Glenda and the Floating Rainbows

[Palustris]

Glenda and the Floating Rainbows.

As you probably know, Wendles have very good hearing and a very good sense of smell. They also have very good eyesight. Unlike many creatures they can see colours.

Glenda the Wendle came out of her den and watched as a rainbow floated across Feggy Wood. It was only a small rainbow, unlike the ones that she often saw when it was raining. Oddly, there was no rain with this particular rainbow.

The floating rainbow.

The floating rainbow landed on her nose and, with a tiny popping sound, disappeared. All it left behind was the tiniest splash of water and a scent that Glenda could not remember ever smelling before.

She frowned and looked around. Another one floated just above her head. She reached up and tried to catch it. It disappeared with the same sort of noise and left behind a quite pleasant scent.

Glenda wended her way through the wood. There was a whole stream of the floating rainbows now. She had a wonderful time popping them.

She met a squarrel. "Good morning. Have you seen these floating rainbows?" she asked.

The Squarrel.

"Good morning," replied the squarrel "I can see something floating in the breeze, but I do not know what a rainbow is."

"Oh," said Glenda. "A rainbow is the coloured thing you see in the sky when the sun shines while it is raining."

"In that case," said the squarrel. "Yes. One of them popped my nose. It made it wet, and it smells too." It wrinkled its nose. "It makes it hard for me to smell out the ripe nuts on this tree. Do you know where they are coming from?"

Glenda shook her head. "No, but I am going to follow them and find out." She wended her way through the wood, following the floating rainbows.

She met a budger. "Good morning," said Glenda. "Can you see the floating rainbows?"

"Good morning," said the budger. "No, I am too busy hunting black crunchies. These wet, scented floating things that landed on my nose make it hard to smell the crunchies. Do you know where they are coming from?"

The budger.

Glenda shook her head. "No, but I am going to follow them and find out." She wended her way through the wood, following the floating rainbows.

She met a tiny squeaker. "Good morning," said Glenda. "Can you see the floating rainbows?"

"If you mean those great big wet things, then yes," said the tiny squeaker. "One of them landed on me, and now I smell all wrong and I am wet. Do you know where they are coming from?""

The tiny squeaker.

Glenda shook her head. "No, but I am going to follow them and find out." She wended her way through the wood, following the floating rainbows. They led her to the edge of the wood.

In the field, there were three animals. Glenda did not know them. "Good morning," she said.

The biggest of the three gave a sort of hiccup in reply and blew a floating rainbow out of its mouth.

The middle-sized one said "Good morning. You will have to excuse my husband. He has eaten something, and it is stuck in his teeth. Every time he tries to speak, he just blows those things out of his mouth."

"They are very pretty, though," said Glenda.

"They are indeed, but it is a bit of a problem for him as he cannot speak and he cannot eat anything either," said the middle-sized one.

"My name is Glenda the Wendle," said Glenda. "I live in Feggy Wood. I don't think we have met before."

"We are new here," replied the middle-sized one. "This is my husband, Billy. My name is Nanny, and this is our son, Kid. We are goats."

Billy, Nanny, and Kid.

Billy just blew another floating rainbow.

"Perhaps he needs to have a drink of water to get rid of it," suggested Glenda. "There is a pond at the top of this field."

Nanny nodded. "That might work." She lowered her head and butted Billy in the ribs with her horns. "Come on, silly Billy, let's see it; you can wash it out." Billy blew a whole stream of rainbows.

Glenda followed the three goats until they came to the pond. Billy lowered his head and dipped his face into the water. He shook his head from side to side. Lots of little rainbow things floated across the pond. Soon the whole thing was covered.

The pond was soon covered.

Glenda clapped her hands. "Oh, that is very pretty," she cried.

Billy shook his head a few more times until a white blob shot out of his mouth and sank. "That's better," he said. "I thought it would never go." He smacked his lips. "Didn't taste that good either. It has left an odd taste in my mouth. "

"It serves you right for eating it in the first place," said Nanny. She turned to Glenda. "He is always eating things that he shouldn't. Last week, he ate some clothes that were hanging on a line." She giggled. "He did look funny with them sticking out of his mouth. He had to have them pulled out."

"Well, they looked as if they should taste nice," said Billy. "Anyway, I am very grateful for your help, Glenda."

"I am glad to have helped," said Glenda. "I really enjoyed the floating rainbow things. It is sad that they have stopped now. I had better go and tell the animals in Feggy Wood where they came from."

"Ooh, look," said Billy. "There is a big patch of thistles over there, and I am hungry now." He walked off.

"Bye," said Nanny. "He will eat them all if we don't go now."

Glenda wended her way through Feggy Wood back home. She told everyone she met where the floating rainbows had come from and about the new animals in the field.