A unique collection of moral inspirational stories

FRAGMENTS FROM THE BOOK "SECRETS OF THE HEART"

CHILDREN's STORIES
ABOUT
THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE

WHY THE RAINDROPS FLEW AWAY?

A. Lopatina

Redback dreamt that he himself turned into a little cloud full of tiny raindrops, and he soared high into the sky.

Other clouds were also floating lightly in the cool air, and they all called out a friendly greeting to the little mouse, and said how surprised they were that he wasn't afraid to fly so very, very high above the treetops. In fact Redback wasn't the least bit scared. Diving and swimming about in the great blue sky wasn't hard at all, and it sure was fun!

He wanted to play tag with another little cloud he had just spotted hiding behind its big fluffy neighbour, but the raindrops inside called out to him, "Redback, don't forget, we've got work to do! We have to go and give somebody water to drink. Let's go down a little closer to the ground."

Redback wanted very much to tell them that he wasn't finished with flying around, but he suddenly had a funny feeling that he shouldn't argue with the raindrops, and so he swooped down towards the forest.

On the edge of a clearing a mother wolf was lying in the brush. The sun was baking hot, and the wolf was terribly thirsty and breathing hard, and her red tongue hung out of her mouth, panting. The night before she'd got herself caught in a trap. After a long, hard struggle she'd worked herself free, but her hind paw was broken and bleeding and she could run no farther. As she licked her wound she fretted about her cubs, who were all alone in the den. The wolf gazed longingly at the sky. If only it would rain! Then she could quench her thirst and make her way back home. And the rain would also wash away the traces of blood from her injured paw, which otherwise might lead a dangerous hunter straight to her children.

She looked hopefully at a little cloud that was drawing near. The raindrops were all set to jump when Redback shouted, "No! No! Stop! I don't want to give any water to a wolf! She's horrible and scary, and she eats little animals for lunch, and mice too."

So the cloud passed her by.

Further on someone had lit a campfire, and the fire had left a big black spot in the middle of a beautiful meadow. The flowers and grass all around it were wilted from the heat, and many of them were broken and trampled.

"OK, then, little mouse," the drops suggested. "Why don't we water them, and help them freshen up and grow straight again?"

But Redback had another idea.

"Let's go on a bit farther," he said. "I want to surprise my brother, Homey. He planted a big garden next to our burrow, and when it's really hot, like today, he spends hours and hours carrying his bucket to water it with. Sometimes he even asks me to help. Now we can go and water the whole garden all at once! Homey will be so surprised! Isn't it wonderful?"

The drops didn't answer, and Redback was a bit hurt. He had a great idea, hadn't he? Why didn't anyone else think so? That very instant the drops left him, flying towards the thirsty earth below.

"Goodbye, friend Redback," they sang just a bit sadly as they fell away. "Poor little mouse! You still don't understand the Most Important Thing."

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