The Rainbow Bird

Short Story

Olivia ran out of her house, fleeing from her mother's wrath and the strike of the broom. She could still feel the bruise from the week before.

This was the way most days went. She would be folding clothes or stirring soup when something just goes wrong and her mother would instantly appear, as if by magic, to scold her, and if the mistake was big enough, beat her. Her days were full of chore after chore, mistake after mistake, scoldings, and beatings.

Olivia, you forgot to turn off the stove! Olivia, you can't even fold this correctly! How many times do I have to tell you to go feed the chickens?  Mother's voice boomed in Olivia's head as she ran. Are you deaf, stupid girl? I told you to clean the windows, hang the towels, and polish the floor. Come back this instant! Olivia!

"How can I do any of this stuff properly if you never teach me how to do them, mother? I am just nine," she would plead. But there is no reasoning with Mother, and the beating and chasing after always followed.

It was no different the time Olivia ran away. She made it to the grove nearby, leaving her mother's roar behind. Panting, she tried to catch her breath under the shade of an old river red gum. The wind was merry in these woods, and she believed that the rest of the world, be it her house and the town of Joanna downhill, became silent in order to listen to the whistling of gales. She looked at her small house in the distance and realized it was made of wood. It would, most probably, have been made by the same woods in this grove she was hiding in. It's very possible, she wondered, that the wood her house was made of could be a sibling of the one she was resting under at the moment. Then she added, ​I like this one better.

She was walking deeper into the woods, pushing branches left and right, spotting a few lizards here and there, when she stopped cold. Right in front of her, in a branch higher than the rest, stood a bird, shimmering with pride. It had the most beautiful feathers Olivia had ever seen. It had a blue head, bright green wings, a yellow chest, and an orange beak. It was magnificent.

She admired it in silence, her mouth agape and her eyes flooded with curiosity. The bird seemed to spot her small figure from the heights and stared back with its crimson red eyes. ​It was as if a rainbow grew feathers and a beak,​ she thought. She wondered if it sang. The bird seemed to read her thoughts—or perhaps it was its instinct—and released a piercing chirp.​ The bird tilted its head and opened its regal wings, soaring away, deeper into the forest. Olivia didn't hesitate and followed with haste.

Covered by the undergrowth, she lost her orientation. For a moment she thought she'd lost the rainbow bird. She looked around and above, in every direction. Then the high chirping pierced the air once more and she resumed her chase. The path turned rocky and less roots covered the floor. She heard a murmur, then the rainbow bird calling again. She persisted until she broke through the last layer of trees.

The reflection of the sun beamed back at her, but it came from below. She adjusted her eyes and saw it was a spring. Cold, pristine water from the mountains emerged from between the rocks and flowed peacefully on the spot. The water was so clear, she could see every little pebble and every single fish that lived in it. The bird was waiting for her on the other side. Olivia knew this was the place the bird wanted to take her. She took off her sandals and felt the cold shore.

They spent the whole day in the spring, playing with the fish, swimming from one rock to another, until the sky turned pink. She knew it was time to go back. She thanked the rainbow bird, put her sandals on, and walked towards her house. The bird followed her until the woods failed.

"Now you know where I live," she told the bird.

It was already dark and the windows were lit when she reached home. Mother ran toward her, moaning out loud, tears in her eyes, and embraced her.