On the endless celestial duvet, stretching from one end of the world to the other, a little cloud named Breeze tumbled cheerfully. He was not like the other clouds. Around him, older, massive clouds sailed with dignity and deliberation, resembling ocean liners navigating an azure sea, while smaller clouds dashed across the sky like scattered white lambs in a celestial pasture. But Breeze was different—he was as light as down, as white as freshly fallen snow, and his core overflowed with untamed energy and daring dreams. He constantly played with gusts of wind, raced with birds, and dreamed of great adventures.
Today, however, was exceptional, unlike any other. Anticipation hung in the air, and Breeze's little cloud heart beat with excitement. It was his big day! The old and wise cloud, Grandfather Cloud, who had seen thousands of sunrises and sunsets and knew all the secrets of the sky, had summoned him. His enormous form shadowed half the sky, and his whiskers of fine mist billowed in the wind.
"Breeze, you are now big enough and clever enough," Grandfather Cloud thundered in a kind voice that sounded like the distant, gentle drumming of an approaching summer storm. "I have watched you for a long time. I see how you chase the wind, dance with snowflakes, and gaze upon the world with such joy. It is time for you to learn one of the most beautiful arts and create your very first rainbow. It is a great honor, but also a great responsibility. Here is the secret recipe, passed down in our family from generation to generation. Read it well and follow it to the letter."
With these words, he handed Breeze an old parchment scroll, tied with a golden sunbeam that was warm to the touch. Breeze eagerly unrolled it, his heart pounding in his throat. The letters on the parchment, written in dark blue ink made from blueberry juice, seemed to dance before his eyes like tiny, cheerful gnats.
Recipe for the Most Beautiful Rainbow
- Step One: Fly low, as low as you can possibly go, and fill your belly with pure, cool water from a mountain lake. You must be nice and round and heavy, like a ripe, juicy apple.
- Step Two: Ascend slowly and patiently high into the sky, to the very spot where you meet the swallows returning to their nests.
- Step Three: Find a spot where the Sun shines directly on your back. It must be opposite you, like a curious spectator in a theater, watching your performance with suspense.
- Step Four: Release a gentle, fine rain of a million tiny, shimmering droplets and watch with wonder the magic that unfolds right before you!
Breeze merely skimmed the recipe, his eyes jumping from line to line. "Pah! That looks completely simple," he muttered proudly, and with a sense of infallibility, he rolled the parchment back up. He was so impatient and full of self-confidence that he didn't even notice how Grandfather Cloud had carefully emphasized the words "slowly" and "patiently." He completely mixed up the steps in his head and decided he would do it his own way, better and faster.
"So, first the magic!" he decided, concentrating with all his might. He closed his eyes and imagined himself glowing with all the colors, transforming into a radiant jewel of the sky. He tried to shine like a lightbulb, tensing every tuft of his being, but no matter how hard he tried, he remained just an ordinary white cloud. The other clouds looked at him curiously and whispered among themselves about what the young fellow was up to.
"Hmm, maybe the rain first then," he tried again, a little ashamed. He pushed with all his might, but since he was as light and dry as cotton wool, only a few small, dry wisps fell from him. The wind blew them right into the feathers of a passing titmouse, who just shook itself in surprise and chirped indignantly, "Watch it, you fluffball!"
"Ah, of course! I have to be high up!" he remembered another snippet from the recipe, and began to ascend. He climbed and climbed until the height made his head spin. He was high above the forests, which looked like a thick green carpet, and the meadows, dotted with flowers like colorful specks on a painter's canvas. But he was still as dry as a sponge before washing dishes.
Only then did it click. Water! How could I have forgotten the water!
With the speed of lightning, he descended to the shimmering lake, which glistened in the valley like the Earth's blue eye. He gulped and gulped the cold water, wanting to take in as much as possible to be the biggest and the best. He was so full and heavy that he could barely stay afloat in the air. He felt like an overripe plum. "Finally!" he sighed with satisfaction. But when he tried to soar high up again, as the recipe instructed, he found he was too tired and overfull. He didn't have the strength. He remained hovering just above the surface like a gray, listless mass, and instead of a beautiful rain, only a thick, cold, and gray fog began to escape from him. It covered the entire lake and the adjacent valley like an opaque duvet. The Sun sulkily hid behind another large cloud, because it had nothing to shine on.
Breeze was utterly wretched. He sat over the lake like a gray, wet heap of misery. He felt humiliated, ashamed, and incompetent. "This recipe is wrong! It doesn't work!" he cried, and from his little cloud eyes, large, sad drops fell directly into the lake, creating endless circles on the surface.
