Snowflake Wishes

Walter the Water Droplet might be happy in his home in the clouds, but now he has a new mission: to help a puff of smoke make a little girl's Christmas wish come true. Can they make the perfect first snowflake of Christmas? Join Walter as he learns what it takes to form each and every unique snowflake in this heartwarming holiday tale.

Meet Walter!

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A Home in the Clouds

One day, Walter the Water Droplet flew into the air. He had been living in a relatively calm, peaceful part of the ocean for years, and then suddenly he was whisked into the sky by the heat of the sun. He looked around himself wondering what to do, when Winston the Water Droplet showed up.

“Hello there, friend,” said Winston with a broad smile, “Are you new here in town? You look like you could use some help finding that little piece of cloud to call your very own. Step right this way, and we’ll get you started!”

Walter hesitated. All of this was so new. “I’m not sure that I need a cloud. Can’t I just stay here in the air?”

“Well, sure you can, if you want to be humidity all your life,” said Winston with a scoff. “But I can tell that you want bigger and better things. Great and grand and exciting adventures, and those are only found in clouds. Trust me on this one, kid.”

“Uh, okay. If you say so. What are my choices?”

Winston flashed his sly grin again, “I knew you’d come around. I can always tell the ones who are up for a challenge.”

Walter held up his hands defensively, “I didn’t say I wanted a challenge! Or an adventure, for that matter. It would be nice to settle down somewhere, though. Can you help me find somewhere like that?”

“Sure, sure! How about this nice stratus cloud? Not too much altitude on this one. Covers the entire sky, so lots of room to move around. It’s very tame. Almost no chance of falling out as rain, so you’ll have a nice long stay.”

Walter scooched into the cloud, trying to get comfortable. There were so many other water droplets he hardly had any breathing room. The cloud was pretty low to the ground, which at first seemed nice to Walter. Soon, though, he wished he had a better view. “I don’t think this is the one,” he said.

“Not a problem, not a problem. Perhaps you are looking for just a little bit of excitement? How about this nimbostratus? This is your typical ‘rain cloud,’ just waiting to dump all the water droplets out onto the land or ocean below. For the water droplets in this one, it can be quite exhilarating – will I be dropped in this rain shower? The next? What will happen to me? There are great reviews on the experience.”

Walter frowned. He was starting to like being a water drop in the sky, and he wasn’t so sure that he wanted to go back to the ocean so soon. Besides, everywhere that he could see down below was wet and dreary; the people had their backs bowed to the sky to escape the rain. “This one isn’t right for me, either. Do you have anything higher?”

“Why, of course we do! How about a nice altocumulus? These clouds are much whiter, which some people really prefer over the dark gray of the last two. Plus, you do get the extra altitude for a nice view, and since they don’t completely cover the sky, you get some nice sunshine.”

Walter sidled into the rolling folds of the cloud, right on the edge with the sunlight streaming down nearby. This really was quite nice. He had a lovely view, a little bit of sunshine, but he still wasn’t sure. “I like these, but perhaps you can show me a couple more.”

“Of course!” Winston beamed, “I take it you are a fellow who likes sunshine. Well, then, I have the cloud for you – the cumulus. These are your fluffy, cotton candy clouds from children’s drawings the world over. They are the clouds that you get on warm summer days, so you will typically get to stay in them for a long time. Plus, you get to make them into fun shapes for the people down below.”

Walter snuggled into the white puff, feeling thoroughly comfortable. He loved his view. He loved the sunshine. He loved the fantastical shapes. But there was just one thing, “What did you mean by ‘you will typically get to stay in them for a long time?’”

“Oh, nothing really,” said Winston with a wave of his hand, “there is just a small chance that this cloud will build into a cumulonimbus.”

“What’s a cumulonimubus?” asked Walter. As they were talking, the cloud around them was starting to darken and grow taller and taller.

“It’s your typical storm cloud. Like a said, it’s only a small chance,” said Winston. The wind inside of the cloud started to blow faster and faster, lifting the two water droplets high up into the air as the sweet little cumulus cloud grew into a towering monster.

“Aaaaah,” yelled Walter, “Is this what you were talking about?”

“I”m afraid sooooo,” said Winston, grabbing onto Walter for dear life. The two of them were bounced up and down through the cloud, crashing into other water droplets who threatened to pull them to the ground. Large boulders of hail bounced past them as they grew up layer by layer around them. The two water droplets were terrified. Finally, they popped out of the top of the cloud into a very high altitude.

The air up here was calm and cold, so cold that they both turned into iridescent ice crystals. Nearby was a thin layer of cloud, stretched out like a gossamer blanket across the sky, still and serene.

“What kind of cloud is that?” whispered Walter in awe.

“Oh, that. Just a cirrus cloud,” said Winston with a shiver. “Come on, let’s go back down. It’s freezing up here!”

“No, this is it!” cried Walter. “That is the cloud for me! A lovely white cirrus cloud with the fantastic view and all the sunshine I can ever want. Thank you, friend, I have found my new home!” And he settled in for a long, long stay.

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