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])

Every night, Mother read to Pinocchio and his sisters from a big beautiful book of fairytales, if not one of Greek or Norse myths. And tonight?? Was definitely no exception.

Last night, the story had been about the brave noble dog who saved a king from a wicked wizard. But tonight, Dorothy wondered out loud...

"Mama??"

"Yes, darling?"

"Are there any stories about-?? About *little people*? I mean, I know- *WE know* about 'Hop O' My Thumb' an' th' like- but... Y' know- *OUR size*?? As in, *our age*?"

Good question. *VERY good* question...

"Oh- well... As a matter of fact, Dorothy, *there are*. Look, sweetheart- you too, Thumbelina and Pinocchio 'tesoro'."

Three small-yet-large pairs of non-bespectacled bright blue eyes watched as Mother flipped through the pages of the storybook- then, the Gale children's breaths caught in their throats and hearts skipped in their tiny thin light breasts. They all smiled big and bright and happy, but each of them reacted a different way as well- Dorothy clapped her hands, Thumbelina clasped hers' and laughed softly in awe, amazement, and disbelief, and Pinocchio gasped semi-quietly.

"O-Oh!! Th-*They ARE* little. AWFUL little...!"

%"*Just like us*!!"%

"Oh! Are those WINGS, Mother??" Thumbelina then wanted to know.

Mother smiled and nodded. "Oh yes, dear. All faeries have wings so they can fly, as well as possess magical powers..."

"*Wow*..." Pinocchio breathed, his eyes sparkling in his doll-face from underneath his flop of jet-black bangs. Then he asked, "Mama?? Have YOU- ever seen *a FAERIE*? I mean, you met a *witch* b'fore- a *GOOD witch*- and- And that's how you got US..."

"Well... I THOUGHT I did, once- long ago; when I was very young, little woodenhead," Mother replied with a slightly warmer softer smile.

'Thought' or not, to *see a faerie*... %"*Really*???"% all three Gale siblings said excitedly and happily.

Mother laughed more-than-fondly. "Yes, my darlings- I'm quite sure I did! And here... See?? The faerie prince and princess are having a wedding!"

She took off her reading glasses and used them as a makeshift magnifying-glass so that her truly-'piccolino' children could get a good look at the pictures that were, quite surprisingly, *just their exact size*.

-Which made them all feel both happy and sad all throughout the story attached to the faerie wedding. Wistful. Full of longing. (Of course, the faerie prince and princess lived Happily Ever After.)

"Hmm..." Thumbelina mused afterwards as she crawled underneath the 'magnifying-glass' to get a better closer look at the handsome prince and beautiful princess that were very very small rather than *BIG*. "Well, I suppose-,"

"It works best-," Dorothy chimed in.

%"If- If two people are *about the same size as each other*..."% 'Lina, Dorothy, and Pinocchio all finished together.

"Oh... Well- yes..." Mother agreed with a slightly surprised nod.

"Oh. Of- 'F course..." Pinocchio nodded in reply before looking down at the picture and swallowing hard as he rubbed his arm. Meanwhile, 'Lina sighed and Dorothy sniffed as she rubbed at her eyes, which suddenly felt wet and prickly.

"Well- Well, *that's not fair*," she pouted. "I mean- 'm pretty sure that 'Lina, 'Nocchi, 'n I are th' only ones *OUR size* in the whole world! Th' only *teeny-tiny humans*, I mean..."

Pinocchio, for his own part, was usually fairly content with his size- but right now, he couldn't help but say along with his 'sorelle', %"-I wish *I* were big!"%

Because if they WERE, they'd be able to find companionship with someone *THEIR OWN size*. LOVE, even...!

Mother flinched and blinked hard at that- as though the wish hurt her heart. Hurt *her SOUL*. "*Oh NO*, Thumbelina- Dorothy- Pinocchio! *NO*... Don't ever wish to be ANYTHING but *what you are*, my little flower, little rainbow princess, and little woodenhead."

Toto woofed and Figaro meowed in complete agreement, both Cairn terrier and tuxedo Norwegian Forest Cat nodding their furry heads from their cozy corner.

