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If
you could travel far far away, right to the end of the Rainbow, you
would find a Magic place called Rainbow Land. Among all the masses
of flowers which surround the little round houses, there is the
Color Castle, where Rainbow Brite lives. With her magic flying
horse, Starlite, and her friend Twink, the white Sprites, she uses
her Magical Star Sprinkles to brighten our lives with the color of
the Rainbow. Twink is one of the happy Sprites who work in the minds
digging and making the Star Sprinkles and ensuring that there are
plenty always ready for Rainbow Brite's helpers, the Color Kids, who
all live in Rainbow Land.
But
not very far away, live Murky Dismal and his assistant Lurky. Their
home is called The Pits and they spend all of their time being
miserable and trying to take the colors from the world. They drive
about in their Grunge Buggy spreading clouds of doom everywhere.
One
day, when Spring came to Rainbow Land, Rainbow Brite and the Color
Kids went out with the Sprites to make sure that all the springtime
colors were bright, and in their right places.
Rainbow Brite was very happy, as it was a job she specially enjoyed,
"Tulips all red and correct?" she called to Red Butler, the Color
Kid who was responsible, with the help of his Sprite Romeo, for the
redness of the flowers.
"Yes
Rainbow," Red Butler replied, and Romeo nodded his head in
agreement.
Then
Patty O'Green reported that all her Star Sprinkles were the right
shade and Buddy Blue called, "the sky is perfect and the bluebells
almost match exactly."
By
the time Canary Yellow, Shy Violet and Lala Orange had checked up on
the daffodils, pansies and marigolds, Rainbow Brite was satisfied.
She smiled with pleasure.
"That
is wonderful everyboyd. Now i will gather all your Star SPrinkles
and scatter them in the right places on the spring flowers. Oh, it
is going to be a wonderful spring this year i am sure."
And
all the Color Kids and the Sprite chorused, "We agree, a wonderful
Springtime this year."
But
they didn't know what had been going on down in The Pits. There, a
little while before, Murky dismal and his assistant, Lurky, had lit
a big fire and placed a huge pot on it to boil.
Murky, with all the sound of mischief in his voice, said, "Now a
pinch of this nastiness. Add another spoonful of horrible smog and a
good helping of soot power and all should be really as nasty as we
can hope for." Then he threw the terrible mixture into the pot and
with a craft laugh, told Lurky, "Now stir it gently. He! He! He! He!
Rainbow Brite doesn't know what's coming to her."
Then
Lurky plunged a big wooden spoon in the pot and started to stir it
very quickly.
"Steady!" Murky shouted. "Don't stir so jerky, Lurky."
"Oh,
i'm ever so sorry Murky" Lurky replied, "but i am getting so excited
about it. Ha! Ha! Ha! We'll show those Color Kids who are the clever
ones around here." And he started to stir more carefully.
"And
those stupid Sprites and that Rainbow Brite," Murky exclaimed,
rubbing his hands together.
"Now
Lurky, go and get the Grunge Buggy ready and let's go and spread
some dull misery about and spoil everything we can."
"Alright Murky," his silly assistant replied. "We'll make everybody
have a really horrible springtime eh, Murky?"
Then
he started the engine up, and with Murky by his side drove towards
where Rainbow as just about to scatter the Star Sprinkles. Indigo
heard them first. "I can hear the Grunge Buggy coming."
"Oh!
No!" Patty O'Green said unhappily, but before anyone else could say
or do anything at all, the Grunge Buggy was there among them.
They
heard Murky Dismal's voice. "Ha ha ha Rainbow Brite, what d'you
think about this then eh?"
And
Lurky's usual echo repeated him "Yes what d'you think about this
then, eh."
Then
without any warning, there was a hissing sound and a huge big puff
of fog came from the Buggy. It swirled and twisted and drifted about
in one great big cloud, then it drifted towards Rainbow, the
Sprites, and all the Color Kids, and wrapped itself around them. All
the time they could hear Murky's nasty laugh. The Color Kids fell
over and bumped into each other and became confused and muddled and
started to upset the Star Sprinkles they had got ready for Rainbow.
Murky's laugh still came through the gloom and Lurky's too. Suddenly
Rainbow's voice could be heard.
"Everybody just stand still. Absolutely still."
All
the Color Kids did exactly as Rainbow told them. They stood as still
as statues and never blinked an eyelid. Then slowly, a breeze came
along and blew the fog and mist away.
As
the light became clearer, they could see what had happened. All the
colors they had upset had gone in the wrong places.
"Ha!
ha! ha! ha! ah!" they heard Murky laughing. "Everything is spoiled.
Springtime is ruined."
The
Color Kids were so disappointed.
Buddy
Blue spoke up first. "Oh look, the tulips are brown, the pond is
red..."
Indigo interrupted, "and the sky is green, and the daffodils are
orange."
Patty
O'Green took up the sorry tale, "And the bluebells are yellow and
the snowdrops are violet. Oh dear! I'm sad!"
"Well, don't be sad Color Kids," it was Rainbow Brite looking very
happy.
They
all looked at her. "Why not Rainbow? Look what Murky and Lurky..."
Rainbow interrupted, "Don't worry. When you were all falling over,
you spilled a lot of Star Sprinkles didn't you, and they all went in
the wrong place."
"Yes.
That's why we are sad," it was Patty O'Green.
Rainbow continued, "But when i told you to stand still, absolutely
still, you did exactly as i asked."
They
all nodded in agreement.
So
because you were still, you never upset any more Star Sprinkles, and
if you look in your color bags you will find plenty left, so we can
make everything right again."
All
the Sprites and Color Kids were delighted because Rainbow was right.
They did have plenty of Star Sprinkles left in their bags.
"It
was a good job we listened to you Rainbow," smiled Shy Violet and
they all agreed.
Murky
Dismal sat in the Grunge Buggy and scowled with temper and rage.
"Let's go back to the Pits," he snapped. "All those bright silly
colors make me angry."
Lurky
started the Buggy engine "Mmm i agree Murky, but those tulips that
are turning red again look quite nice don't they and..."
But
Murky snapped, "Shut up and drive away back to The Pits and some
proper miserableness."
And
as Rainbow scattered the Star Sprinkles over the flowers, and
Springtime started to look colorful and happy, the Sprites and Color
Kids paid no attention to the miserable pair.
Everything was right in Rainbow Land and that was all that mattered. |
