Written for Valerie Elizabeth Crain
by Diablo
There once was a little boy who loved to run through the fields and
between the trees. He was friends with just about everyone, even the bees.
One afternoon, after a brief shower, he saw a rainbow more beautiful than
any flower. He chased after the rainbow, wanting to get near; the rainbow
playfully called after him, then fled like a deer. Finally, as he could
run almost no longer, he caught up with the end of the rainbow, and was
joyous that he didn't have to admire it from farther.
"What is your name little boy?" an old woman asked as she approached.
"Jackie", he said breathlessly, showing his boyish grin, "I caught up with
the rainbow!"
But then the rainbow began to fade; distressed, the boy looked at the old
woman through the haze.
"Boy, rainbows don't live very long in the wild, and this one has lived
longer than most. I'm afraid it's almost spent, and soon it will be
nothing more than a ghost."
The boy looked at the rainbow, and cried a few tears; a new friend found
and lost so quickly, he could almost not bear to hear.
The old woman saw his sorrow, and began to look around. You see, the
rainbow had to come from someplace, and that is where it source would be
found. She discovered the source in a drop of water on a rose petal about
to fall on the ground. She combined it with one of the boy's tears, and
suddenly something new was to be found.
"Its a piece of crystal!" the boy exclaimed.
"Not an ordinary piece of crystal, but one full of magic. It contains the
soul of a rainbow, and I want you to have it. Hold it in the light any
time, and you can see your friend. I bid you farewell now, I hope your
love for rainbows never end."
The boy took the crystal and ran home full of delight. He was so excited,
he could hardly sleep a wink at all that night. In the morning he decided
that such a thing was too precious not to share, so he offered it to his
mother, hoping that she would care. His mother took the crystal, but her
eyes did not shine with glee. "It's just a piece of glass," she said, "with
scientific properties."
The boy was crushed, but he did understand. His mother did not love
rainbows, so she put the crystal back into his hands.
As he grew older, he showed his precious gift to many friends. Although
some were delighted, their interest came quickly to an end. One day he met
a young lady; cautiously, he showed her the crystal, hoping that just
maybe... "You've captured a rainbow!" she exclaimed with amazement and
delight, "it's beautiful and so full of light."
"I want you to have this rainbow," the boy, now a man, said, "you're the
first person who ever realized what a beautiful gift this has been." She
protested, but the man insisted, and finally she gave in. And she kept the
rainbow until she found another who loved rainbows like them.
So that is how this rainbow has been passed from hand to hand. Between
people who believe enough in magic and rainbows to understand. Rainbows
are beautiful, but most have short lives. A few are lucky enough to be
loved, and so they never die.
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