In a mystical realm not so far away, there existed a magical place known as the Valley of Colors. This valley was home to an array of fantastical creatures and vibrant vegetation, where every hue imaginable danced in harmony. The grass shimmered emerald green under the light of a dual sun, while sparkling streams twisted their way through the ground like ribbons of sapphire and silver.
In this enchanting valley lived a young unicorn named Bella. Now, Bella wasn’t like any ordinary unicorn. While most unicorns sported snow-white coats and silvery manes, Bella was adorned with lovely shades of every color you could see in a rainbow. Her mane looked like it was woven from flowers blooming in the spring, cascading down her neck in an array of colors. Bella was beautiful in her own way, but being different sometimes made things a little tough.
“Did you see her? I heard she took ages to get through the woods the other day,” whispered a family of bunnies who were chilling under a rainbow-laden tree.
“And she always glows so much! It’s hard to even see her at nighttime,” murmured a couple of owlets perched on a branch overhead.
“It really is scary,” replied a young fawn, peeking from behind her mother.
What did they always mean? Bella was just being herself, after all! But Bella couldn’t do anything right. Whenever she tried joining games with the other animals, they would pay attention to how different she looked rather than what a nice friend she could be.
One bright morning, Bella looked into the shimmering blue surface of the stream that kept splashing near her. “Perhaps if I tried really hard,” thought she, “I could tell the color of my coat and mane to match those who are my playmates. I wish I could go and look just the same way as Anna and the others when they come today.” And saying no more, lowly she walked toward the swish-swish of the water to give it a trial.
Suddenly the wise old owl of the valley spread his great wings and hovered over her. “Ust look into the stream, my daughter,” said he. “Look well, and you shall learn through its help as well sorrows as joys.”
So saying, he vanished into the thickest tree of the woods. Bella gazed into the blue surface of the water before her, and a wonderful and glorious picture was seen reflected in it. The blue sky of the outside world grew darker and darker, and it was threatening also to rain. The lightning was all about, but vicious like snakes, the thunder was roaring in the clouds, and the earth was all in flood.
“It is terrible, terrible; I shall perish!” cried the unicorn.
“But look again,” cried the wise owl, peering over her shoulder. “Look how after the day comes always the night; look how the rainbow breaks through enmity with love!”
And right quickly the clouds disappeared, the valleys and plains lay like polished emeralds, the crests of the mountains shone bright and silvery, and in the center of the shining world, like a light-filled lake, the starry sky beamed down.
And right up into the sky went the young unicorn of color, just like a living rainbow. And when the other animals came in search of her, they marveled and marveled at the feeling of the change that all was so still and bright and peaceful.
The dainty little Anna threw herself down on her young friend, clasped her arms around her, and said, “Wherever I do not meet with you all, I do no content. I shall find out whom they mean all-you-nobody-who-was-not-here. And as sure as the heavy thunder there shall be happiness—rainbow happiness!—between us.” And with that she sat down, hand in hand.
Sister Beryl and their girlfriends made the most hearty of merry-go-rounds round and round, indulging in good singing, until every teardrop that the rain bore had been removed, and every tear the dictates of the heart’s mourning had caused disappeared, and a choir of starlings and other musicians far and near added its echoes of merriment.
The next morning all was cleared and fresh, the vale shone and sparkled in magical hues, every creature admired his own sparkling every dewlet at his feet, while young Anna and Bella paraded proudly through the valley. And all admired Bella the young rainbow unicorn as a special spectacle, not only for her waist deep flaming eyes and her flowing mane and tail rainbow-brandished, but also indeed on account of the loving words of her comrade Anna, who after many an adventure of yore had returned once more to the valley on account of the sudden rain the day before.
Serious old owls flew round and made a pretense of gobbling her up, puppets and dolls with peep-bo eyes stood gaping at her, and flowers bent down to her in regal respect, murmuring, “Get up our little baby people, and preserve that never-ceasing rainbow round all of us pure honest joys!”
So then sat this daughter of the thunderbolt on the flowery crown of the mountain and waved her starry surroundings. But oh, how this sheep was different from the others, for it exceeded them all in excelling charm! Yes, she far surpassed them: for when drops of dew were picked out of the clouds, a sometimes rare night dew hung nowhere about like so many longing eyes in the silent morasses; but that each star again twinkled now good-naturedly, so to speak, as if it were accustomed to see once more reflections of the day on the heavens at night. Yes, that this peep-at-a-mouse-missed-tusks grew clear for once to the end, moon and all—from that this judge of all shining always looked even much superior to the middle one of any seven, because each characteristic speck or other ground noted in the likeness of the goose or the wisened-up frog looked to see once more how beautiful it, too, at the same time also in its little uncomfortable corner down below in the heavens and all round really appeared to every one of the three lovesick girls put together of the finest description in the world.