Pearl's Rainbow Road

Pearl's Rainbow Road

Pearl's Rainbow Road

For every child who keeps small treasures in a safe place.

The Little Light

Pearl stood on her grey rocks. The sea whooshed below. Clouds marched overhead. Pearl watched the wide, wild sky. “Oh,” she whispered, “I wish I could keep every lovely color that visits.”

Gold in a Jar

One evening, sunset poured gold across the water. Pearl opened an empty glass jar. In slipped a warm gold ribbon. It glowed like candy paper from a special treat. Pearl tucked the jar onto her curved shelf. “Safe and shiny,” she said.

Pink, Green, Violet

Then colors came skipping by. A cloud shaped like a flamingo gave Pearl pink. A green flag on the fishing boat gave her green. At the storm’s edge, violet peeked out. Violet is purple-blue, like a crayon pressed hard. Pearl caught each glimmer. Her secret room began to sparkle.

A Room Like Treasure

Night wrapped the sea in blue. Pearl looked at every jar. Gold winked. Pink hummed. Green and violet glowed. She felt rich. Not loud rich. Shells-in-your-pockets rich. Outside, boats bobbed safely. Inside, Pearl’s colors made a tiny rainbow home.

Fog Comes Softly

Night had tucked the sea in. Then fog came softly. Fog is a thick grey mist. It rolled over Pearl’s rocks like a blanket. Her golden beam shone out. It faded after only a few steps.

Where Is Home?

From somewhere in the grey came a horn. Ooooh! Then another answered. Pearl listened hard. The blue tug bobbed unseen. So did the red-sailed boat. So did the green fishing boat. They could not see the harbor, the safe place for boats. “Where is home?” called a small voice.

Pearl Looks Up

Pearl turned from the fog. In her top room, her jars glowed. Gold. Pink. Green. Violet. They made little puddles of color on the wooden shelves. Pearl loved every jar. Yet the boats were still out there. Her warm windows dimmed, just a little.

A Brave Thought

One horn called again. It sounded small and lonely. Below, a red sail slipped past the rocks. Pearl felt a pinch inside. Her colors were treasures. But treasures could help, too. Her amber windows warmed. “I know what to do,” Pearl whispered. She reached for the sunset-gold jar.

Every Jar Opens

Pearl pulled every cork. Pop! Pop! Pop! Gold leaped out first. Pink danced after it. Green and violet swirled close behind. With a happy roar, the colors rushed into her lantern beam. A rainbow road poured over the water. “Follow me!” Pearl called.

Follow the Colors

The blue tug turned first. Its yellow smokestack puffed. The red-sailed little boat came next. Then the green fishing boat followed. One by one, they sailed the bright path. Pearl felt bigger than the storm. She was helping them get home. Her golden light shone warm and steady.

Empty Shelves at Dawn

Dawn peeked through the last thin fog. The boats were safe in the harbor. Pearl’s beam rested at last. Inside, her jar-room was quiet. Every shelf was empty. Pale light shone through the glass jars. Pearl felt proud. But she also felt hollow, like a snack box after lunch.

Colors Come Back

Then sunrise painted the sea gold. Clouds blushed pink. A green flag waved from the fishing boat. Violet glimmered at the fog’s edge. From every safe boat came a thankful splash of color. The colors flew to Pearl’s empty jars. They glowed brighter than before. Pearl’s whole lantern room laughed with light. Sharing had made room for more.

Check your wonder

New words

Where we looked

This story came straight from imagination, made just for you.

The end

Goodbye, Pearl, and goodbye to the boats sailing safely home. Imagine what bright color Pearl might save—or share—next time the sea turns gray.