This is an original, children’s story written and illustrated by Alex Inglewood,
with help from GPT-3 and Stable Diffusion.
For ages 7-10
Estimated reading time: 5-10 minutes
A drop of water lived in the ocean, a tiny part of a vast, blue expanse. The drop was always in constant motion, moving about. Sometimes it was in the deep dark abyss, and sometimes it was being pushed and pulled by the waves. When it splashed about on the surface, the drop reflected the light of the sun, creating a sparkle in the vast blue sea.
It loved the heat of the sun high above, and the bright surface waters. But one day, when the sun was especially bright, it had a very strange experience. It felt itself getting lighter and lighter until it was floating away from the ocean. Higher and higher and warmer and warmer, until the drop was nothing but vapor. It watched as the ocean shrank away as it was carried off by the wind, but it was not alone. Other vapors had joined it, and soon they condensed together into big white fluffy clouds.
The wind blew the clouds away for many weeks. They watched the ocean pass by below. Eventually, they saw the waves crashing against a shore and people swimming in the surf. When the cloud began traveling over the land, it saw a different world. The land was a patchwork of many colors and sights. The cloud enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle of life on land and marveled at how different it is from the quiet beauty of the ocean.
The clouds continued further, until the slope of the land began to rise towards the sky. The clouds began to slow down and shiver. The air became so cold that the cloud began to change again and condensed into water droplets again. The drop was glad to be liquid again, but it grew heavy and began to fall. As it fell, it passed through colder air and turned into ice. It joined together with others to form snowflakes, which eventually landed and became part of a blanket of white snow along a tiny stream surrounded by trees.
There they lay for some time, until the sun once again shone strong and bright. Under its warmth, the snow melted rapidly. The water drop joined a stream. The water was cold and refreshing, and the stream continued to grow larger as the snow continued to melt. Soon, the stream became a river, flowing swiftly down the mountain. The river brought new life to the mountain, and the animals that lived there began to stir.
The river was also a peaceful place where people relaxed. Children swam in the river and played games. The drop followed the river as it meandered through farmland, gently passing fields of corn and wheat. The farmers worked hard to maintain their crops, and the river provided a vital source of water for them. The river slowed from dirt washing in from the fields, and the drop felt heavy with silt and debris.
The land the river passed through began to fill with houses and buildings, until a great city loomed. As the river drew closer, it slowed down with the weight of everything it was carrying. It passed below bridges and factories and resonated with the sounds of boats motoring up and down. Trash began to fill the river. Sometimes people or boats would come to remove the trash, and the drop was grateful for their efforts.
Eventually the river slowed until it came to a complete stop. A dam! Days, weeks and then months passed. The drop worried if it would be trapped behind that great wall forever. It longed for the ocean, full of depth and motion. It reflected upon its journey, and wondered if it could escape again into the sky with the heat of the sun. Suddenly there was a grinding of heavy machines, and a surge forward. The drop spilled out passed the dam and fell far below. The water surged forward and continued to flow down through the land.
The river slowed even further as the land became flatter and flatter. The drop began to worry again, but soon saw it had come to some wetlands. They were home to many birds and fish. The dirt and silt the river carried for so long settled to the bottom for plants and trees to grow in or was filtered from the water by oysters and clams. Clean at last, the drop flowed into the great blue ocean. Happy to be back, it enjoyed the splash of the waves and the swish of the current. But it also knew in its new wisdom that its journey was not over. Sooner or later, it would rise again and start the cycle once more, for it was part of something far bigger than itself.
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