After The Rain Goes, There Are Rainbows... (*Will WE*) Find (*Our*) Rainbow Soon??? (Or, The Adventures of Pinocchio and Thumbelina and Dorothy [-And Snow White])

Barbara Juliette Gale watered her beautiful green 'barley-corn' for the second time that day, having already fed it. And just after, the top of it *sparkled* before budding and blooming and blossoming into A FLOWER! -A red tulip, to be exact.

She gasped, jumped back a little, and placed her hand over her heart- but then smiled and leaned down and over with soft sparkling eyes as she murmured in awe and wonder, "Ohhh-! What a pretty flower...!"

In fact, she was *SO overcome* (and because tulips were her very favorite flower) that she *kissed* it same as she would have hers' and Paul's child or children, had they ever had them one way or another. Softly. Gently. Sweetly. *LOVINGLY, even*.

And what did THAT result in??? Not just the flower itself immediately *magically* opening up, but *one- two- three CHILDREN* sleeping sound and sweet inside!

Barbara's heart jumped, but she herself didn't this time- though she still quivered from head to foot as her little ones -*her little ones*!!!!- stretched, yawned, rubbed their eyes, and opened them for the very first time...

All of their eyes were a clear bright shade of blue like the sky -*like HER'S*- and big and wide with long dark tassels of lashes, and their faces were all the same sweet rounded-heart shape- they were all slender of build and possessed naturally-rosy cheeks as well as clear fair skin and sweet-lipped expressive mouths... but the girl who seemed like the eldest was especially delicate and willowy while the other appeared a little sturdier and the only boy (who seemed to be the youngest of the three) looked near-scrawny as well as thin. Plus, the boy had *freckles* as his sisters didn't- not even the elder one with strawberry-blonde hair.

-Speaking of hair, they all possessed the same long thick silken-soft locks -yes, even her boy; but Barbara didn't mind-, but had different colors. Each and every one of them! The eldest girl, as mentioned before, was both red-haired and fair-haired- the younger girl had very dark brown hair with a tinge of ruby-red in the sunlight, and her one and only boy meanwhile possessed hair as black and shining as a raven's feathers or lovingly carefully-polished ebony wood. They also all wore different clothes: the eldest attired in a sweet lovely peasant-style dress with a white puff-sleeved blouse, green bodice, and long blue skirt, her teeny-tiny slippers matching the bodice, the younger girl sporting an adorable pretty jumper-dress of blue-and-white-checked gingham over a white puff-sleeved blouse of her own, blue socks, and (ohmy!!!) *ruby-and-silver slippers* fit for a princess, and their brother clad in a three-quarter-sleeved white shirt, forest-green vest and matching pants and cap, white fingerless gloves, and dark brown shoes.

Accesory-wise?? The strawberry-blonde lass wore a headband of tiny white violets in her hair, the little brunette's hair was styled into two loose plaits tied off with pretty blue ribbons that matched her dress, and the freckled dark-haired boy with a funny odd unique yet cute charming nose a shape between elongated and button possessed a simple yet lovely blue butterfly necklace made of rare blue pearl and a velvet ribbon. (No, that's not really IMPORTANT- just fun and interesting to mention, is all.)

They. Were. *BEAUTIFUL*. *They were ALL beautiful*. *Inside and out*. Her babies...

Her babies who shyly yet eagerly and happily looked up at her beaming face, chirruped as one in their sweet clear musical voices %"Hello, Mother/Mama!"%, nimbly leapt onto her outstretched hand, and snuggled against her thumb and each other with a cheery wave and spritely giggle/chortle- innocent as any 'normal' newborn babe and pure as could be.

*Tears of JOY AND LOVE* sparkled in Barbara's own bright blue eyes as she cupped and cradled her long-awaited-and-wished-for children in both her hands (carefully as well as lovingly, of course) and near-whispered, "*I will call you... 'THUMBELINA'*.

"And you... *'Dorothy'*.

"*And YOU*... 'PINOCCHIO'. -Do you like them, my darlings??"

Thumbelina, Dorothy, and Pinocchio all nodded back in reply as their eyes shone, too overcome with happiness and love themselves to speak.

"I- Mama will take that as a '*Yes*'," she laughed softly and fondly as she gently tenderly stroked one callused finger-tip over dandelion-soft strawberry-gold, dark auburn, and raven hair and one-two-three silken rosy cheeks (one as constellated as the night sky alongside).

"What will our *MIDDLE names* be, Mama???" Dorothy then wanted to know.

Barbara thought on this for a moment. Then she said, "Because you are all so beautiful and precious to me, I will give each and every one of you TWO middle names, 'mia bambini'. 'Thumbelina Jodi Halle Gale'- 'Dorothy Frances Danielle Gale'- 'Pinocchio Edward Benjamin Gale'. What do you think? Hmm?"

Now HER CHILDREN thought on the matter for a good sixty seconds- but also *looked at each other* as siblings will. Then they 'twin'-spoke again. %"We like them *very much*, Mother/Mama! Thank you!"%

"You are very welcome, 'tesorinos'."

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#"And so the lady Barbara was finally truly happy once again- though still grieving for her dearly beloved 'marito' deep down, of course. But time passed, and sooner rather than later, Pain turned to Memory. And Thumbelina and Dorothy and Pinocchio Gale grew and grew in Grace and Charm and Health and Beauty... but not *in SIZE*. No- nonono; they stayed as small as 'Lina's' namesake, with 'Little Woodenhead' still being the smallest as well as 'the baby of the family'...

"*Tsk*- ahhhh... *Just IMAGINE* the troubles of a boy or girl *no bigger than your thumb*- hmm? Not that they let this discourage them- or, at least, Dorothy and Pinocchio tried their very best not to. Their elder sister, on the other hand, always felt too small for the big big world around her and her sibs; as though they would *NEVER* fit in (though she WAS for the most part happy, even if not really content)..."#