Kaa Sings a Strong Song! UFLI Foundations Lesson 120

Gus had been singing since sunrise. The same song, over and over, to every dry bush and every dusty rock on the plain. 'Send rain!' he called, raising his free hand to the sky. 'I know you can hear me up there!' The sky said nothing. Not a rumble. Not a drop. The land was flat and hot, with no moisture in the air at all. Still, Gus kept walking. His song had never worked before. But today did not feel the same. Today felt lucky.

He tried louder. 'Come, clouds! Come to me, rain! Drip, drop, and splash!' He punched every word into the air like he was knocking on a door that just would not open. Gus gestured up at the sky. He stomped. He waved his arms wide. He sang the song three more times at the top of his lungs. A tiny wisp of cloud drifted past, going the wrong way. It was thin and featureless, without a drop of moisture in it. 'Not that way!' Gus shouted, pointing right at it. 'Come down this way!' The cloud kept drifting. It did not stop.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Gus spun around. Something big was coming down the trail. Something green. Something grinning. Something with a tail that could knock over a tree. Small dust clouds rose up with every step. 'Hello!' said the biggest, happiest creature Gus had ever seen. 'I am Dino!' He was a huge, bright green creature with bold plates all down his back. Light spots dotted his sides. He was grinning from ear to ear, and Gus could see every one of his big teeth. 'I could hear that song from way over that hill,' said Dino. 'It is very good! Can I sing it too?'

'You want to help me call the rain?' Gus grinned so wide his hat almost fell off. 'Then sing, Dino. Sing as loud as you can!' And Dino could sing very loud. Very, very loud. The huge creature shook the ground with his song. The dry bushes trembled. Gus stomped his boots and Dino swayed his big tail. Together they stomped and swayed across the flat plain, belting out the rain song again and again. 'Give me the clouds! Give me the rain! Drop it all down on this dry plain!'

The sky flickered. Then it growled. Dark clouds came tumbling in from all sides, piling on top of each other like they were late for something. The temperature dropped fast, and wind whipped across the flat, dry plain. A bolt of light split the sky wide open, and the cracked ground lit up bright all around them. The thunder rolled and rumbled. All of nature had come alive at last. Then the first fat raindrop fell and landed right on the tip of Gus's nose, and then another drop hit his cheek. 'Dino!' Gus shouted, spinning around with his hand raised high. 'It's working! It is truly working!'

Rain fell in big, thick drops, soaking into the dry, cracked ground. Gus grabbed the brim of his hat and danced in the wet, muddy dirt. Dino threw back his head and sang so loud the clouds could hear him twice. 'We did it!' Gus cheered, raindrops streaming down his face. 'My song worked at last!' Dino jumped in a huge puddle with a big, splashing stomp. 'Your song? You mean our song!' Gus looked at Dino, and Dino looked back at Gus. They both burst out laughing, splashing and singing together in the rain. What an adventure! Gus beamed, gripping his hat brim tight. Together they shouted out with glee: 'We made it rain!'