The Cloud That Didn’t Float Away

Lexile: 800 | Grade: 4

Passage

In the village of Windvale, clouds were known for coming and going. They floated in, dropped rain or shade, and drifted on. But one small cloud named Luma did something different. She stayed.

She hovered just above the tallest hill, day after day, while the other clouds whispered, 'You’re supposed to move on!'

Luma didn’t know why she stayed. She only knew that something inside her said, 'Not yet.' She watched the people of Windvale below—how they planted, laughed, stumbled, and stood again. She felt like she was learning something, though she couldn’t quite explain what.

Sometimes she felt unsure. Was she broken? Lazy? The other clouds thought so. But Luma didn’t feel heavy. She didn’t feel wrong. She just felt... still. And curious.

Then one day, a fire sparked in the woods outside the village. The wind carried smoke fast, and panic filled the air. Luma felt a strange warmth in her center—a kind of knowing. She gathered her small drops of rain and floated toward the trees.

She didn’t have the size of a storm or the force of thunder. But she had enough. Her rain landed soft but steady. By the time the villagers arrived, the fire had slowed. And Luma, once unsure, now knew: she had stayed because she was meant to help.

Afterward, the clouds no longer teased. And Luma? She didn’t float away. She just rose a little higher—quiet, gentle, and sure.