It was Very Good Advice, from both a mother and the family pets... But it was sure hard to follow when you just felt *TOO small* for the big big world around you-! Would have been hard to follow even had FATHER GIUSEPPE been alive...

Mother sighed softly- then gently held out her hand palm-first towards her 'piccolino bambini'. "Bedtime, my dears. It's been a long day..."

None of them argued. After all, it *HAD been* such... All they asked for before Mother got ready for bed herself was that she left the fairytale book open to the pictures of faeries so they could look at them while falling asleep. (Which meant that their walnut-shell beds were placed on the window-sill rather than on the pillow of their cradle that Father Giuseppe had carved for his and his wife's much longed-for but non-materializing child, as usual.)

"Of course, 'miei cari'! ...There, now."

%"Thank you, Mama/Mother. -Goodnight, Mama/Mother."%

"Goodnight, Thumbelina- goodnight, Dorothy. Goodnight, Pinocchio. Sweet dreams, 'i miei piccoli'.
"Goodnight, Figaro and Toto. -*You TAKE GOOD CARE of them* now, boys..."

Figaro mewed and Toto whuffed in affirmation from their own small soft cozy beds, making Mother laugh softly and pet their heads once she'd kissed her children goodnight (and they her). Then she headed upstairs to her own room, not able to help wishing once more herself...

*********************************************************************************************************************************************

Pinocchio, 'Lina, and Dorothy strained their ears- listening. Waiting. 'Watching'...

It was only when they sensed that Mother had fallen asleep that they crept out of bed. Why??? Because none of them felt able to sleep. Not yet. -And when one was sad or wistful or worried, the other(s) couldn't really sleep either; much less peacefully.

So 'Little Woodenhead' stayed awake along with his elder sisters. Looked at the book now gleaming softly in silvery-blue moonlight and starlight. At the little people just their size displayed on the pages in full bright beautiful color. At the handsome yet kind-looking faerie standing beside a house made out of a mushroom as well as the so-happy prince and princess flying down the aisle at their wedding...

Feelings of longing welled up inside all three of them. Ones so strong that they SANG their wish rather than simply spoke it as they dreamily danced with their imaginary princes (or PRINCESS, in the case of Dorothy).

THUMBELINA: ~"I know there's SOMEONE..."~

PINOCCHIO: ~"*Somewhere*..."~

DOROTHY: ~"*SOMEONE*..."~

'LINA, 'NOCCHI, AND 'DORY': %~"*Who's sure to FIND ME*
SOON..."~%

DOROTHY: ~"After th' rain goes..."~

THUMBELINA: ~"There are *rainbows*...!"~

PINOCCHIO: ~"We'll find *OUR rainbow*-"~

'LINA, 'NOCCHI, AND 'DORY': %~"Soon..."~%

DOROTHY: ~"Soon,
It won't be JUST PRETEND...!"~

PINOCCHIO AND 'LINA: %"*Soon,
A happy ending*...!"~%

'LINA, 'NOCCHI, AND 'DORY': %~"Love,
Can you hear me??
If you're NEAR ME,
*Sing your song*-
SURE and *STRONG* and
*Soon*..."~%

(Had Pinocchio and Dorothy not been so 'lost' in the land of What-Might-Have-Been, they would have giggled to themselves and each other when at the very end of their sung Wish, Thumbelina kissed the papery cheek of the faerie prince.)

'Hmm... I wonder if there REALLY ARE such things as faeries,' 'Lina thought to herself just afterwards. 'Surely, there MUST BE- after all, *witches* exist, or Dorothy and 'Nocchi and I wouldn't be here...!'

Aloud, however- "Hmm... Rainbows... Dorothy, would you pretty please sing your rainbow song??"

"*Oh, YES*! 'Per favore', Dory?"

Dorothy smiled at her elder sister and younger brother whom she loved with all her heart as much as Mother-or-Mama, Toto, Figaro, the other animals, and 'Scarecrow', 'Tinman', and 'Lion', her own big blue eyes sparkling with love as well as still a bit of wistfulness. "Alright- okay; you twisted my arm!" she teased. "Maybe it'll help us get t' sleep..."