Celeste was a little cloud, and she had a very special secret. Inside her fluffy white form, she held all the colors of the rainbow! Red like juicy strawberries, orange like a tiger lily, yellow like warm sunshine, green like a playful frog, blue like the summer sky, indigo like deep blueberries, and violet like pretty pansies. But Celeste didn’t share her colors. She thought they were too precious to let go of.
She’d float above the world, watching the flowers below. They were lovely, but Celeste thought, ‘They’d be *even* lovelier with a touch of my violet!’ She’d see the birds flying, and think, ‘Imagine how brilliant they’d look with a streak of my orange!’ But she kept all the colors tucked safely inside.
One day, Celeste floated over a little village. Everything was gray. The houses were gray, the streets were gray, and even the children playing looked a little gray. Celeste peeked down and saw a little girl named Lily looking sadly at a gray flower. Lily wished she had a colorful garden.
Celeste felt a tiny pang in her cloudy heart. She’d never seen a place so…dull. She hesitated. Sharing her colors meant they’d be a little less for her. But Lily looked so sad. Slowly, Celeste let a tiny drop of red fall onto the flower. It instantly bloomed into a bright, cheerful poppy!
Lily gasped with delight! Then, Celeste let a drop of yellow fall onto a gray house, and it became a sunny yellow cottage. She added a splash of blue to the street, and it shimmered like a clear stream. Soon, Celeste was painting the whole village with her rainbow colors!
The children started to laugh and play, their faces glowing with happiness. Lily ran around, admiring the colorful world. Celeste felt a warmth spread through her that was brighter than any color she possessed. It felt *good* to share.
As Celeste painted, she noticed something amazing. Every time she shared a color, it didn’t disappear! Instead, it seemed to multiply, creating even more beautiful shades. The village became a vibrant masterpiece, filled with joy and light.
When all the colors were spread, Celeste felt lighter and happier than ever before. She realized that her colors weren’t precious because she *kept* them, but because of the joy they brought to others. Lily looked up at Celeste and waved. ‘Thank you, little cloud!’ she called.
Celeste smiled, a rainbow shimmering around her. From that day on, Celeste continued to share her colors with the world, knowing that a little bit of kindness and a splash of color could make everything brighter. And every time it rained and the sun peeked through, a beautiful rainbow would appear, a reminder of Celeste’s generous heart.