In the Jungle Sanctuary, every leaf was green. Every flower was bright. Little rabbits hopped under big palms. They loved to wiggle their noses in the warm sun.
Lady Clara the Rabbit Tamer was a fairy. She had silver wings, a yellow hat, and a tiny bell on her shoe. Ting! Ting! She was kind. She was brave, too. She knew every rabbit by name.
“Good morning, Pip!” said Clara.
“Hop-hop!” said Pip.
“Good morning, Dot!”
“Hop-hop!” said Dot.
Clara did not tell rabbits what to do. She listened. She gave gentle pats. When a rabbit was scared, she sat close and whispered, “You are safe.”
One morning, the Jungle Sanctuary looked strange. The red flowers were gray. The blue pond was gray. Even the rainbow parrots were gray.
“Oh no,” said Clara.
The rabbits hid behind her slippers.
Moon Child came down on a moonbeam. Moon Child wore a round, shining coat and carried a small lantern.
“The colors are gone,” said Moon Child softly.
From the oldest tree came a long, sleepy yawn. The Tree Spirit opened two kind eyes in the bark.
“Wizard took them,” said the Tree Spirit. “He put all the colors in his tall, twisty tower.”
“Why?” asked Clara.
“He thinks colors belong in jars,” said the Tree Spirit.
“That is not nice,” said Pip.
“No,” said Clara. “Colors belong to everyone.”
Oracle the owl flew from a vine. Oracle had fluffy white eyebrows and a gold ring around one eye. “Hoo knows the way?” asked Oracle. “I do!”
Oracle pointed one wing. “First, cross the Banana Bridge. Next, follow the glowing mushrooms. Last, knock three times on the tower door.”
Clara nodded. “Rabbits, stay together.”
“Hop together!” said all the rabbits.
They crossed the Banana Bridge. It went wobble, wobble, wobble.
Dot slipped a little.
Clara held Dot’s paw. “Slow feet,” she said.
Moon Child held up the lantern. The bridge shone pale and soft.
Soon they found glowing mushrooms. Blue, pink, and gold lights blinked under the ferns.
Then they reached the Wizard’s tower. It was tall. It was twisty. It had a purple door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door opened with a creak.
Wizard stood inside. His robe was gray. His beard was gray. His face was sad.
“Go away,” he grumbled. “My jars are beautiful.”
Behind him stood many jars. One held red. One held blue. One held green. One held yellow. The colors swirled and swished, wanting to fly out.
Clara felt small. But she stood tall on her tiny fairy toes.
“Wizard,” she said, “the Jungle Sanctuary misses its colors.”
“I miss colors too,” said Wizard. “But when colors fly free, they never stay with me.”
Moon Child stepped close. “You can visit the colors,” said Moon Child. “You do not have to trap them.”
Wizard looked at the gray floor. “No one visits me,” he whispered.
Clara had an idea. “Come to the sanctuary with us. Pip can show you the soft grass. Dot can show you the pink flowers. We can all see the rainbow after rain.”
The Wizard blinked. “Even me?”
“Even you,” said Clara.
Pip hopped to Wizard’s boot and gave it one brave little pat. “Hop with us.”
Wizard smiled a very tiny smile. He opened the red jar. Whoosh! Red flew out like a happy bird. He opened blue, green, yellow, and all the other jars.
Whoosh! Swish! Sparkle!
Color rushed through the tower window. It painted the pond blue. It painted the flowers red and pink. It painted the parrots bright as fruit.
The Jungle Sanctuary cheered.
The Tree Spirit shook its branches. “Welcome back, colors!”
Oracle hooted, “A fine answer! Sharing makes things brighter!”
The Wizard came outside. A yellow butterfly sat on his gray sleeve. His robe turned purple at the edges.
“For Lady Clara,” he said, opening one last small box.
Inside was a rainbow carrot crown. It had little jewel leaves. It was shiny, crunchy, and magical.
Clara put it on. Ting! Ting! went her shoe bell.
“All rabbits of the Jungle Sanctuary,” said Wizard, “Lady Clara is now the Rainbow Rabbit Tamer!”
The rabbits hopped in a big circle. Hop-hop! Hop-hop! Moon Child made moonlight dance on the pond. Oracle sang, “Hoo-ray!” The Tree Spirit dropped sweet mangoes for a feast.
Clara shared every mango. She shared the rainbow carrot crown, too, one tiny crunch at a time.
And Wizard? He came to the sanctuary each morning. He planted flowers. He learned rabbit names. Sometimes Pip sat on his hat.
Lady Clara laughed. The jungle was bright. The rabbits were safe. And everyone had a little more color to share.