About this story
Sterling is the oldest mountain in the world, hard and gray, and proud of needing nothing. When a small, soft cloud parks on his peak, he tells it to go away. Instead, it wraps around him and starts to rain.
Ages: 4–8 · Reading time: about 2 minutes
Moral: Even the hardest hearts can bloom when they accept kindness.
Sterling the Mountain was the oldest thing in the world. He was made of hard, cold, grey stone.
He took great pride in being strong. The wind lashed against him and did not move him. *Whoosh.* The sun scorched his surface, and he did not complain. He was solitary and silent, touching the sky with his sharp, jagged peak.
“I need nothing. I am stone,” Sterling told the valley far below.
The Unexpected Guest
One day, a small, fluffy Cloud, heavy with water, parked itself right on top of Sterling’s peak. The Cloud was soft as cotton and changed shape every second. “Go away!” Sterling grumbled. “You’re blocking my view. You’re soft and weak.“
The Cloud did not move. She was tired of traveling. Instead of leaving, she wrapped herself around Sterling’s peak like a warm hug. And then, she began to cry.
It wasn’t a sad cry. It was a fine, steady, and generous rain. *Drip, drop, drip, drop.* Sterling felt the water trickle down his dry cracks. It was a strange feeling. It tickled. The water seeped into the tiny holes in the stone where dust had gathered for years.
The Living Garden
For three days, the Cloud rained and embraced the hard stone. When she finally drifted away, light and empty, the sun returned. Sterling looked down at himself. He wasn’t just grey anymore.
From deep within his cracks, where the water had reached, thousands of purple and yellow flowers had begun to bloom. Green moss covered the sharp edges of his rocks, making them soft to the touch. For the first time, Sterling could smell a sweet perfume.
He was no longer just a cold, lonely rock; he was a living garden. He learned that even the hardest hearts can bloom when they accept a kind and gentle embrace.
