Peril in the Pits - from the Rainbow Brite Treasury
compiled by Hilda Young
Chapter One
Brian comes to Rainbow Land
Sam waited at the bus stop for his young master, Brian, to return home from
school. It
was a dreary day. The rain had only just stopped, and the little dog was
very wet and sad
and lonely. How he longed for Brian to come home so that they could have fun
together!
A moment later, Sam heard the sound of the bus arriving and he gave a
happy
little bark. Brian stepped off the bus and Sam realized immediately that
something was
wrong. He looked up at his master.
Brian looked glum and rather cross. “No, I didn't make the team,” he
admitted.
“It isn't fair. I'm just as good as the older kids.”
They began walking down the road. Brian trudged along with his head
down, and
did not see the bright rainbow through the dark clouds. But Sam did, and he
ran around
and around Brian's feet trying to draw his attention to the bright colors.
But Brian
refused to notice. He just walked on, kicking a stone crossly and thinking
how unfair it
all was.
Then Sam noticed something strange. The rainbow seemed to be determined
to
be noticed. It started to bend, and the end of the rainbow moved in the
direction in which
Brian was walking. “Nothing seems to be going right for me just now,” he muttered crossly.
Suddenly Sam heard someone speaking from the rainbow although he didn't
recognize the voice. It was Twink.
“He still hasn't seen it!” cried Twink’s voice from above. “He really
must be
down in the dumps.”
Sam started to bark excitedly when he saw three figures sitting on the
rainbow. It
was Rainbow Brite, Starlite and Twink, and they were all looking down at
Brian.
“What do I have to do to make that boy look at the rainbow?” cried
Rainbow
Brite, getting quite upset.
“Hey, kid! Look at the rainbow!” called Starlite.
“It will cheer you up!” added Twink.
“Right! Glum Face will see it this time!” muttered Rainbow Brite, and
she
touched the crystal on her Color Belt.
The effect was quite dazzling. A ray shot from the belt into the rainbow
pushing
it down towards the ground and reflecting every object around it. But Brian
still walked
on, head down, right into the rainbow. There was a big crashing sound and he
was
covered with all the glowing colors of the rainbow. Sam was quite frightened
by the
blazing color and he ran to hide behind a bush. He stayed there to see what
would
happen next.
Brian looked down at his clothes and his hands, not realizing at first
that he had
actually stepped into a rainbow.
“What's happened?” he cried, as he hastily jumped out again, but the
colors
remained all over him and his clothes.
“Oh dear, he wasn't supposed to walk into it!” cried Rainbow Brite.
“We'd better
do something.”
“Yes, people would get to know about us,” agreed Twink, looking rather
frightened.
“We can't leave him looking like that. It wouldn't be right,” retorted
Rainbow.
“Come on.”
“What happened? I'm covered with colors!” gasped Brian.
Just then he saw Starlite flying towards him and ran for cover behind the
tree
where Sam was hiding. Starlite landed on the ground and Rainbow Brite slid
off.
Followed by the others, she went over to Brian.
“Hey! Why didn't you look up at the rainbow?” she asked.
“Who are you?” demanded Brian, trying not to show that he was a bit
frightened.
“We were only trying to cheer you up. You had such a gloomy face,”
explained
Rainbow Brite.
“Where have you come from and how does that horse fly?” cried Brian.
“Things can't be so bad that you can't even see a rainbow!” insisted the
little girl.
“How did the end of the rainbow get down here and how did this stuff get
on me?
Brian continued with his questions. “I can't get it off!”
“Goodness, you've got more questions than colors,” cried Rainbow
briskly. “My
name is Rainbow Brite and this is Twink and...”
“I'm Starlite, the magnificent flying horse,” Starlite pompously
interrupted. “I'm
the glory of the galaxy, the pride of the Milky Way.”
Brian gazed at Starlite in bewilderment.
“It talks!” he gasped.
“You can't shut him up,” laughed Twink.
“We're from Rainbow Land,” Rainbow Brite explained.
“Rainbow Land?” echoed Brian, looking very puzzled.
“Yes, we put all the colors in the world,” replied Rainbow Brite.
Brian rubbed hard trying to get rid of his colors.
“And with my luck,
you've put
most of them on me!” he groaned.
“Colors make you happy,” retorted Twink, rather disapprovingly.
