📖 Story
On a wide green plain near a thick forest lived a little elephant named Farfour, with his mother and the herd. Farfour was sweet and cheerful, with big ears that moved like fans and a long trunk he loved to play with. And he loved one thing more than anything else: water!
In the middle of the village where the herd lived was a big water tap built by the kind keeper, Uncle Nimr, who looked after the animals. The water came to the tap from a big tank on the hill, filled with rainwater and spring water. All the animals drank from it and took what they needed.
Farfour went to the tap every morning, opened it with his trunk, and played with the water all day. He filled his trunk and sprayed water into the air to make a big fountain and laughed. Then he sprayed it on his back, then on the ground to make a mud puddle and roll in it. And he left the tap open, the water running and running.
His mother would say, "Farfour, close the tap when you're done. Water is precious." But Farfour would answer, "Don't worry, Mama, there's lots of water, and the tap never stops!" and go back to playing. The extra water ran down the road and was lost in the dirt, with no one benefiting from it.
One hot day, Farfour was playing as usual, the tap open and water splashing everywhere. Suddenly he heard a tiny, delicate voice: "Careful, Farfour! Careful!" He looked around but saw no one. Then he heard it again: "I'm here! On the tip of your trunk!"
Farfour looked at the tip of his trunk and saw a tiny shining drop of water, wobbling and trying not to fall. It sparkled in the sun with rainbow colors and had a little smiling face. Farfour was astonished. "A talking water drop?!" "Yes," said the drop, "my name is Lulua. And I'd like to tell you my story, if you'll let me."
Farfour sat under the tree and, for the first time, turned off the tap so he could listen properly. "Farfour, do you know where I came from?" said Lulua. "I wasn't born in this tap. I traveled a very long way to reach you." "A journey? What journey?" asked Farfour. "Listen," she said.
"Long ago, I lived in the great faraway sea with millions of other drops. One sunny day the sun warmed me, I became very light, turned into vapor, and flew high into the sky. There I met many other drops, and we gathered together and made a big white cloud."
"The cloud traveled with the wind for many days, over seas, deserts, and mountains," Lulua went on. "It was very cold up high. Then, when we reached your mountain, we became heavy and fell as rain. I landed on the mountaintop and rolled between the rocks and grass."
"Then I seeped into the ground and traveled through layers of soil and stone, which cleaned and filtered me until I was pure and clear. After many long months, I came out of the spring on the hill, ran along the channel, and reached the big tank. Then the pipe brought me to this tap. And today, I reached your trunk."
Farfour was amazed. "All that long journey? From the sea to the sky to the mountain to the ground to here?" "Yes," said Lulua. "And every drop in this tap made a journey like mine. We come to quench the thirsty, water the trees, and make life possible. But you, Farfour, throw us on the dirt, and we're lost."
Farfour lowered his head. "I didn't know. I thought water never ran out." "Water isn't endless, Farfour," Lulua said gently. "Look at the tank on the hill." Farfour looked and saw Uncle Nimr standing beside the tank, looking worried. The water level had dropped a lot, because no rain had fallen for months.
"And look at the field over there," said Lulua. Farfour looked and saw the banana trees he loved, their leaves wilted and yellow. He saw that the wildflowers on the plain had dried up. And he saw a little gazelle and her mother walking slowly toward the tap, looking very thirsty. Farfour's heart sank.
Farfour began to think: "What if the drops disappeared? What if the gazelle came to the tap and found no water because I wasted it playing?" He imagined the whole plain dry, the trees dead, and the animals thirsty. He shivered. "No! I don't want that to happen!"
"Don't be sad, Farfour," said Lulua. "The good news is that you can change it starting today. Every drop you save stays for someone else, and every tap you close protects life." "Tell me what to do!" said Farfour eagerly. "First, close the tap after you drink or wash. Second, take only what you need."
"Third," Lulua continued, "if you want to play with water, play in the natural pool by the river, where the water goes back into the ground and the river. And fourth, the water you wash with can water the trees instead of being lost. We drops love to be useful."
