In the evening sky floated a soft white cloud, as gentle as a great tuft of cotton, drifting slowly above a quiet village. She loved watching the little houses and their warm lights fade out one by one.

The cloud passed over a garden with an old lemon tree, where she spotted a small bird shivering on its branch. She drew close and wrapped it in a soft, moist touch, and the bird felt a strange warmth and a lovely stillness.

The gentle cloud continued her journey over the fields, sprinkling light drops of dew on the sleeping flowers, as if covering them with a sheer blanket to protect them until morning.

As midnight drew near, the cloud paused above the whole village and looked at the stars around her with quiet happiness. Then she too closed her eyes, and slept in the sky among her sister clouds.