STORIES FOR YOUNG ONES - IV

Sharing some stories I have been telling my three grandchildren

HOW THE RAINBOW GOT ITS COLOURS BACK

Image courtesy: Canva

The rain had gone away, and the children wanted to play.

The Sun peeped out from the clouds, and said, “Hello!"

"It's time for hide and seek, rainbow!"

But the rainbow had only violet, indigo, red and yellow.

Missing some colours, it looked so sad.

The children in the garden saw it, and felt bad.

They said, “Rainbow, you have only four colours. Where are the other three?”

The rainbow said, “It stole them, the dragon from the tree.”

“Where is the dragon?” The children wanted to know.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know,” said the upset rainbow.

But the Sun said, “I know where.

"I can see everything and everywhere.

“From the sky,  all day I spread sunlight.

“When I go home to rest, I take along my light. 

"That is when you know it's night.”

The Sun told the children where the dragon was hiding.

So was it sitting, or was it riding?

Behind the flower pots? Or on the big cloudy mat?

In the big room where the king sat, or under his hat?

Under the bed? Or in the shed?

No, it was hiding under Grandpa’s big white chair!

The children ran inside, and made a circle there. 

“Come out,” they called to the dragon.

It got scared on hearing the children shout.

So, slowly the dragon came out.

It was green and orange and blue.

Why was it green and orange and blue?

It had stolen the colours from the rainbow in the sky.

Stealing is not good ... it makes others cry.

The children said, “Return the colours.” 

The dragon said, “No, the colours are so fine."

“I won’t return them, no,” it said. "See how they shine!”

“You must!” said the brave children.

They said, “Do it, or we’ll tell the dragon queen!”

The dragon begged: “No, don’t! Here, rainbow, take back green.”

The children said, “Give the other colours too.”

It agreed. “Okay, here, take blue.”

The children said, “But you still have orange with you.”

So the dragon gave back orange too.

“Children”, smiled the rainbow. “I really thank you.”

Promising to be good, the dragon flew away.

It made the children happy, and they went back to play.