimes she couldn’t see anything at all, and that was okay too!
One night, Luna wished she could *talk* to the clouds. Suddenly, a little cloud, smaller than the others, floated down right in front of her! It wobbled a bit and giggled. “Hello!” squeaked the little cloud. “My name is Nimbus.”
Luna gasped. “You can talk!” Nimbus smiled, which looked like the sun peeking through. “Of course! We all can. But most people are too busy to listen.” Luna and Nimbus quickly became friends. Nimbus introduced Luna to his family – big, fluffy Cumulus, wispy Cirrus, and grumpy, gray Stratus.
Cumulus loved to play hide-and-seek, puffing himself into different shapes to trick Luna. Cirrus told the most beautiful stories about faraway lands she’d seen while floating high above the world. Stratus, at first, seemed a little sad. He said he didn’t like being gray and that he wished he could be bright and white like the others.
Luna thought for a moment. “But Stratus,” she said, “you bring the rain! The rain helps the flowers grow and gives the worms a place to wiggle. Being gray is important too!” Nimbus and Cumulus nodded. Stratus smiled, a tiny ray of sunshine breaking through his grayness.
Luna realized that all the clouds were special in their own way. Some were playful, some were storytellers, and some were helpers. Just like people! She hugged Nimbus tightly. “Thank you for showing me how wonderful clouds are,” she whispered.
Nimbus floated back up to join his family. “Sweet dreams, Luna!” he called. Luna waved goodnight, feeling warm and happy. She knew that even when she couldn’t *see* her cloud friends, they were always there, floating above, watching over her.
Luna snuggled into bed, her head full of fluffy clouds and happy thoughts. She closed her eyes, and as she drifted off to sleep, she imagined herself floating among the clouds, laughing and playing with Nimbus, Cumulus, and even grumpy, but secretly kind, Stratus. And she knew, with all her heart, that even the quietest nights could be filled with magic and friendship.