For weeks and weeks the sun beat down on the African village where Lila lived.It was so hot that Lila and all other villagers stayed in their houses to keep away from burning sun.

“Without water there can be no life “,Lila heard her mama say.That evening Lila’s grandfather told her a story about a man that he’d met once when he was a young boy -a man who had told him the secret of rain.”You must climb the highest mountain “,said the man to Lila’s grandfather, “and tell the sky the saddest thing you know.”The following morning when the sun was still asleep ,Lila left the village and set off to find the highest mountain she could.When Lila reached the mountain she began to tell the sky the saddest things she knew.First, she told of the time her brother cut his leg badly while chasing a chicken in the village.Then she told of the time she turned her fingers while helping her mama to cook.On and on Lila went, telling the sky the saddest things she knew.At the end of each one she looked to the sky for a sign of rain,but the sky remained blue.Lila began to cry. “What can I do ?”she said to the sky. ” The well is dry and the crops are failing. Without food the people in the village will become sick,and without water there can be no life.” Everything on the mountaintop was silent.Nothing could be heard except the sound of Lila weeping