High in the Accursed Mountains, where snow lingered into midsummer and goats climbed like shadows on the cliffs, there was a boy named Ardit who herded more than sheep, he herded cloud. The villagers said the sky had chosen him, for wherever he walked, a pale drift would follow, curling above his head like a crown of mist.
When storms threatened, Ardit could part the clouds with a gesture. When drought loomed, he could summon rain from a single dark cloud that only he could command. But his gift came with a price , the cloud was his only companion, and those who touched him felt the chill of high places where no fire could reach.
The Cloud That Answered a Lonely Heart
One evening, as the wind carried the scent of distant rain, Ardit asked his cloud why it had chosen him. The cloud swirled low and took the shape of a white mare, its voice like mountain rain:
“Because you are empty enough to carry me, and strong enough not to break.”
The villagers had long feared weather spirits, remembering tales of storms that had washed away crops and kin. They gave Ardit gifts to keep him on the ridges, bread, cheese, and silver coins, as though he were a shepherd for the sky itself. But with every season, Ardit began to wonder: was he a master of the cloud, or its servant?
The Cloud’s Bargain on the High Pass
One winter, a messenger from the lowlands came to offer him gold if he would send his cloud to break a southern drought. But the cloud warned: “If I leave the mountains, I may never return.”
Ardit stood on the high pass, snow biting his cheeks, and weighed the choice. Gold could buy him a warm house in the valley, a wife, and a life among people. But without his cloud, the mountains might wither in drought, their springs drying to dust.
He refused the offer. The messenger cursed him and vanished into the storm. That night, the cloud curled tightly around Ardit, and for the first time, he felt it warm.
The Cloud That Grew Heavy with Secrets
Spring brought more travelers, merchants, priests, and warlords, each wanting the cloud for their own fields or armies. The cloud began to sag, burdened by the demands whispered into it.
One morning, Ardit woke to find it darker than ever before, heavy with unfallen rain. It told him: “Too many wishes make a storm.”
Ardit climbed the tallest peak and released the cloud into the wide sky, letting it drift beyond the ridges. Thunder rolled in the distance, but the rain that followed was soft and gentle, feeding the land without harm.
The Shepherd Without a Cloud
For the first time in years, Ardit walked without a shadow in the sky. The villagers did not know him without the cloud and treated him like a stranger. Yet he found a quiet joy in hearing his own footsteps on the grass.
Then, one summer night, as moonlight spilled over the mountains, the cloud returned. Smaller now, light as breath, it settled above him once more. “You let me go,” it said. “So I have come back of my own will.”
Moral of the Tale
What you cling to may feel like a burden, but when you let it go, what is truly yours will return, lighter, freer, and more willing to stay.
Knowledge Check
What is the moral of “The Cloud Shepherd”?
True bonds are not held by force; they return willingly when released.
What cultural group does the tale “The Cloud Shepherd” come from?
This folktale originates from the Albanian mountain tradition of Europe.
Why did Ardit refuse the messenger’s offer?
To keep the cloud in the mountains and protect the land from drought.
How does the folktale explain Ardit’s cloud?
As a weather spirit that chose him for his strength and solitude.
Is “The Cloud Shepherd” considered a trickster tale, ghost story, or moral fable?
It is a moral fable with weather spirit elements.
How is this folktale relevant to modern readers?
It speaks to the value of letting go of attachments so they may return freely.
Origin: This story comes from the Albanian tradition of Europe.
