Ellie was three years old, and she had a stuffed elephant named Bongo. Bongo was gray, with big floppy ears and a little red patch on one of them.
That afternoon, the sky turned dark gray. Ellie and Dad watched through the window as the rain began to fall. “There's going to be a storm tonight,” said Dad. “You might hear thunder.”
“What's thunder?” asked Ellie. “It's the sound the sky makes in a storm. It's loud, but we're safe inside.” Ellie squeezed Bongo against her chest and didn't say a word.
After dinner, Mom read her a story and turned off the big light. Only the little lamp on the nightstand stayed on. The rain tapped on the window: tip, tip, tip.
Suddenly, the room filled with white light. Then came a long, big rumble, as if someone were moving furniture in the sky. The window shook a little.
Ellie pulled the blanket up to her nose, her eyes wide open. She wanted to call Mom. But then she noticed something. Bongo was trembling. Or at least, that's how it seemed to her.
“Bongo's scared,” Ellie whispered. She sat up in bed and stroked his ear with the red patch. “It's okay, Bongo. I'll take care of you.”
Another white flash lit up the room. Ellie thought fast. What could she do so Bongo wouldn't be scared? Then she remembered the school party, when she played the drum.
She put both hands on her pillow, as if it were a drum. And when the thunder came, she answered: “Boom, boom!” “See, Bongo? The sky plays the drum, and so do we.”
Bongo looked much calmer. And so did Ellie. With every rumble, Ellie played her pillow drum: “Boom, boom!” Mom peeked in at the door.
“Are you okay, Ellie?” “Yes. We're playing the drum with the sky,” said Ellie. Mom smiled and sat beside her for a while.
Little by little, the thunder sounded farther away and softer. “Boom,” Ellie answered, slower and slower. In the end, there was only the rain: tip, tip, tip, like a lullaby.
Ellie snuggled up with Bongo and closed her eyes. Goodnight, Ellie…
