07 The North Wind and the Sun

7. THE NORTH WIND

AND THE SUN

By Kate Stonham

It was a fine but very cold winter’s

day as the Sun shone down on the

snow-covered earth below.

‘What a beautiful sight,’ it thought.

‘And look at the little white sails of

the ships on the blue sea. I want

to take my time travelling across

the sky today. After all, what’s the

rush?’

Suddenly, a freezing cold blast of

air screeched past – and nearly

blew the Sun along with it.

‘Out of my way, Sun,’ roared the

Wind. ‘See those ships? I’m

going to blow them right off course.

They won’t know what’s hit them…’

The Wind blew and blew – it blew

so hard that the ship’s sails ripped

apart. All the Sun could do was

watch as the sailors shivered in the

icy blast, shook their fists and cried

out in anger.

‘Not again, Wind,’ sighed the Sun.

‘Why do you have to cause misery

and chaos all the time?’

‘Because I like showing just how

strong I am,’ replied the Wind.

‘You sit in the sky and do nothing

except shine, but I am full of force

and energy.’

‘Hmmm…’ said the Sun, looking

thoughtful. ‘I have an idea. Let’s

have a contest to see which of us is

the stronger.’

‘I know who will win,’ said the

Wind. ‘We shall see,’ replied the

Sun. ‘Do you see that man down

there?’

The Wind looked where the Sun

was pointing. A young man was

walking along a windy road through

the mountains. It was so cold, he

was wearing a heavy winter coat to

keep warm.

‘Let’s see which one of us is strong

enough to take his coat off him,’

suggested the Sun.

1‘Easy, I can do that in no time,’

boasted the Wind. ‘Go on then,’

said the Sun. I’ll watch you from

behind a cloud.’

The Wind blew and blew. It blew

so hard that the birds had to cling

to the trees to stop being swept

away.

The man shivered and did up the

top button of his coat as the snow

swirled in the air. The Wind kept

on blowing – but the more it did so,

the tighter the man pulled his coat

around him to keep warm.

‘I give up,’ gasped the Wind at last.

‘I’ve got no more puff left.’

‘Now it’s my turn,’ said the Sun as

it emerged from the cloud.

The Sun gently breathed in the cold

air. The stronger it breathed in,

the larger and rounder it seemed to

glow.

On the white earth below the air

was becoming warmer. The Wind

watched in awe as the snow began

to melt. Icicles were dripping and

even the thick ice on the lakes was

starting to thaw and crack.

The man looked round in wonder at

the melting landscape. It had been

such a long, cold winter that it was

a joy to feel the warmth of the Sun

on his face. He undid his top but

ton, then a second…

‘What a lovely day it’s turning out

to be,’ the man thought. ‘It’s too

warm for this heavy winter coat.

Everything is so bright and beauti

ful, I just want to enjoy the Sun

and rest a while – I might even

have a little nap.’

The Wind was beside itself with

annoyance as the man sat under

the shade of a large rock and took

off his coat. It was so annoyed it

kept making little angry puffs.

‘Your icy blasts hardened his heart

and made him determination to

keep his coat on,’ said the Sun.

‘But my glowing rays opened his

heart - and his coat buttons. Look,

I’ve cheered up those poor sailors

too.’

The sailors on the broken ships

were cheering and waving up at

the Sun. ‘Now they can mend their

sails – and I shall carry on shining

until their ships can sail again,’ said

the Sun.

2Down below on the Earth, the

young man looked up at the Sun as

if he had heard him speak.

‘That Wind – it was strong. But the

Sun is stronger still,’ he murmured

to himself, before nodding off for a

restful sleep.

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