“Happy? How?” replied Brian looking puzzled.
“I’ll show you,” chuckled Rainbow Brite. “Twink, hand me some yellow
Star
Sprinkles.”
Twink fished some Sprinkles out of his pouch and handed them over to
Rainbow
Brite.
“Do you see that gloomy old bee over there? He's not buzzing because
he's lost
all his yellow stripes. Now watch!” She threw the Sprinkles over the bee
who turned
bright yellow and buzzed away happily.
“Well, I'm not a bee and I don't want to turn yellow. You'd better get
these
colors off me. My father's a lawyer!” was Brian's rude reply. Sam barked his
agreement, and they both waited to see what Rainbow Brite would do.
“We'll have to take him back to Rainbow Land to get the colors off,”
whispered
Rainbow Brite to the others.
“We can't do that!” Twink whispered back in horror.
“No outsider can ever see Rainbow Land,” agreed Starlite, barely
bothering to
lower his voice.
“We can't leave him like that,” replied Rainbow Brite. “Besides,” she
added, “if
people see the colors on him they'll know about us.”
“She's right, Starlite,” cried Twink.
“Of course she's right. I taught her everything,” retorted Starlite
stiffly.
Rainbow Brite turned to Brian. “I can take your colors away, but in
order to do
so, you'll have to come to Rainbow Land.”
Brian hesitated. “Me? Go there? I...don’t...er...my mother...” he
stammered,
desperately trying to think of some excuses.
“Suit yourself. Go home if you like,” said Rainbow Brite winking
secretly at the
others. “Come on, Twink. Climb on Starlite. It's time we were off!”
“Hey, wait a minute!” begged Brian.
“When your mother sees all that color...” began Starlite as he turned to
go.
That did it!
“Can I ride your flying horse?” he asked Rainbow Brite.
“Yes, and we'll get you back in no time,” promised the little girl.
“Wait here, Sam,” ordered Brian as he climbed on Starlite's back, and
away they
went.
“What's your name?” asked Rainbow Brite as they soared along the rainbow.
“Brian,” he replied.
“Right, hold tight, Brian!”
“I can ride a flying horse. I'm almost eleven you know!” boasted Brian.
“How
old are you?”
“As old as the rainbow,” laughed the little girl.
Brian was quite enjoying the ride, little realizing that Lurky was
watching them
through a large telescope in Murky’s laboratory.
“Murky, they're heading for Rainbow Land,” he called.
Murky was busy among his bottles and jars which hissed and sizzled and
spluttered. “When I've finished there won't be a Rainbow Land, or any
rainbows at all,”
he cried. “When I put my plan into action, it's sure to succeed. I’ll get
my hands on
Rainbow Brite's Color Belt, and use it to take all the color out of the
world. I’ll make
the world and everyone in it dark and gloomy.”
“Are we going to Rainbow Land?” asked Lurky eagerly. “I’ll get the
Grunge
Buggy.”
On arrival in Rainbow Land Murky groaned as he saw all the lovely
brightness.
“I hate color!” he shouted, as they hid the Buggy near the Color Castle.
“Color brings
happiness and hope. I hate them both!”
“If that makes you happy...Oh, sorry I said that!” cried Lurky, as Murky
gave him
a nasty look.
As they walked towards the Color Castle, Murky and Lurky caused the grass
and
flowers to wilt and die with every step they took. But a little sprite had
noticed the
withered flowers and he quickly drove off to the Color Mine to tell everyone
what he had
seen.
The Color Kids were having fun in the mine. Patty threw some yellow
Sprinkles
at Indigo and turned her hair blonde for a few seconds.
“Stop fooling around,” cried Indigo. “We've got work to do. Hey,
little sprite,
what's wrong?” she asked as he came rushing into the mine.
He was so excited, it took a while for them to understand what he was
saying.
“Murky and Lurky back in Rainbow Land?” gasped Patty.
“I’ll take care of them!” cried Red Butler.
“Me too,” cried Canary.
“Wait a minute,” said Indigo. “We'd better let Rainbow Brite handle
this. Let's
warn her when she comes.”
Meanwhile, Murky and Lurky were still hiding near the Castle.
“How are you going to get Rainbow's Belt?” asked Lurky.
“With my Gloom Gun,” replied Murky. “One squirt of this and she'll
become so
gloomy and hopeless that she'll lose all her will to resist!”
