The sky grew dark, and soon the heavy rain came crashing down, pounding the ground with force. Little Baby Tong, so small and fragile, sat shivering in the open yard. His fur was drenched, sticking to his tiny body, and his wide eyes blinked against the cold drops that fell endlessly from the sky. He looked around desperately, but his mother was nowhere to be seen.
Each clap of thunder made his heart race, and with every flash of lightning, he whimpered louder, calling out for the warmth and safety of his mom. But no answer came. The rainwater splashed all around him, soaking the soil and turning it into mud, where his tiny hands slipped as he tried to move closer to shelter. Tong didn’t understand why he was alone, and his cries grew sharper, echoing into the stormy air.
For such a tiny baby, the world suddenly felt so big and frightening. His trembling body curled up tightly, as if hoping the storm would just pass quickly. His cries, weak yet filled with fear, carried the message of a little soul longing for protection. His nose ran, his chest heaved, and still he kept calling — “Mom, where are you?”
Finally, someone heard his desperate sobs. A gentle hand rushed toward him, lifting his weak little frame from the cold mud. Baby Tong clung tightly, wrapping his arms around the warm body that held him. His tears mixed with raindrops, but his heart slowly calmed. Though the storm outside raged on, Tong now had shelter — not just from the rain, but from the loneliness that frightened him most.
That night, as the rain continued to fall, Baby Tong rested safely in loving arms, no longer alone in the storm.
