The Song That Broke the Sky UFLI Foundations Lesson 105

Girl sat at her window and played her flute. She played it perfectly. Every single note was exactly right. But every note was soaked in pain, because Girl was sad, and a flute always tells the truth. Drops ran down her cheeks one after another, and she disregarded them. She did not even wipe them away.

Her song floated out the window and into the breeze. Blue notes swirled past the treetops and curled between the branches, like something lost, something distant, something looking for home. They drifted on and on, slow and soft, with no place left to go. Not a single note was wrong. But they were heavy. The kind of heavy that makes the wind drop and the leaves go still, just to take it in.

Up in the sky, the notes began to cry. Green drops fell from them, one by one, drifting down soft and slow into the clouds far below. The clouds soaked up every drop until they could not hold any more. They grew heavy and dark and distressed. And then, at last, they began to cry too.

Down in the garden, Brown Rabbit felt a raindrop land on his nose. Then another. Then ten more. 'How odd,' said Brown Rabbit. 'It was sunny just a moment ago.' He was dismayed. Black Rabbit pressed close beside him, and Bird tucked herself small and still among the sunflowers. From far above, a sad, sad song drifted down with the rain.

'Do you catch that sound?' Sunflower leaned down so far her petals pressed the ground. 'That song is so sad. It disturbs the sky, and that is why it is raining. I know it. Bee, you must do something! My petals are soggy, and this rain will not stop!' Bee looked up at Sunflower. Then she looked at the gray sky. She buzzed her wings once, twice, and shot off into the rain.

Bee found Bird high in the sky, flying between the raindrops. 'Can you catch that song?' said Bee. 'Every note is a sob. A person must be in true distress.' 'But who?' said Bird. 'Who could ever feel that much pain?' 'I do not know,' said Bee. 'But we are going to find out.' The two of them discussed it as they flew.

Bird landed on a branch by Brown Rabbit. 'I am sorry to disturb you,' said Bird. 'But you can pick up any sound in this garden, and you have the fastest legs. Will you help us find who is playing that song?' Brown Rabbit went still and tilted his head to catch the tune. His nose wiggled. Then he bounded away so fast that Bird had to flap hard just to keep up.

Brown Rabbit followed the tune over the hill, past the fence, all the way to a window where Girl sat crying, a flute in her hands. 'Why do you play such a sad song?' he called up to her. 'It distresses us all.' Girl looked down. Her eyes were red. Her voice was just a whisper. 'I miss my mom and dad. And when I play, it hurts a little less.'

Brown Rabbit told Bird. Bird told Bee. Bee told Sunflower. And Sunflower said, 'Well? What are we all standing still for?' So Girl came down from her window. Before she could say a word, Black Rabbit leapt into her arms. Brown Rabbit bounced against her side. Bird landed on her shoulder and pressed her soft head close. It was a happy disarray of paws and wings. 'You are not alone,' they told her. 'We found you. We came.'

And Girl was not so lonely now. She sat in the golden light with a rabbit on each side and Bird on her arm. Bee flew loop after loop around the sunflowers, just to make Girl smile. It worked. No sad song disturbed the sky now. Girl did not play her flute that evening. She did not need to. But tomorrow? Tomorrow she would play it again. And this time, the song would make the sun come out.