Then Lulua said, "Now, will you let me go? The little gazelle is thirsty, and I want to give her a drink." "Of course, Lulua!" said Farfour. He opened the tap a little, filled a small bowl, and closed it tightly. He offered the bowl to the little gazelle and her mother. They drank, and the mother said, "Thank you, Farfour. You're a kind elephant."
Farfour looked into the bowl and saw Lulua sparkle one last time. "Thank you, my friend," she said. "Remember: every drop is precious." Then the gazelle drank her. Farfour smiled and felt his heart fill with joy, a joy greater than all the fun he had felt spraying water and playing.
From that day on, Farfour always closed the tap after using it and made sure it didn't drip. He drank only what he needed, washed quickly, and used his wash water to water the banana trees. And he played in the natural pool by the river, where the water returns to the earth.
His mother noticed the change. "What happened, Farfour? You've started saving water!" He told her Lulua's story. His mother smiled. "I'm proud of you, little one. You've learned a lesson that even grown-ups find hard to learn." And she hugged him with her long trunk.
But Farfour didn't stop there; he decided to teach his friends. He gathered the young ones of the herd and the young of other animals: the little giraffe, the mischievous monkey, and the little zebra. He told them the story of the water drop's journey from the sea to the tap. They listened in wonder and asked lots of questions.
"Let's make a team called the Drop Guardians!" said Farfour. Every day the team went around the village taps to make sure they were closed. They put bowls under the trees to collect rainwater, and they helped Uncle Nimr clean the channel from the spring so the water would arrive clean.
Weeks later, rain finally fell on the mountain. The tank filled again, the trees turned green, and the flowers bloomed in color. Uncle Nimr told Farfour, "Thanks to you and your friends, the water didn't run out during the hard days. You really are the Drop Guardians." Farfour was very happy, looked up at the sky, and said, "Thank you, Lulua."
From Farfour's story we learn that every drop of water is precious, because it travels a long way to reach us and carries life to every creature on Earth. Let's close the tap after use, take only what we need, and teach others to save water. When we protect the little drops, we protect the trees, the animals, and all of life.
In the middle of the village where the herd lived was a big water tap built by the kind keeper, Uncle Nimr, who looked after the animals. The water came to the tap from a big tank on the hill, filled with rainwater and spring water. All the animals drank from it and took what they needed.
Farfour went to the tap every morning, opened it with his trunk, and played with the water all day. He filled his trunk and sprayed water into the air to make a big fountain and laughed. Then he sprayed it on his back, then on the ground to make a mud puddle and roll in it. And he left the tap open, the water running and running.
His mother would say, "Farfour, close the tap when you're done. Water is precious." But Farfour would answer, "Don't worry, Mama, there's lots of water, and the tap never stops!" and go back to playing. The extra water ran down the road and was lost in the dirt, with no one benefiting from it.
One hot day, Farfour was playing as usual, the tap open and water splashing everywhere. Suddenly he heard a tiny, delicate voice: "Careful, Farfour! Careful!" He looked around but saw no one. Then he heard it again: "I'm here! On the tip of your trunk!"
Farfour looked at the tip of his trunk and saw a tiny shining drop of water, wobbling and trying not to fall. It sparkled in the sun with rainbow colors and had a little smiling face. Farfour was astonished. "A talking water drop?!" "Yes," said the drop, "my name is Lulua. And I'd like to tell you my story, if you'll let me."
Farfour sat under the tree and, for the first time, turned off the tap so he could listen properly. "Farfour, do you know where I came from?" said Lulua. "I wasn't born in this tap. I traveled a very long way to reach you." "A journey? What journey?" asked Farfour. "Listen," she said.
"Long ago, I lived in the great faraway sea with millions of other drops. One sunny day the sun warmed me, I became very light, turned into vapor, and flew high into the sky. There I met many other drops, and we gathered together and made a big white cloud."