Murky made a small Gloom Cloud appear and Lurky sniffed it.
“It's
tickling my
nose,” he cried, and he sneezed.
His sneeze shot the cloud right into Murky’s face! He slumped forward
crying,
“I’ll do anything you say. Why resist, what's the use?”
“Oh!” cried Lurky.
“You dimwit...” began Murky, beginning to come out of the Gloom Cloud.
As Starlite approached Rainbow Land, Rainbow Brite and her friends saw the
Color Kids waiting for them.
“What's wrong?” she cried, looking at their anxious faces.
“Murky and Lurky are back in Rainbow Land,” cried Red Butler. “And that
means trouble!”
Chapter Two
Murky sets a trap
The Color Kids crowded around Rainbow Brite and they all stared in surprise
at Brian.
“Who's he?” asked Patty in astonishment.
“I’ll explain later,” replied Rainbow Brite. Turning to Starlite and
Twink she
added. “I wonder what Murky’s after this time?”
Suddenly Murky popped out from behind the bush, and trained his Gloom Gun
on
her. “I want your magic belt!” he snarled.
“Yes! Your magic belt!” echoed Lurky.
“Hand it over!” ordered Murky threateningly.
“And let you use it to make the world unhappy and mean like you? No
way!” she retorted firmly.
Murky looked very angry, but before he could answer Brian cut in
impatiently.
“Why don't you argue about that later? I want you to clean me up and get me
back home
before my mother gets angry with me for being home late.”
Murky completely ignored Brian and shouted at Rainbow Brite angrily, “If
you
won't give me the belt I’ll just take it away from you!” He aimed his gun
at Rainbow
Brite but, stepping aside nimbly, she touched her belt and a rainbow shot
out, changing
the dark colors into a large ball made up of bright colors! The colored ball
floated
towards Murky, who backed away in terror, hiding beneath Lurky.
Lurky turned into shades of glowing colors and flowers popped out all
over his
fur.
“Look, I'm full of pretty colors!” he cried happily, much to Murky’s
disgust. “They
make me feel happy!” he laughed. “Let's all be friends!”
Murky was furious and sprayed Lurky with a Gloom Cloud so that all the
colors
quickly disappeared. He pulled Lurky towards the Grunge Buggy, yelling out
as they
drove away,
“I’ll get that belt yet, Rainbow Brite. My next plan won't
fail!”
Rainbow turned to the Color Kids and the sprites. “I don't know what his
plan
will be,” she said, speaking quickly, “but you'd better guard the Star
Sprinkles well,
while I get the colors off Brian.”
“And get me home quickly...remember?” cried Brian.
Eager to obey Rainbow Brite, the Color Kids and the sprites set off for
the Color
Mine, little realizing that Murky and Lurky were already there!
“What are we doing here, Murky?” asked Lurky, as they crouched behind a
bush
near the Color Cave.
“We're going to capture the Color Kids when they come back to guard the
Star
Sprinkles,” chuckled Murky craftily. “Keep down, bird brain, I can hear
them coming
now.”
As they crouched low behind the bush the Color Kids and the sprites
rushed into
the cave.
Inside the cave the walls still glittered with all the colors of the
rainbow and the
Kids sighed with relief as they saw that all the bags were still full of Star
Sprinkles.
“Good, they're all here!” cried Patty.
Just as she'd said that, Murky shot a large Gloom Cloud into the cave.
It floated
towards the Color Kids, who were standing together in a little group. The
horrified
sprites watched helplessly as the Color Kids were covered in gloom. They
behaved as if
they had no will of their own.
Murky grinned when he saw the state of the Color Kids. “Get into that
cage,” he
ordered, pointing to a cage tied on behind the Grunge Buggy.
Overcome with gloom and despair, the Color Kids were unable to resist.
“Why not?” cried Patty in a dull voice.
“Why resist?” echoed Red Butler.
“What's the use?” agreed Indigo. A
nd without resisting they allowed
themselves
to be herded towards the cage.
Murky picked up a handful of blue Star Sprinkles. “Who knows, these
might be
useful.” He chuckled and put them in his pocket. “I'm taking these Kid
back to my lab,”
he told the horrified sprites. “Tell Rainbow Brite to hand over her belt or
she'll never see
these brats again!”
