The Bravest Pupil in the Sky

Up went Fluffy... and up... until they were right beside the gigantic grey cloud. The air up here was cold and damp, and the snoring was as loud as real thunder.

Rana stood at the edge of her little cloud. Then she took one step... and another step... until she was standing on the great cloud itself. It felt soft under her feet, like a damp pillow.

She didn't look down. She looked at what she wanted to do, just as Madam Naseem had taught her.

She walked slowly until she reached the place that looked like the cloud's ear. Then she leant close and whispered, in a calm, honest voice:

"Big cloud... I'm Rana. I'm afraid of heights, and I'm a little bit afraid of you, too. But down there is a little girl holding an empty bucket. And thirsty trees that are nearly dying. And a river that's turned into a thread of mud. They need you. Please... wake up."