"The cloud traveled with the wind for many days, over seas, deserts, and mountains," Lulua went on. "It was very cold up high. Then, when we reached your mountain, we became heavy and fell as rain. I landed on the mountaintop and rolled between the rocks and grass."
"Then I seeped into the ground and traveled through layers of soil and stone, which cleaned and filtered me until I was pure and clear. After many long months, I came out of the spring on the hill, ran along the channel, and reached the big tank. Then the pipe brought me to this tap. And today, I reached your trunk."
Farfour was amazed. "All that long journey? From the sea to the sky to the mountain to the ground to here?" "Yes," said Lulua. "And every drop in this tap made a journey like mine. We come to quench the thirsty, water the trees, and make life possible. But you, Farfour, throw us on the dirt, and we're lost."
Farfour lowered his head. "I didn't know. I thought water never ran out." "Water isn't endless, Farfour," Lulua said gently. "Look at the tank on the hill." Farfour looked and saw Uncle Nimr standing beside the tank, looking worried. The water level had dropped a lot, because no rain had fallen for months.
"And look at the field over there," said Lulua. Farfour looked and saw the banana trees he loved, their leaves wilted and yellow. He saw that the wildflowers on the plain had dried up. And he saw a little gazelle and her mother walking slowly toward the tap, looking very thirsty. Farfour's heart sank.
Farfour began to think: "What if the drops disappeared? What if the gazelle came to the tap and found no water because I wasted it playing?" He imagined the whole plain dry, the trees dead, and the animals thirsty. He shivered. "No! I don't want that to happen!"
"Don't be sad, Farfour," said Lulua. "The good news is that you can change it starting today. Every drop you save stays for someone else, and every tap you close protects life." "Tell me what to do!" said Farfour eagerly. "First, close the tap after you drink or wash. Second, take only what you need."
"Third," Lulua continued, "if you want to play with water, play in the natural pool by the river, where the water goes back into the ground and the river. And fourth, the water you wash with can water the trees instead of being lost. We drops love to be useful."
Then Lulua said, "Now, will you let me go? The little gazelle is thirsty, and I want to give her a drink." "Of course, Lulua!" said Farfour. He opened the tap a little, filled a small bowl, and closed it tightly. He offered the bowl to the little gazelle and her mother. They drank, and the mother said, "Thank you, Farfour. You're a kind elephant."
Farfour looked into the bowl and saw Lulua sparkle one last time. "Thank you, my friend," she said. "Remember: every drop is precious." Then the gazelle drank her. Farfour smiled and felt his heart fill with joy, a joy greater than all the fun he had felt spraying water and playing.
From that day on, Farfour always closed the tap after using it and made sure it didn't drip. He drank only what he needed, washed quickly, and used his wash water to water the banana trees. And he played in the natural pool by the river, where the water returns to the earth.
His mother noticed the change. "What happened, Farfour? You've started saving water!" He told her Lulua's story. His mother smiled. "I'm proud of you, little one. You've learned a lesson that even grown-ups find hard to learn." And she hugged him with her long trunk.
But Farfour didn't stop there; he decided to teach his friends. He gathered the young ones of the herd and the young of other animals: the little giraffe, the mischievous monkey, and the little zebra. He told them the story of the water drop's journey from the sea to the tap. They listened in wonder and asked lots of questions.
"Let's make a team called the Drop Guardians!" said Farfour. Every day the team went around the village taps to make sure they were closed. They put bowls under the trees to collect rainwater, and they helped Uncle Nimr clean the channel from the spring so the water would arrive clean.
Weeks later, rain finally fell on the mountain. The tank filled again, the trees turned green, and the flowers bloomed in color. Uncle Nimr told Farfour, "Thanks to you and your friends, the water didn't run out during the hard days. You really are the Drop Guardians." Farfour was very happy, looked up at the sky, and said, "Thank you, Lulua."
From Farfour's story we learn that every drop of water is precious, because it travels a long way to reach us and carries life to every creature on Earth. Let's close the tap after use, take only what we need, and teach others to save water. When we protect the little drops, we protect the trees, the animals, and all of life.
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