Sister, Sister, Where Does Thunder Come From? - Short story - Roopa Pai

Jul 17, 2026

A curious conversation between a sister and her little brother explores where thunder might come from. The brother imagines a sleeping giant in the sky whose rain awakens him, releasing sparks and fierce roars. The sister listens, then shares that books have offered different answers. The brother proposes a wilder explanation: sky bikers racing in the pouring rain, where sparks become lightning and engine revs become thunder.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time34 min

Sister, Sister, Where Does Thunder Come From?

Wondering about thunder

The sleeping giant in the sky

The bikers in the rain

Sister, Sister, Where Does Thunder Come From? Author: Roopa Pai Illustrator: Greystroke English Story Book Sister, Sister, Where Does Thunder Come From? Author: Roopa Pai Illustrator: Greystroke Reformatted for Bloom By: Cara Ediger Pratham Books English Sister, Sister, Where Does Thunder Come From? Author: Roopa Pai Illustrator: Greystroke Copyright © 2015, Pratham Books You are free to make commercial use of this work. You may adapt and add to this work. You must keep the copyright and credits for authors, illustrators, etc. Sister, sister I wonder ... What do you wonder, little brother, What do you wonder? I wonder, I wonder, Where thunder comes from. Where do you think, little brother, Where do you think? I think, I think Tell me, little brother, What do you think? I think That there is a great big Kumbhakarna Sleeping in the sky And when the silver ropes of rain Lash him, and chase his sleep away, He wakes up. Sparks fly out of his eyes like lightning He stamps his big ugly feet Takes a long deep breath And ROARS with rage. (Let me tell you If I had thrown a tantrum like that Mother would have spanked me . Hard.) I think that’s Where the thunder comes from From the fury of a Kumbhakarna in the sky Who likes to stay asleep, and dry. I’m clever, aren’t I, sister? Oh yes you are, little brother, oh yes you are . And maybe you’re right, too… But in the books that I have read That is not what they said. Then what did they say, sister, What did they say? What do you think, little brother, What do you think? I think, I think… Tell me, little brother, What do you think? I think There is a gang of crazy bikers Up there in the sky In their black leatherjackets And steel-studded boots And dark glasses that hide their eyes Just like in the movies. And what they like to do best Is to race each other in the pouring rain . I think When they mount their bikes and KICK them to life Steel strikes steel There’s your lightning! Then, when they do what bikers do Rev up their engines, and rrrev them, and rrrev them There’s your thunder!

FAQs

What does the little brother believe causes thunder?

He imagines a great big Kumbhakarna sleeping in the sky. When rain lashes him and wakes him, he roars in rage, creating thunder.

Why does the sister challenge the brother’s idea?

She points out that the books she has read do not say thunder comes from that explanation, so there may be another answer.

What alternative explanation does the brother give next?

He says there is a gang of crazy bikers in the sky. Their sparks become lightning, and their revving engines become thunder.

Jul 17, 2026

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