Somewhere Over the Rainbow
A micro inspired by an image
“Happy birthday, dear Sophie! Happy birthday to you!”
Little Sophie blew out the candles.
As Loretta leaned down to kiss her goddaughter’s cheek she brushed against the toboggan Sophie always wore. It kept her head warm and hid that she had no hair.
“How old are you now, Ms. Sophie?”
Sophie held up her hand with all five fingers spread wide.
“What did you wish for?”
“To see a rainbow!” Sophie whispered.
The smile Sophie’s mom wore faltered.
Loretta understood. Rainbows require rain and it doesn’t rain in northern Alaska.
***
Loretta jolted out of bed and rushed to the living room. She scanned the shelves. Where was it? She started rifling through National Geographics.
“Aha!”
Greenland.
A plan.
***
Sophie and her parents would return from the hospital in two days.
It took some convincing, but before noon the whole town rallied.
They marched through a fresh layer of snow to the hardware store. Wallace thought it was a dream when they bought him out of his dustiest cans: magenta, turquoise, canary, and tangerine.
***
It was a close call but they were ready. Everyone gathered at the bottom of the hill, peering at the sinking sun and the SUV approaching.
The car stopped. Sophie’s parents emerged and her dad gathered Sophie from the backseat.
“Welcome back, Sophie! We have a surprise for you!”
The crowd parted, revealing a snowy hillside speckled with radiant colors. Every building donned a brilliant shade.
Sophie’s eyes and smile widened, “Look! A rainbow!”
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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More stories from D.K. Shepard and writers in Fiction and other communities.
The Art of Being Disposable
I’d been dropped by you before. Many times, in fact. I learned quickly that you’re rather clumsy. This time was different. The clamor I made against the car door and seat mechanism was drowned out by the bass of the song on the radio. You took no notice of my fall.
By D.K. Shepard3 months ago in Fiction
A Flower Song
Apparently the Aztecs, Toltecs, Chichimecs and other Mexica were crazy about poetry. Despite the book-burning, slaughter, and epidemics that characterized the early stages of the Spanish conquest of the empires of Mexico, some hundreds of poems from the height of their tradition come down to us in Classical Nahuatl, preserved by Nahua and Spanish scholars of the 16th century. One of the most famous poets, Nezahualcoyotl, was a sage-king who opposed the cult of human sacrifice associated with Tezcatlipoca, God of the Smoking Mirror, and favored Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. Flowers and feathers were the favorite offering of the Plumed Serpent. Moreover, flowers and feathers are a metaphor for poetry. Individual words, scattered petals, the down of tropical birds. The temples of blood sacrifice could be transformed into temples of flower and song. A sublimated offering to the Heart of Earth and the Heart of Sky encapsulated in the Classical Nahuatl kenning for poetry: in xōchitl in cuīcatl, meaning, "the flower and the song." The following poem is part of a longer work, and is in a state of flux, so take the waters as they flow:
By Rob Angeli5 days ago in Poets
Comments (6)
Omg, I love that this all was inspired by an image!! This is amazing!😍
Loved this! It left me smiling and happy!
Loved reading this D.K., and you manage to say a lot in so few words. “The smile Sophie’s mom wore faltered.” along with the absence of hair makes me think Sophie might be in chemo? On borrowed or uncertain time perhaps. A lovely gesture from the townsfolk🤗
I love this story! So uplifting!
Ahhhh. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to do!! 🥰🌈🌈
Ah, I may have a little tear in my eye here.