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Indoor, early afternoon, Piotr stands at his bedroom window facing thick, dark storm clouds. Mom hugs him from the side, her gentle smile contrasting Piotr’s worried face, partially drawn curtains billowing slightly.
Piotr looked out his window. Big dark clouds filled the sky. "A storm is coming," said Mom. Piotr's tummy felt funny. He didn't like storms. The thunder was too loud. The lightning was too bright. "Can we close all the curtains?" Piotr asked quietly. Mom gave him a gentle hug. "Let's watch together," she said. "I'll show you something special." Piotr wasn't sure, but he trusted Mom.
Inside the dim room on a stormy afternoon, Piotr crouches near the window with hands clamped over his ears. Mom kneels beside him, calmly explaining while distant lightning silhouettes the clouds behind their anxious faces.
Thunder rumbled far away. Piotr jumped and covered his ears. "It's okay," Mom said softly. "That sound is just clouds bumping together." Piotr peeked through his fingers. "Really?" he asked. Mom nodded. "Like when you clap your hands, but much bigger." Another rumble came, a little closer. Piotr's heart beat fast. But he tried to be brave. "Clouds bumping," he whispered to himself. Mom smiled proudly at him.
A sudden lightning flash floods the indoor evening light, turning the walls pale. Piotr squints beside the window, one eye open, while Mom gestures toward the electrified sky, her encouraging grin meeting his tentative amazement.
A bright flash lit up the room. Piotr squeezed his eyes shut. "I saw that coming," Mom said. "Watch the clouds with me." Piotr opened one eye. "Why does it flash?" he asked. "It's electricity in the clouds, like a big spark," Mom explained. "It lights up the whole sky!" The next flash came. This time Piotr watched. It was bright, but also beautiful. "Wow," he whispered.
Nighttime indoors, Piotr and Mom press against the big window as distant lightning forks outside. Piotr counts on his fingers—"one, two, three, four, five"—while Mom watches proudly and thunder vibrates the glass.
"Let's play a game," Mom suggested. "When you see lightning, count until you hear thunder." Flash! Piotr started counting. "One, two, three, four, five." BOOM! "The storm is five miles away," Mom said. "Really? That's far!" Piotr said, feeling braver. They waited for another flash. This time Piotr counted to four. "It's getting closer," he said. He felt nervous but also curious now. What would happen next?
Indoors on a gray afternoon, raindrops stream down the wide window like quick silver lines. Piotr presses his nose to the glass, fascinated, while Mom smiles beside him, soft light reflecting watery patterns onto their faces.
Tap, tap, tap. Raindrops hit the window. Piotr watched them slide down the glass. "The rain is like a shower for the earth," Mom said. "Plants and flowers need it to grow." More drops came, faster and faster. Soon the rain poured down hard. "It sounds like drums," Piotr noticed. Mom smiled. "Yes, it does! Nature's music." Piotr pressed his nose against the window. The rain made everything shiny.
A brilliant lightning flash outside the window precedes a deafening CRACK, and Piotr leaps into Mom’s arms in the dim room. She holds him firmly, both faces still wide-eyed, as the echoing thunder rumbles through the walls.
CRACK! BOOM! The loudest thunder shook the house. Piotr jumped into Mom's arms. His heart pounded. "That was close!" Mom held him tight. "You're safe inside with me," she said. Piotr's breathing slowed down. "I was really scared," he admitted. "That's okay. Being scared is normal," Mom told him. "But you're still watching. That's being brave." Piotr thought about that. Maybe he was a little brave.
Late afternoon indoors, Piotr and Mom tug the curtain fully open, revealing sweeping rain and faint lightning beyond the large window. Piotr gazes out with tentative curiosity, Mom standing shoulder-to-shoulder, both faces softly lit by the gray sky.
Piotr took a deep breath. "Can we open the curtain more?" he asked. Mom looked surprised and happy. "Of course we can!" They pulled the curtain wide open. Rain streaked across the big window. Lightning flashed in the distance. Thunder rolled like a drum. "It's really big out there," Piotr said. "Yes, and we're cozy and safe in here," Mom replied. Piotr nodded. He was starting to feel better.
Through the living-room window on a blustery evening, Piotr points excitedly at trees bending in the wind. Leaves swirl past the glass like playful sprites while Mom watches, hands on the sill, both sharing small smiles despite the howling gusts.
Wind whipped the trees outside. Branches swayed back and forth. "Look! The trees are dancing," Piotr said with a small smile. "They're bending but not breaking," Mom observed. "Trees are strong and flexible." Piotr watched leaves swirl through the air. "It's like they're playing," he said. The wind howled, but it didn't sound so scary anymore. "Nature is powerful," Mom said. "And beautiful too," Piotr added quietly.
Indoor twilight, the rain has softened; Piotr leans out an open window, eyes closed, inhaling deeply. Mom stands beside him laughing, gently correcting his pronunciation of "petrichor," as faint raindrops patter on the sill and moist earth scents drift in.
Between the thunder, everything went quiet. Piotr listened carefully. He heard rain pattering gently now. "The storm is moving away," Mom said. Piotr noticed how fresh everything smelled. "What's that smell?" he asked. "That's the smell of rain on earth. Some people call it petrichor," Mom explained. "Petri-what?" Piotr giggled. "Petrichor. It means earth smell," Mom said, laughing too. Piotr took a big sniff. He liked it!
From the window on a fresh morning, sunlight pierces thinning clouds, making every wet surface sparkle. Piotr presses both hands to the glass, grinning, while Mom gestures toward the bright landscape where silver droplets gleam on grass and rooftops.
The thunder grew quieter and quieter. Rain became a gentle sprinkle. "Can we go outside?" Piotr asked excitedly. "Soon, when it stops completely," Mom promised. Piotr could hardly wait. The sun peeked through the clouds. Everything outside sparkled with water drops. "Look how everything shines!" Piotr exclaimed. The world looked clean and new. "The storm gave the earth a bath," Mom said. Piotr grinned widely.
Indoor midday, Piotr presses face and hands to the window as a vivid rainbow arches across the clearing sky. Mom stands just behind him, arm around his shoulders, both gazing upward with joyous awe at the multicolored band.
"Mom, look!" Piotr shouted. A rainbow stretched across the sky! Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple curved overhead. "It's so pretty!" Piotr pressed against the window. "Rainbows appear when sunlight shines through raindrops," Mom explained. "So storms bring rainbows?" Piotr asked amazed. "Sometimes they do," Mom confirmed. "That's like a gift!" Piotr said. Mom hugged him. "Nature has many gifts if we're brave enough to watch."
Outside in the bright, post-storm afternoon, Piotr lands mid-splash inside a shining puddle, droplets frozen around his ankles. Mom watches from a few steps away, hands clasped and smiling proudly, while garden birds sing atop sunlit branches.
The storm ended completely. Piotr and Mom went outside. Puddles dotted the ground everywhere. Piotr jumped in one. Splash! "I wasn't too scared," Piotr said proudly. "You were very brave," Mom agreed. Birds started singing again. Everything felt peaceful and fresh. "Can we watch the next storm together?" Piotr asked. "Absolutely," Mom promised. Piotr smiled up at the clearing sky. Storms weren't so scary anymore. They were actually kind of wonderful.
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