By: Ameer Ali
Once upon a time, high above the green hills and blue seas, there was a tiny white cloud named Nimbo.
Every day, Nimbo floated across the sky with other clouds, making shapes for children on the ground to guess — dragons, castles, elephants, and even funny faces!
But Nimbo wasn’t happy.
At night, when the sky turned dark and the stars began to sparkle, Nimbo looked at them and sighed.
“Oh, how I wish I could shine like the stars,” he whispered. “Everyone looks up at them and smiles. No one notices me when the sun goes down.”
One evening, Nimbo decided to drift higher and higher, hoping to reach the stars.
He climbed past the tallest mountains, through cold winds, and up into the deep night sky.
“Just a little more!” he puffed.
But the higher he went, the smaller and colder he became.
A gentle voice called out, “Little cloud, what are you doing up here?”
It was Luma, the kindest star in the sky.
“I want to shine like you,” Nimbo said sadly. “I’m just a dull cloud.”
Luma smiled. “Oh, sweet cloud, you already shine — just in a different way. Without you, the earth would have no rain, no rivers, no flowers. You give life to everything below.”
Nimbo thought for a moment. “But I still want to make people smile.”
“Then go home,” said Luma kindly. “Tomorrow, you’ll see your magic.”
So Nimbo floated back down, feeling lighter and warmer.
The next morning, he gathered sunlight and grew big and fluffy again. Then, as the sun set, he spread wide across the sky.
The golden light painted him pink, orange, and purple — a beautiful sunset!
People on the ground stopped and pointed. “Look! What a beautiful sky!”
Nimbo smiled from above. He finally understood.
You don’t need to be a star to shine.
You only need to be yourself.
Moral: Everyone shines in their own way — you just have to find what makes you special.
