The Raindrops' Journey

Splish, the little raindrop, lived in a cotton-white cloud. He really liked living there. He often looked at the colourful world below and noticed something down there that looked like snaking blue lines. In a strange way, he felt drawn to it, and sometimes he sighed with longing.

In time, more raindrops gathered in the cloud. Splish found new friends: Splash and Spray. They often played about so wildly within the cloud that from the earth it looked as if the outlines of the cloud kept changing.

However, as ever more raindrops arrived, it slowly became a bit of a squash in the cloud. Splish, Splash and Spray were pushed towards the edges of the cloud by the new arrivals. The once cotton-white cloud gradually became a dark rain cloud.

Suddenly, some of the drops next to the three friends jumped down exuberantly.

'What's happening now?' asked Splish in surprise.

Splash already knew what was happening, 'Just do it too!' he encouraged Splish, then flung himself out of the cloud.

'We're raining down on the earth,' explained Spray. 'It's an exciting journey. Come on, come with me!'

Together with Spray, Splish bravely found the nerve to plunge into the depths below.

The descent was incredibly fast. The wind pulled on Splish and formed him into a perfect drop shape.

'Woohoo!' cheered the little raindrop enthusiastically.

The earth raced towards him.

'Hopefully I'll land on a flower,' wished Spray. 'Where do you want to go?'

'Hm,' pondered Splish. 'In that wiggly blue thing,' he decided.

Then the time had come. Spray landed first, and with great luck, his lustrous form fell on a beautiful flower. He tenderly wiped its face before he slowly trickled down its stem and seeped into the ground.

Splish didn't do so well. He plopped onto a big stone that lay along the lakeshore.

'Ouch!' he lamented.

But then, when he discovered Splash right beside him, he instantly forgot about his crash landing.

'Hello, Splash,' he rejoiced.

After exchanging a short greeting, Splash whinged, 'What a pain! I missed it!'

'What do you mean?' inquired Splish, cluelessly.

'Well, the "wiggly blue thing", as you call it. From up above, lakes and rivers look like blue lines.'

'That's all water?' wondered Splish in amazement. 'I never knew that there were so many of us.' Fascinated, he looked over to the cheerfully splashing brook.

Splash nudged his friend. 'Someone's coming!' he whispered.

As a matter of fact, a beetle was advancing towards them.

'Maybe he wants to drink me,' said Splash hopefully.

'Aren't you scared?' asked Splish.

'Of course not!' Splash shook his head so vigorously that he produced a little cloud of mist. 'That's our job. Without us, people and animals can't live. Even the plants need us. We soak the ground so that they can grow.'

'Like our friend Spray,' realised Splish. 'But what will become of us?' he asked hurriedly, for the beetle had almost reached them.

'We will meet each other again sometime back in a cloud,' declared Splash. 'Water doesn't disappear. It soaks in, gets flushed away or swallowed — but it always turns up again under the ground in subterranean water, or in the sea, for example. At some point, us little drops evaporate and return as such to the clouds. Then everything begins again.'

And with that, he waved cheerfully to Splish. The beetle then satisfied his thirst on Splash and contentedly scuttled away.

Splish remained behind alone. 'What do I do now?' he wondered.

The brook gurgled invitingly. 'I'll simply jump in,' decided Splish. He bravely left his spot on the stone and coursed into the brook to begin his next adventure.

_{A story by V. Hoffmann from Bremen.}