I looked down at the world below me, children running around, parents stopping them, teenagers on their phones, business people running to get to work. It was one of my normal days when I wonder how it feels like to be alive, to be able to walk around or to think clearly. All my friends tease me for being such a thinker, but I think that's what makes me different. I'm the odd ball of my whole group.
***
"Hey, Sunny! Can I be with you? Like you know fl-"
"Yes, I know what you mean. You want to follow me around again?" She said, cutting me off. "Nope, not happening. I'm following some others today, and they don't want you to be there babbling about the world below us. Bye."
I watch as the wind took her away, letting her flow to where the other girls were. I sighed and let the wind blow me to the other direction. Just for your information, she has never let me follow her or hang around with her. Ever. But, whatever. It took me a good, long five minutes before I could find anyone that I knew.
"Daddy! Where's Lucy? Have you seen her?" I asked.
"Honey, I'm busy right now. Nope, I haven't. Shouldn't she be where all the cloudies are?"
"Ok I'll go and check. But, daddy, I have a question. Why do you work? Why don't I work?"
"Well...umm...I'm a...an adult. I guess." He hesitated. "Bye, Cloudia! I have to go now."
In this world, I am probably a teenager, aren't I? Well, if I was, that would explain why I don't work. Because that's what teenagers in the world below us do, right? They just play around and learn new things.
I let the wind blow me again but, this time to the direction of the "Cloudies Area". No one was there, until I spotted a group of girls and recognized that one of them was Lucy. The other girls quickly flowed away when they saw me, but I was in time before Lucy could even move.
"Lucy? Where is all the kids? - Sorry, I mean the cloudies?" I asked.
"Well. Mmmm...how to put this..." Lucy hesitated, looking around.
"Lucy! Are you coming with us or not?" One of the girls called from the front.
"I'm coming!" Lucy called back.
She gave me a pitying face, and left me without answering my question. Every single day of my life has always been like this, no one was what I would ever call a "close" friend. I decided to find out, once and for all, where everyone (my "friends") were going. I've had enough of all the cloudies ignoring me like this. My mom and dad were always busy, so I don't mind them. What really bothers me is that Lucy, my own sister, would not care about me being alone. I let the wind blow me towards where the sound started to get boisterous, and not to my surprise, there was every cloudie, boy or girl talking and playing around. I stayed a few steps away from them, just when I was going to make my approach...
"Oh my god! Why does Cloudia always want to follow me?" Sunny said.
"Don't know. She is such an anomaly, she drives me crazy! 'The world this, the world that. I wonder this, I wonder that.' That's all she talks about." It was Lucy who said that.
"Why can't she just be a normal cloud? Do the work of cloudies. Done. Not thinking about such weird, obnoxious things like the world below us." One cloudie said.
"Yeah, she's a bit weird. I feel sorry for her," said a cloudie, sarcastically, "not."
A mirth of laughter filled the sky, boys and girl cloudies, all of them laughed at me. Only me. I watched as the sky grew darker, sobbed, and let the wind blow as hard as it could. Take me away, far away, I thought. I didn't even look back to see if the other cloudies noticed me at all.
***
I stayed at the place where my mom and I always loved to be at. I always waited for her here at the end of the day. I look down below me, once again I see kids still playing, parents stopping them, and teenagers busy with their phones. One of the children looked up at the sky and smiled. I'm a cloud, but is it that bad if I think about things too much? Then, I felt a warm presence behind me.
"Mom?" I choked, through tears.
"Oh, sweety. What's wrong, Cloudia?" My mom said, blowing the tears from me.
"The cloudies, Lucy, I heard what they all think of me. None of their words were really nice." I choked again, more this time. "Should I change myself? Am I really annoying? Is there bad about mys-"
"Shhh...don't say that. Don't be so insecure about yourself, you're perfect. Don't let all those words hurt you. Just because you're different, doesn't mean you're bad. It just means that you are unique, intelligent. You are." My mom said, soothingly.
"It's been happening so many times, mom. I hate it. I'll try, though. I'm just an intelligent, unique cloud, aren't I?" I tittered. My mom laughed, too
"Yes, you definitely are," my mom said, "you're crying, you're pouring rain all over those children, down there. It's an otiose thing to do right now, Cloudia. And it's only mid-morning for them, Cloudia. They all still want to play. I'm going home early, you want to come?"
"No. Thanks, though." I responded.
I watch the little boy, the one who looked up the sky and smiled. Suddenly, I heard his thoughts. For some reason, it reached me. It felt like it was for me. "Cloud? You up there? Don't cry. Don't pour rain. Don't be sad, cloud. When you become sad, I become sad. Brand, new days will always help you. Crying doesn't help you, it never does. I've done it before, nothing good happens when I cry. Please, stop and smile. It will help." I smiled and let the sun dry off all the tears I had. That was a phenomenon, nothing like that ever happens. But it just did with me. "Cloud? Thank you! You did it! I hope your worries are gone. Thank you for giving me a brand, new day!" This time, I smiled more brightly than I have ever done in my whole life. I'm an intelligent, unique cloud who is desperately in need of a brand, new start of looking at things (specifically, at myself). A brand, new day. All I need is a brand, new day.