The Dry Summer
The rain has not come for weeks
This summer has been very hot and very .
It has not rained for many long weeks now.
The sun has burned the fields every single day.
Our village fields are turning brown and .
The farmers have worked hard, but the is dying.
My father looked at the sky every morning.
"We need rain very soon," he said with .
The river has become thin and this year.
Many fish have left the , warm water.
My grandmother has never seen a summer like this.
"The river is not happy," she said quietly.
I remembered my friend, the kappa, in the river.
Has the kappa seen this terrible summer too?
I ran down to the river to find him.
The water was , and the stones were .
The kappa sat sadly on a hot gray rock.
The dish on his head had almost no water.
"I have felt for many days," he said.
"The river has given all its water to the land."
I gave him some water from my small .
"Why has the rain stopped this year?" I asked him.
The kappa looked at me with sad green eyes.
"The people have forgotten something important," he said slowly.
"I will tell you the very soon."
I waited, and my heart felt with .