“But why do we need the belt, Murky?” asked Lurky, as they drove back to
The
Pits. “You've got the Gloom Cloud."
“The Gloom Cloud soon wears off, stupid!” snarled Murky crossly. “We
need the
belt to spread the Gloom Cloud all over the world.”
Meanwhile, Rainbow Brite was back in the Color Castle, trying to clean
the last
remaining traces of color off of Brian's face.
“Hold still!” she cried as she tried to remove the last clear Sprinkle
from his nose.
“There...it's...” she began, but at that moment the sprites rushed in,
almost too frightened
to speak.
“What are they saying?” cried Brian, unable to understand their excited
shrieks.
“Murky’s captured the Color Kids!” cried Rainbow Brite.
“And he's holding them prisoner until he gets the Color Belt,” added
Starlite,
beginning to look worried.
“Yes...and that's the problem,” cried Rainbow. “If I give up the belt,
it will be
the end of Rainbow Land. If I don't it will be the end of the Kids!”
“Well, that's tough,” cried Brian. “I'm sorry, of course, but now you
really must
take me home.”
Rainbow ignored him and turned to Starlite and Twink. “There's only one
thing
to do, we'll just have to go and rescue the Color Kids.”
She climbed on Starlite's back, and Twink climbed up behind her. They
hated
the idea of going to The Pits -- they didn't know what would happen!
Brian looked at them all and gave a resigned groan.
“I suppose I’ll
have to come
along too,” he sighed and climbed up on Starlite's back.
Away they went, crossing the border between Rainbow Land and The Pits.
Then
there was a sudden rush of sound and Starlite was twirled round and round,
and they all
felt dizzy!
“What was that? What's happening?” asked Brian anxiously.
“I don't know,” confessed Rainbow Brite.
“We've never been here before,” added Starlite.
“We must be entering the dreadful, terrible Pits where Murky Dismal
lives,” cried
poor Twink.
“Oh no!” groaned Brian. “I knew this was a mistake!”
Lurky was watching Starlite and the others through his large telescope.
“Murky, they're
coming after the Color Kids,” he cried.
“I knew they would. Let them come!” cried Murky in triumph. “The Pits
will
destroy them!”
He began to laugh as he looked through the telescope and saw Starlite
being
tossed about by the dark clouds.
“I can't fight these clouds much longer. I'm getting weak!’ cried
Starlite.
“Be brave! I’ll try to get rid of them,” cried Rainbow Brite as she
struggled to
hang on. She touched her belt which, after one spark, went dead!
“My belt won't work in The Pits!” cried Rainbow Brite in alarm.
They all tried to cling tightly to Starlite as he plunged down a crevasse
towards
the rocks below.
“We're going to crash!” shouted Starlite.
“We'll be crushed on the rocks!” sobbed Twink.
“And the end of us means the end of color in the world,” cried Rainbow
Brite.
“And what about me?” wailed Brian.
As the rocks loomed nearer and nearer Rainbow tried to encourage Starlite.
“Fly, Starlite, Fly!’
“I -- I can't” he cried.
“Try to remember you're the most magnificent horse in the world,” begged
Twink.
“I've lost my power to fly,” confessed Starlite, looking ashamed. “But
maybe I
can still do something magnificent!”
And he did! Using his powerful hooves as brakes on the rocks, Starlite
slithered
and skittered, down the crevasse, eventually making a magnificent, safe
landing!
“Wow! How did you do that?” cried Brian in admiration.
“Good work, Starlite,” cried Twink.
That was truly magnificent, Starlite,” cried Rainbow Brite, hugging him
hard.
“Yes, it was!” agreed Starlite smugly.
“Right, now to find the Color Kids," cried Rainbow Brite. “Starlite,
what's
wrong?” she asked anxiously as he flopped down.
“I can't even walk in The Pits, let alone fly,” he cried sadly.
“We'll help you, lean on us,” chorused Rainbow Brite and Twink.
“I feel so embarrassed having to lean on a sprite! Me, the stately
stallion of the
Milky Way! The heroic horse of the heavens!” cried Starlite.
“Well, you certainly haven't lost your power to talk!” retorted Twink.
Dust swirled around their feet as they made their way towards Murky’s
sinister
laboratory.
“Boy, this place really is the pits!” exclaimed Brian in disgust.
