Cherubs Playing
In Clouds
By Dolly Haik-Adams Berthelot © 2019
I offer this first portion of a fanciful book manuscript I hope to have illustrated, or learn to creatively use AI and illustrate it myself, perhaps adapting my numerous cloud photos, and publish. Meanwhile, I decided to share this opening here as an upbeat, lighthearted so long, for now, to Dr. Dolly’s Musings…
Angelic cherubs may get tired of merely lollygagging around in the clouds. So, they get playful. Sometimes even mischievous.
That’s when heavenly pillow fights can break out, and Oh Boy! The skies then get even more interesting than usual.
One cherub, let’s call him Charlie, notices a large, plump pillow of a cloud between himself and another cherub, let’s call her Connie. Actually, Connie was eying the cloud pillow as well, but Charlie didn’t realize that.
Suddenly both jump over to grab that prize. Connie is a second quicker. She snatches it fast and slams it over Charlie’s head.
“Owww!” He yells–though it was cloud soft so didn’t really hurt–and then he grabs it away.
Connie flaps her little wings to dart to safety before Charlie can wallop her. She’s quite a dancer, so her evasive maneuvers keep Charlie spinning around and slapping that pillow everywhere—everywhere except on her.
Even hitting soft clouds, Charlie’s plops, bops, and flops make a flock of nearby blackbirds fly madly all around.
For only an instant, those hysterical birds distract Charlie, so Connie grabs one end of the pillow.
Charlie holds tight. Connie holds tight. They each pull back and forth, back and forth. With each yank, they strain, grunt, squat up and down, as if on a see saw. Then they both grin. What fun!
Soon the pillow cloud can take no more. It starts sloughing off a few little fluffs and transforms in their hands, stretches into long brush strokes, and breaks apart. Both Cherubs fall on their tushes and giggle up a storm.
Really. They literally giggle up a storm. Winds from their laughter make scattered clouds gather and darken, sprinkle and then pour water below. It’s a gusher!
Of course rain is no problem. Cherubs are ancient magical beings made of pure joy! While they may be 1000s of years old, they feel, act, and look like children. Very special winged children, who live and play, usually unseen, in our clouds.
Connie and Charlie scamper and fly over to dryer clouds, and start getting creative. They know clouds can become anything. Sometimes the cherubs simply notice what is hidden in clouds; sometimes they help the process along.
One will spot an animal forming, maybe suggesting a four-legged mammal, and he or she will pat, pouf, and smooth that cloud into a dog or a cat or a rabbit. Or an elephant, if the cloud is especially large.
The other might see–or cloud-sculpt–reptiles: a snake, an alligator, various dinosaurs.
Together they build zooming racecars and chugging steam engines and sailing vessels–ships floating OVER the bays instead of in them.
Far below the cherubs, some people, especially children, and some child-wise teens and adults, often look up and watch all this. They probably don’t see the cherubs. Cherubs are usually invisible to human beings, but people do see the results.
All around the world, children and teenagers, and some child-wise adults, admire the sky, and the life they find in clouds. Some areas rarely have clouds; others rarely don’t have clouds; and some places and times have more spectacular clouds than others; but there’s a chance to see Charlie and Connie’s masterpieces, if you merely look up. Don’t miss out. Look up!!
This is my last weekly Dr Dolly’s Musings, at least for the time being.
However, my book publisher, Henry Neufeld of Energion Expand, and I have decided to go forward with publishing Cherubs Playing in Clouds. The illustrated book will be available by next spring or summer. You are the first to know. He will provide a form below if you would like to be notified of availability.
Subsequent links allow you to easily access some of my other works, both free on the internet and by purchase from Energion Expand.
(Featured image Copyright © 2025, Dolly Berthelot, taken October 9, 2023, “Arty Angel.”
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