Cleaning the River
The whole village works together
This morning, the whole village came to the river.
Many children and grown-ups are standing on the .
My grandmother told everyone about the sick, dirty water.
At first, some people did not want to help.
But then the children began to pick up trash.
Right now, we are cleaning the river together.
I am pulling old bottles out of the cold water.
My friends are carrying heavy bags of plastic away.
The farmers are washing the stones with care.
My father is lifting a broken box from the river.
Everyone is working hard under the bright summer sun.
Slowly, the water is becoming clear and again.
Something small is helping us from under the water.
The kappa is pushing trash toward our open hands.
Only I can see him working below the surface.
He is smiling at me with his kind green eyes.
By noon, we had filled ten big bags.
The children were but very and happy.
The river looked clear and bright for the first time.
Small silver came back to the water.
"The river is smiling now," my grandmother said softly.
Everyone is looking at the water with joy.
I whispered a quiet thank you to my friend.
The kappa waved his small hand and dived down.
We are all waiting for the rain to return.