“If Murky ever got hold of my belt, the whole world would look like this,”
Rainbow Brite said quietly.
“Gosh, how awful!” gasped Brian. “Don't let that happen, please!”
Murky and Lurky were both hidden behind some rocks, watching for Rainbow
Brite.
Lurky was acting as lookout. “They're heading this way!" he cried.
“Good! Now to set my trap,” grinned Murky. From out of his pocket he
drew the
blue Star Sprinkle which he had stolen from the Color Cave, and tossed them
into a small
brown quicksand pond.
“What are you doing, Murky?” cried Lurky, as he watched the muddy color
turn
Brite blue.
“Turning the pond into inviting water to drink,” sneered Murky.
“They'll be
thirsty after their journey. When they stop to drink they'll be pulled into
the
quicksand!”
Lurky clapped Murky on the back, congratulating him on this great idea --
and
knocked him straight into the quicksand!
“Pull me out,” screeched Murky, panicking.
Lurky only just managed to free Murky in time to hide again before the
others
arrived.
Dusty and bedraggled, Rainbow Brite, Twink, and Brian were still
helping
Starlite who was growing dustier...but stronger...at each step.
“I need a bath -- I'm covered in dust. I look like a plough horse,”
muttered
Starlite. “Oh, look -- water!” he said in delight. He hobbled towards the
blue water,
which looked so inviting against the gray and gloomy landscape.
“Don't go near it, Starlite...I think it's one of Murky’s tricks,”
warned Rainbow
Brite.
“I refuse to go around looking like this!” retorted Starlite, and he
walked into the
water!
“Oh..oh..it’s quicksand!” he cried in terror as his hind legs started to
sink deep
into the water.
“Starlite! Oh, what can we do?” cried Rainbow Brite despairingly.
“Quick! Form a chain!” ordered Brian, grabbing hold of a rock and
stretching out
his other hand. Twink clasped it and held tightly, while Rainbow Brite
grasped Twink’s
other hand. Rainbow grabbed hold of Starlite's mane and pulled hard.
“Try to climb out!” she pleaded.
But poor Starlite legs went deeper and deeper into the quicksand.
“I
can't climb
out. I'm sinking!” he moaned hopelessly, as the others watched in absolute
horror. Was
this the end of Starlite the magnificent?
Chapter Three
The Color Belt is stolen
Rainbow Brite, Twink and Brian tried hard to pull Starlite out of the
quicksand. But
suddenly, Rainbow lost her grip on Twink’s hand and went flying onto
Starlite's neck.
She tried desperately to draw her legs out of the treacherous quicksand.
“Rainbow!” cried Brian as he and Twink rushed to the edge of the pond.
He tried
and tried to reach Rainbow, but each time he just failed to catch hold of her
outstretched
hand.
“I can't reach. Take off your belt and throw it to me,” he cried.
Behind the bush Murky grinned with delight when Rainbow started to
unbuckle
the Color Belt. She held the belt firmly as she tossed the other end to
Brian.
“Right, Twink. Pull as hard as you can!” cried Brian.
As they grunted and groaned and pulled, Starlite's front legs appeared
out of the
bog and he struggled towards the bank.
“Good work, Brian. Keep it up,” called Starlite as he neared the edge,
with
Rainbow Brite clinging tightly to his mane and the belt. At last they were
out, but the
sudden force sent Brian and Twink flying backwards and Starlite and Rainbow
came
flying forward!
“We did it!” cried Brian in delight.
But alas, he and all his friends had flown backwards into the cage which
Murky
had waiting for them. With a cry of triumph, Murky slammed the cage door
shut and
seized the magic Color Belt.
“I did it too!” smirked Murky, echoing Brian's earlier triumphant words.
"It's all my fault. If only I hadn't been so vain...” cried Starlite
contritely as the
Grunge Buggy zoomed through The Pits towards Rainbow Land, pulling the cage
friends
behind it.
“It's all right, Starlite,” said Brian. “ We all make mistakes.”
“Not the greatest horse in the Universe,” replied Starlite pompously,
throwing out
his chest.
Oh hearing this, Murky grinned and with a laugh, he shot a Gloom Cloud
onto the
belt, turning the crystal so dark it no longer gleamed and glittered.