Just then, the curious Sun peeked out from behind a neighboring cloud. Its warm, golden rays gently pierced the cold fog and caressed Breeze's tear-streaked gray cheek.
"What has happened to you, little cloud?" asked the Sun in a friendly, warm voice that sounded like the crackling of wood in a fireplace. "Why are you so sad and gloomy? You have shrouded the whole valley in your sorrow."
Breeze sighed heavily and, with shame in his voice, recounted everything. About the great task from Grandfather Cloud, the mysterious recipe that surely didn't work, his muddled steps, and that ugly, cold fog instead of a magnificent, colorful rainbow.
The Sun smiled kindly and understandingly. "But Breeze, the recipe is surely correct. Grandfather Cloud has been making the best rainbows in the entire sky for hundreds of years. The problem isn't with the recipe, but perhaps in how you read it and how much you rushed. With some things, especially magical ones, the order is incredibly important. It's like building a tower of blocks. You can't put the roof on first, can you? Or when a little bird builds a nest, it can't bring the eggs first and only then build the foundation from stalks of grass. Everything has its time and sequence."
Breeze shook his head. He was slowly beginning to understand.
"You see," the Sun continued. "I will warm you and dry you a little now, so you can get rid of the excess water and not be so heavy. Rest, and then try again. Nice and slow, step by step. Trust the recipe, and trust yourself. I will help you."
Breeze's tearful eyes lit up with hope. He felt the sun's rays warming him pleasantly, and how he was becoming lighter and fluffier again. He took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and decided he would not give up. He unrolled the recipe again, and this time he read every word slowly, carefully, and aloud, so as not to miss anything.
"Alright. Step One: Fill your belly with pure, cool water from the lake," he read, and carefully dipped his edge into the clear water. He took a good drink, just enough so that he was neither too full nor too empty. He felt the water sloshing pleasantly and lightly inside him.
"Excellent," the Sun praised him. "Do you feel the difference? You are just right. And what's next?"
"Step two: Ascend slowly and patiently high into the sky," Breeze read on. This time, he didn't rush. Slowly, foot by foot, he rose towards the sky. It was strenuous, but he did not give up and concentrated on every movement. The other clouds, which had previously seen his failure, now greeted him warmly and encouraged him with a quiet murmur. When he was high enough, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had the whole world beneath him, as if in the palm of his hand.
"Perfect! And now it's my time to shine," the Sun beamed, even more brightly. "Read the third step!"
Breeze smiled. "Step three: Find a spot where the Sun shines directly on your back." He quickly looked around and shifted so that the Sun was exactly behind him. Its rays warmed his back like a warm blanket, and Breeze knew he was in the right place for the greatest magic.
"We are ready!" the Sun called out cheerfully. "Release the droplets, Maestro!"
"Step four: Let fall a gentle, fine rain and watch the magic!" Breeze finished reading, his little heart pounding. He closed his eyes, concentrated, and then gently released thousands of tiny, sparkling raindrops, which glistened in the sunlight like scattered diamonds.
And then, it happened.
As the sun's rays passed through each and every droplet, the most beautiful, most radiant arc began to form in the sky. First, a bright red band appeared, as rich as the color of ripe cherries and wild strawberries. Right below it spilled a cheerful orange, as warm as the setting sun or a sweet orange. Then, a yellow shone forth like a field of dandelions in a spring meadow, bright and full of optimism. This was followed by a fresh green, the color of grass and leaves after a refreshing rain. Beneath it, a tranquil blue appeared, as deep as the surface of a mountain lake and the color of a cornflower. It transitioned into indigo, as mysterious as the sky just before dusk, and it all concluded with a gentle violet band, as fragrant as a lavender field in France.
Breeze had created his first, perfect rainbow. It was even more beautiful than he had ever imagined. It shone over the landscape, connecting two distant hills like a colorful bridge for angels.
He was so happy and proud that he danced about with pure joy. The other clouds applauded him enthusiastically with a gentle rumbling, and the little animals on the ground below him raised their heads. The deer in the forest, the hares in the field, and the children playing in the village admired the colorful spectacle in the sky in awe and with open mouths. Breeze finally understood that the secret to success and true magic lies not in speed or strength, but in patience, attention, and the correct order.
And who knows, maybe the next time you see a beautiful rainbow in the sky after a summer rain, it was created by the little cloud Breeze, who has now learned exactly how, with the help of the Sun and patience, to paint the most beautiful smile on the face of the sky.