The Rainbow

The Rainbow
By Gillian Dixon

Once upon a time in a land far away where everyone lived in beautiful little cottages with thatched roofs and colourful gardens. Playgrounds and schools full of happy children, couples strolling through the park, grandparents sitting in the sunshine alongside the river, lived a magical but slightly sad rainbow called Archie.

Archie was really, really beautiful with particularly radiant colours. His red shone and sparkled like rubies over the land whilst his orange was tangy and succulent like freshly squeezed oranges ready to drink. His yellow felt like the sun, warm, inviting and inspiring and his green was the colour of emeralds deep and exquisite. The blue was like the deepest ocean, you could almost imagine hearing the waves crashing and the sensation of sand in between your toes as you lost yourself further and further in the water. Now the indigo, well that was very special, it had a sparkle as though it was made of fairy dust and you could imagine receiving a gentle dusting every time you saw it and it stayed with you for some time. Archie was finished off with a perfect arch of Violet with a softness and a warmth like the best hug you have ever had with love and feeling and an overwhelming sense of security.

Now you may be wondering why Archie felt sad when all the other rainbows envied his radiance and the people adored him. They gazed in awe at his ability to radiate so much to so many people, that his arch was so perfect and seemed to be set at such an angle that all his colours stood out the way they did. The people were lucky to have such a rainbow. The other rainbows all had their own unique gifts but none quite like Archie.

Archie saw where his feet touched the soft grass that smelt fresh and gently waved in the breeze tickling his toes, and whilst he loved being able to watch all the people go about their daily activities a part of him wished he was one of them rather than a rainbow with big feet and an upside down smile. He resented his arch, he saw the people coming to and from their homes, playing in the park, swimming in the river or just strolling through the town and he longed to have a purpose, a real sense of belonging.

Every now and then just as the rain started to stop and the sun started to peak out he would see people look up to the sky and he would watch their faces in amazement. Sometimes he would see a child look to the sky through their tears because they had just been told off for making a mess and as he watched the child he would see them stop crying and smile as though they had just been given a huge loving hug like being wrapped up in a warm cosy blanket. He would see happy children look to the sky and it would be as if they had been hit with a flash of energy giving them a burst of creativity and inspiration and the things Archie would then see them do made him smile at their mischief and adventure. Another child would look with wonder and awe and he recognised feelings like happiness, belief, security, warmth and love just from the emotions on their face. Archie would follow that person for some time after, watching how they grew in confidence and contentment.

Now I started this story by introducing you to a slightly sad rainbow called Archie. Archie felt such frustration that he could not look up and see what the people could see. He could swear that they walked away from looking at whatever it was they had seen as if they had been sprinkled with magical fairy dust…….