“Now I’ll take all the color out of Rainbow Land as an example of what I
intend
for the rest of the world!” he shouted. Standing up in the Buggy with the
belt around his
waist, Murky pressed the dark crystal. It shot out an evil-looking ray
diluting all the
color in it's path, turning flowers, leaves and grass first gray and then
completely
colorless. Even the colors of the rainbow became grayish black as they were
touched by
the evil rays. Little by little the color drained from the land.
“Right, let's go back to The Pits,” ordered Murky. “I need to make a
Gloom
Cloud powerful enough to last forever. Then I’ll use Rainbow Brite's Belt to
spread it all
over the world!”
Back in their cavern prison, the effect of the Gloom Gun was beginning to
wear
off the Color Kids.
“Let's get out of here,” cried Red, and they rushed to climb out.
“The walls are too high!” moaned Patty despairingly.
“What shall we do?” cried Indigo.
“Don't worry, I'm sure Rainbow Brite will rescue us soon,” replied Canary
Yellow brightly.
“That's what you think!” cried a familiar nasty voice.
The Color Kids stared in dismay as Murky let down a cage on a rope and,
as he
released the bars, Rainbow and the others tumbled out. Murky pulled the rope
up,
leaving it on a ledge above the cavern. “They won't try to get out now,” he
said. “The
gloom in that colorless cave will soon destroy their spirit.”
Gradually the gloom started to affect them all, despite Rainbow's
attempts to
rouse them into action.
“Come on,” she cried. “We've got to find a way out and stop Murky.”
“Before he glooms the whole world!” agreed Brian, trying to help.
“There's no escaping,” cried Twink sadly.
“It's hopeless,” sobbed Canary and Patty.
This made Rainbow Brite and Brian very angry.
“What's the matter with you all? Murky’s got you all murked up with
gloom,”
said Rainbow.
“Can't you see? He wants us to give up trying!” added Brian.
“We'll never stop Murky now, Rainbow. He's stolen the belt,” cried Red.
“But we haven't lost hope!” argued Rainbow eagerly. “Hope doesn't come
from
a belt! It comes from inside each of us!”
“She's right!” cried Brian. “Stop being murked out! It's time to get
un-murked!”
Gradually, Rainbow and Brian succeeded in rousing them all and, as they
leapt to
their feet, they cried:
“You're right! It's time to do something!”
Watching the Color Kids trying to respond gave Starlite the enthusiasm he
needed
to find the energy to get up.
“Make way for Starlite, the magnificent un-murked horse. I’ll kick our
way out!
But, although he gave a mighty kick, the rock wall would not budge! Poor
Starlite felt as if the wall had kicked him back. “I think I'm becoming
gloomy again,” he
cried, looking very embarrassed.
Suddenly Twink had an idea. “Don't kick the wall, Starlite. Kick me!”
he cried.
“You?” asked Starlite looking puzzled.
“Yes. Kick me up there to reach the rope that Murky left behind. Then
I’ll lower
it down to you!”
“But I might hurt you!” protested Starlite as Twink gritted his teeth
and prepared
for the kick.
“Wait a minute. Pad yourself with my nice thick glove,” suggested Brian
taking it
from his picket. “It's lucky I had it with me.”
Twink took the glove, held it tightly behind him with both hands and
Starlite sent
him flying towards the rope. Twink turn a somersault and landed on the ledge.
“Well done, Twink,” congratulated Rainbow, as the little sprite secured
one end
of the rope and dropped the other end down below.
“Thanks for the glove,
Brian,” he
called.
“Up you go,” cried Rainbow. And one by one, the Color Kids, Brian,
Starlite and
finally Rainbow Brite joined Twink on the ledge.
“We need to find Murky,” whispered Brian. “He's probably in his
laboratory.
Let's go and look for it. Don't make any noise!”
But try as they might, they did make a noise. Starlite's hooves sounded
very loud
and even Twink’s bouncy little walk and the shuffling of the Color Kids could
be heard
clearly.
“There are too many of us,” Brian muttered. “You all stay here.
Rainbow and I
will look for Murky.”
“Very well, but at the first sign of trouble we're coming after you!”
insisted
Starlite.
When they finally found the laboratory, Rainbow and Brian gave a gasp of
surprise. Murky, wearing the Color Belt, was busy mixing bubbling Gloom
Cloud in a
huge glass vat, watched by Lurky.
