Once upon a time, high up in the bright blue sky, there lived a little cloud named Nimbus. Unlike the other big, puffy clouds, Nimbus was small and light as a feather. While the older clouds moved slowly and gracefully, Nimbus loved to zip and zoom across the sky like a kite in the wind.
One sunny morning, Nimbus saw a flock of birds flying south. Curious, he floated down to say hello.
“Where are you going?” asked Nimbus.
“We’re flying to the warm lands,” said a wise old stork. “It’s going to be winter soon.”
Winter? Nimbus had never heard of winter. He had always played in sunshine and danced with the wind.
“I want to see winter too!” said Nimbus excitedly.
But as Nimbus floated farther and farther from home, the skies began to change. The air grew cold, and the sun disappeared behind thick gray clouds. Snow began to fall. Nimbus looked around—he was all alone.
He had lost his way.
Nimbus tried to ask the snowflakes for help, but they just twirled and spun, too busy dancing to answer. He asked the tall pine trees below, but they only stood still and silent, covered in white.
For the first time, Nimbus felt scared. He missed the warm sky and the gentle breeze. He missed home.
Then, he saw a light glowing below—a small cabin with smoke curling from its chimney. Nimbus floated down and peeked through the window. Inside, a child sat by the fire, drawing pictures of clouds.
Nimbus had an idea.
Using the wind, he swirled some snowflakes into shapes in the sky—clouds, birds, the sun, and finally… an arrow pointing north.
The child looked up through the window, smiled, and whispered, “Go that way, little cloud.”
With joy, Nimbus followed the arrow he had made, trusting the child’s kind eyes. He flew past icy mountains, sleepy forests, and over frozen lakes. Finally, after a long journey, the sky turned warm again, and the sun welcomed him home.
The other clouds floated around him happily.
“Where have you been, Nimbus?” they asked.
“I went to find winter,” he said, “but I found something better—a way home.”
From that day on, whenever clouds feel lost, they say to each other, “Just follow the drawings in the sky, like Nimbus did.”
And sometimes, if you look up on a winter day, you might see snowflakes forming shapes—just a little cloud saying hello and reminding you: even when you're lost, kindness can light the way back.