Cotton Candy Clouds High above a sleepy valley where the air was soft and the breeze carried the scent of vanilla flowers,
There lived a small cloud named Nimbus.
Nimbus wasn't like the other clouds.
While they were content with being grey and fluffy,
She would turn the most delightful shades of pink and lavender at sunset,
Looking exactly like sponge sugar at the fair.
Why do you change colours?
Asked a serious grey cloud passing by.
Because it makes me happy,
Nimbus said simply,
And maybe it makes someone else smile too.
Every evening,
As the sun began to set,
Nimbus would drift to her favourite spot above the valley and transform.
First,
Pale pink,
Then deeper rose,
Then touches of purple and gold,
Swirling together like cotton candy at a carnival.
On land,
A little girl would lie in the meadow and watch.
There's the cotton candy cloud,
She would whisper to herself.
Feeling peaceful,
Knowing Nimbus was there,
Painting the sky just for her.
One evening,
The girl's grandmother joined her in the meadow.
Why do you come to the meadow?
Her grandmother said gently.
To watch the cotton candy cloud,
The girl explained.
It makes everything feel soft and dreamy.
The grandmother looked up and smiled.
When I was your age,
I watched the clouds too.
I imagine they were made of wishes and dreams,
Floating by to remind us that beautiful things exist.
Do you think the cloud knows I'm watching?
The girl asked.
I think the cloud would be honoured,
Her grandmother said.
Up in the sky,
Nimbus did know.
She could feel the gentle attention,
The appreciation,
The way the little girl's heart opened with wonder each evening,
And it made Nimbus glow even more beautifully.
Soon,
Other clouds began to notice.
You put so much effort into your colours,
Said a wispy cloud.
Does anyone even care?
One little girl does,
Nimbus said warmly,
And that's enough.
But soon,
Other people started noticing too.
A tired farmer would pause in his work to appreciate the pink glow.
A mother would point it out to her baby.
An old man would smile,
Remembering joyful moments in cotton candy.
Nimbus began to learn something wonderful when you create simply because it matters.
It makes you happy.
You never know whose day you might brighten.
Your joy becomes a gift,
A ripple that may help others in ways you can't always see.
As weeks passed,
The whole valley began to gather at sunset,
Lying in meadows and sitting on porches,
Watching Nimbus paint the sky in shades of sweetness and light.
And every night,
As the last golden rays faded and stars began to appear,
The girl would quietly say,
Thank you,
Cotton candy cloud,
For bringing me and my grandmother lots of joy today.
Up above,
Nimbus would drift happily,
Knowing that being herself,
Joyfully herself,
Was the best gift she could give the world.
That night,
The girl fell into a deep sleep,
With pink clouds in her dreams,
Feeling peaceful and loved and deeply grateful for the simple magic of the sky that turned to cotton candy every single evening.
May you rest under cotton candy clouds.
May you know that your joy brightens the world.
May you find beauty in small,
Sweet things.
Good night.