There was a large volcanic opening in the roof, and beneath the opening
there was
an enormous hot-air balloon with a passenger basket below it. The balloon
was anchored
down firmly with ropes.
“There's enough Gloom Cloud here to cover the world,” Rainbow Brite heard
Murky say to Lurky. “Come on! Hurry up and put this in the balloon.”
Lurky picked up the vat of bubbling Gloom Cloud mixture and carried it
unsteadily over the balloon, watched anxiously by Murky Dismal who followed
him up
the ladder into the basket.
“Thery're getting away! We've got to stop them!” urged Brian.
He and
Rainbow
rushed into the room.
“It's Rainbow and that boy. Quickly, Lurky, untie your side of the
basket!”
But as Murky nimbly untied his side rope, Lurky wailed miserably, “I
can't. If I
was good at knots I could tie my shoes!” He pointed to his untied tennis
shoes while
Murky glared angrily at him.
“Pull it off then,” he snarled.
But as Lurky gave a mighty pull, Rainbow and Brian grabbed the one secured
rope, and as a piece of the floor also came away, they found themselves
rising in the air
with the balloon!
“We're going up with it!” gasped Rainbow Brite.
Just as the balloon was about to rise out of the hole in the ceiling,
Starlite, Twink
and the Color Kids appeared and quickly grabbed the rope to hold down the
balloon.
“This'll stop them!” cried Murky, as he aimed his gun. “I’ll spray
them with the
Gloom Cloud!” But as he leaned over the basket, Lurky tried to help, with
the usual
disastrous results!
“I’ll pull up the rope,” Lurky cried happily. But the force of him
pulling from
above and the force of the others resisting from below, turned it into an
aerial tug-a-war
resulting in Murky being tossed out of the basket! As he fell out, the Gloom
Gun fell
from his hands.
“Aaargh!” screamed Murky, but Lurky leaned out and grabbed Murky’s foot.
As
he dangled in the air, with Brian and Rainbow clinging tightly to the rope,
Brian reached
forward and managed to pull the belt from Murky’s waist!
“The belt, the belt! He's got the belt!” wept Murky, and he dangled
helplessly in
the air.
“Come on, everyone,” called Rainbow Brite, as she and Brian quickly slid
down
the rope. “Let's go!”
At the same time, Lurky just managed to pull Murky back safely into the
basket
and the balloon started to rise.
“Without the belt I can't gloom the world!” moaned Murky. “Lurky, let
the air
out of the balloon!”
He pointed to the large air-tube which dangled from the bottom of the
balloon
above their heads.
“Slowly, slowly,” began Murky.
But Lurky released the air all at once and it shot into the vat of Gloom
Cloud
which was directly under the basket. The air acted as a gun and shot the
Gloom Cloud all
over Murky and Lurky.
It started to work immediately and Lurky and Murky soon sank gloomily
down to
the bottom of the basket, while it careened wildly towards the ground and
landed with a
bump.
"It's just the way you like it, Murky. Nice and dark!” cried Lurky, but
the only
reply he got from Murky was a great big growl of disappointment.
His plan
had failed.
Rainbow Brite now had her Color Belt back and she used it to bring the color
back to
Rainbow Land. Soon everything was bright and colorful again.
It was now time for Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids to say goodbye to
Brian.
"Goodbye, everyone,” he called as Rainbow Brite pressed her magic belt
and a
ray shot out making a long rainbow. As the bright colors flashed out
Starlite climbed the rainbow to join Rainbow Brite, Brian and Twink.
A little later, Sam, Brian's dog, gave a woof of welcome and joy! Brian
slid
down the rainbow and hugged him.
“I'm back, fellow,” he cried.
The others walked over to them.
“Thanks for helping to stop Murky,” said
Rainbow as Brian gave Starlite a goodbye pat.
“I was glad to help,” replied Brian. “Well, er...goodbye!”
"Don't be sad,” said Rainbow, as she and Twink climbed on Starlite's
back.
“Always look up and see the rainbow. Never let things get you down!”
“I will, and I’ll get into the team yet!” cried Brian firmly.
He waved as Rainbow Brite blew him a kiss and a pair of rainbow colored
lips
appeared on his cheek. Brian looked startled, and then he grinned. What
would his
mother say?
THE END |
