Claudio, The Curious Cloud

 

Claudio was a young cloud, newly formed and full of excitement and wonder. Claudio enjoyed his life floating over the land and the sea with his mother and father Claudine and Carson Cloud. Much in the same way that humans join the Navy to see the world, Claudio enjoyed traveling around the globe and seeing the world.

 

At nighttime when the sun went to bed and the blue Dome disappeared Claudio could see the heavens which were filled with brightly lit wonders. Comets, planets, asteroids and stars of every size and color were sprinkled across the velvety blackness of the night sky.

In the morning when the sun woke up and the blue Dome returned; the heavens disappeared until nightfall. Claudio floated to Europe and Asia, Russia and the Pacific islands and sometimes he even went with his parents to the North and South pole taking in all the sights. Claudio was never crammed into an airplane seat in the coach section and never had to wait at baggage claim for his suitcase as he had no possessions!

 One day while Claudio was watching a flock of birds flying far below him an orange object caught his eye tethered to a string that went all the way down to earth. Claudio strained to see what the object was. His mother Claudine Cloud explained that it was a kite. It was a device that the human children flew to amuse themselves. Claudio was fascinated and began to wonder what else went on all the way down there on earth. He resolved himself to take a trip down to earth to get a better look. Claudio was a very curious cloud!

 One day when his parents were involved in an atmospheric discussion, Claudio snuck away and began his descent to earth to see the goings on there. As he dropped down, the earth became larger and more expansive and the land which he had previously seen through a mist was now resolved and clear. He could see mountains and lakes, rivers and streams and boats on the ocean and towns full of houses. It was all very fascinating! When Claudio got very close, he could even see the people moving about. Finally, he came right down to the ground and after a few minutes of loitering around he heard cars blowing their horns and people yelling at one another!

“You're on the wrong side of the road!” yelled one driver.

 “Who taught you how to drive?” exclaimed an angry lady.

 Claudio saw two cars hit each other. And he heard a fire engine’s siren heading to a fire on the other side of town. Ambulance sirens had started to wail and were crisscrossing the town. As Claudio rolled through the streets people were pointing at him and calling him fog with angry looks on their faces. The people were angry at Claudio.

“I'm not a fog, I'm a cloud, my name is Claudio!”

 Now the policeman blew his whistle and pointed up at Claudio waving his nightstick.

 “Now listen here Claudio, you can call yourself whatever you like but when you come down here and disturb the peace, you are a fog in no uncertain terms! Why, if you had arms, I would arrest you and handcuff you on a #413, Causing an Atmospheric Disturbance!”

 Claudio was confused and insulted. “I just wanted to see what was going on down here, but I see that I am not welcome.”

Now the meteorologist in his three-piece tweed suit and coke bottle glasses chimed in.     "You, my good man, are an atmospheric anomaly caused when cold and hot fronts meet causing moisture to condense into a fog! You must ascend back to the sky!”

 Not to be forgotten, the farmer chimed in now to help Claudio understand.

"Look here friend, you are causing problems; cars are hitting each other because the drivers can't see one another. People are going to get hurt... or worse if you stay here. We understand that you were just curious, but you must leave now before more damage is done,” said the farmer, accenting his point by slamming the handle of his pitchfork into the ground. Claudio was sad but he understood the problems that he was causing.

"I am sorry for the trouble that I have caused," Claudio apologized as he ascended back into the sky.

 The townspeople including the policeman, the meteorologist, and the farmer all waved to him as he disappeared into the clouds. A few drops of water fell from Claudio. They were not rain, they were tears.

 

Jim 2/2024