Pindi and the Rainbow - Pindi Story 6

​Pindi scowled at the weather from her perch on the fence just inside the overhang of the fairies’ winter home. “It’s never going to stop raining. How will the flowers bloom? How will the birds fly? I can’t fly in the rain. My wings get too wet.”
“The rain will stop. It does every year. You are just impatient. As usual.” Mindi replied with an exasperated sigh. Her sister was impulsive, and sometimes rash.
“Look!” There’s a rainbow!” Pindi pointed, shaking with excitement. “Let’s fly into the rainbow and watch the colors from inside.”
Mindi glanced back at the door to the winter home. “What if Mother catches us? She warned us not to go too far. What if it starts raining again?”
“It won’t.” Pindi stood, spread her wings, and flew off towards the rainbow.
“You just said it was never going to stop raining.” With another sigh, Mindi joined her.
“Oh, look at all the colors. See how our wings shimmer? “Pindi pointed towards the nearest tree. “That tree is blue and purple and red and orange, all at once. Everything I see is pulsing with color. It’s magic.” She twirled and watched the colors swirl with her.
Mindi tried a couple of somersaults in the rainbow and giggled. “This is fun!”
The fairy sisters were having so much fun playing in the rainbow, they didn’t notice he sky darkening or the ominous grey clouds moving in with the wind. The rainbow shimmered and slowly disappeared. “Fun’s over.” Pindi looked up at the sky and hoped she and her sister would make it home before the downpour promised by the clouds.
They didn’t make it home in time.
Pindi and Mindi flew to the nearest tree, a tall fir. Huddling together near the trunk, trying to stay dry, Pindi started to plan. “I won’t panic”, she told herself. “We will make it home before dark.”
“Caw, caw.” The crow that guarded the street in front of the giants’ home cocked his head and looked curiously at Pindi and Mindi. “What are you two little fairies doing in this tree?”
“Oh, Ka-a, I am so glad to see you!” Pindi exclaimed. “Will you take us home?”
“I don’t like to fly in the rain. Wait until it stops and then you can fly home yourselves.”
“Please? Please won’t you take us home? Our parents will be worried about us, and it doesn’t look like this rain will stop anytime soon.”
“I am on guard duty.  I can’t leave my post.”
“Ka-a, we need to get home. If you fly us home, I will give you the shiny coin I found in the garden. It’s pretty. I know you like shiny things.” Pindi begged.
Ka-a considered, turning his head one way and then the other.
“Climb on,” he told the fairies. “Caw, caw, caw,” he called to let his fellow crows know he was leaving his post, then lifted off from the branch with the two fairies holding on tightly.
Ka-a winged across the street and swooped down to let the fairies disembark on the fence outside their winter home.
“Thank you, Ka-a, let me go get the shiny coin. I’ll be right back.” With that, Pindi rushed off to her chamber to look for the coin.
Sprinting back outside, Pindi reached out her hand and showed Ka-a the coin. Ka-a cocked his head. “Pretty. I’ll take it. Stay out of the rain.” And he flew off, back to his post with the coin in his beak.
Pindi and Mindi tried to sneak back into the great hall without being seen, but found their mother blocking their way, arms crossed, foot tapping. “Uh oh,” Pindi mumbled under her breath.
“Where have you two been? I told you not to wander off. Why are you so wet?” demanded their mother, Queen Caelia.
Pindi swallowed, fidgeting nervously. She raised her head and met her mother’s stern gaze. “We saw the rainbow and wanted to play in it. It was my idea. Then it started to rain again, and we flew to the big fir tree to stay dry. Ka-a brought us home. I gave him my shiny coin to thank him.”
“Pindi, why is it always your idea?” Mindi, why do you go along with your sister’s schemes?” Queen Caelia was glad her children were home and safe, but angry they didn’t follow her order to stay close. Angry, but not surprised, knowing Pindi.
“I will speak with your father and we will decide on an appropriate punishment for not obeying my orders.” With that Queen Caelia turned on her heal and strode away.
“I wonder what our punishment will be this time,” Pindi whispered.
“We’re probably grounded and will be given more chores,” Mindi grumbled.
Pindi’s eyes shone. “It was fun playing in the rainbow.”
“Yeah, but we should have asked first, Mindi chided.
Pindi rolled her eyes. The fairy sisters slowly walked into the great hall to find out their punishment.