Rainbow Brite Saves the Day

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 Colour Castle, where Rainbow Brite lives. With her magic flying horse, Starlite, and her friend Twink, the white Sprite, she uses her Magical Star Sprinkles to brighten our lives with the colour 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 Colour 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 colours 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 Colour Kids went out with the Sprites to make sure that all the springtime colours 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 Colour 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 Colour 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 Colour 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 Colour Kids, and wrapped itself around them. All the time they could hear Murky’s nasty laugh. The Colour 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 Colour 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 colours 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 Colour 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 Colour 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 colour bags you will find plenty left, so we can make everything right again.”

All the Sprites and Colour 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 colours 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 colourful and happy, the Sprites and Colour Kids paid no attention to the miserable pair.

Everything was right in Rainbow Land and that was all that mattered.

The End