In a babbling brook that playfully wound its way between smooth pebbles and green grasses, lived a tiny water droplet. Her name was Evie. She was not alone. She had thousands of little sisters and friends, with whom she played tag every day and sang the brook's happy song: "Splash, splash, we flow, polishing the pebbles as we go!"
One morning, the sun was shining especially brightly. Its golden rays reached all the way to the bottom of the brook and gently tickled Evie on her round tummy. "Hee hee, that feels nice," she giggled. She felt herself becoming lighter and lighter. Suddenly, she stopped tumbling over the pebbles and slowly began to rise up.
"What's happening?" she called to her friends below, but her voice was suddenly as quiet as a whisper of the wind. She looked at herself and realised she was almost invisible! She had changed into something new, into a thin and light vapor.
"I'm flying! I'm really flying!" she rejoiced, rising higher and higher. The brook below her grew smaller and smaller, looking like a silver ribbon. The trees looked like little green puffs of cotton wool. It was an amazing sight. "What do you think, children, did anyone see her from the ground? Probably not, right? After all, she was as clear as the air."
The journey upward was exciting. Evie waved at the little birds that passed her in the air, but they couldn't see her. She felt like a secret explorer. The higher she rose, the colder the air became. Suddenly, she bumped into something soft and fluffy, like a giant pillow. It was a cloud.
"Ooh, hello!" a voice said beside her. Evie turned and saw another little droplet that had just materialized from the invisible vapor. And another! And another! Soon, there were whole crowds of them.
"I'm Pearly," one introduced herself. "And I'm Dewdrop," added another. "I'm Evie! Did you fly up because of the sun, too?" she asked curiously. "Yes! We got warm and suddenly we were light and we flew," they all nodded at once.
It was fun in the cloud. The droplets held hands, tumbled about, and played hide-and-seek in the cloud's white nooks. Gradually, more and more friends joined them. The cloud became fuller and fuller. As the droplets joined together, they grew bigger and heavier. Their white cloud also began to darken and turn grey.
"Why is our cloud so grey and heavy?" Evie wondered aloud. "Probably because there are so many of us here now," Pearly answered her. "We can barely fit anymore." "You're right," agreed Dewdrop. "I can feel something pulling us down. What if we fall?"
Evie thought for a moment. She did not panic. "Maybe it won't be a fall. Maybe it'll be a new game! Like a ride on a big slide!" she exclaimed with excitement. The other droplets looked at her, and they liked her courage.
Then it happened. The cloud was so heavy that it could no longer hold them. "Hold on! Here we goooo!" Evie shouted and was the first to let go and fall. The others followed right behind her. It wasn't a scary fall. It was a joyful flight in the form of raindrops. They whizzed through the air, racing to see who would be the first to reach the ground.
Evie landed right on a petal of a small, withered flower in a meadow. The little flower had its head bowed and looked very thirsty. "Oh, thank you," the flower whispered as Evie trickled down its stem all the way to its roots in the earth. Right after her landed Pearly and Dewdrop, and thousands of other droplets. The whole meadow drank its fill and let out a deep sigh.
The thirsty flower slowly drank and began to lift its colourful head towards the sky. Its petals unfurled, revealing a beautiful yellow colour. It was happy and grateful.
Evie, now a part of the moisture in the soil, felt an immense joy. She understood that her journey had a purpose. She had warmed up so she could fly to the sky, met her friends there, and then returned as rain to help someone in need.
"And do you know what the best part is?" she whispered to the flower's roots. "One day, I'll get back to the brook, and this whole wonderful journey will start all over again!" It's called the water cycle, and it is the greatest adventure in the world.
Try to notice it yourselves sometime. When your mommy makes tea, watch the steam rising up. It's like thousands of little Evies setting off on their journey to the clouds. And when it rains, remember that every droplet brings life and joy to the thirsty grass and little flowers.