Once upon a bright morning, Fairy Amiriah woke in the Crystal Spire. The tall tower shone pink, blue, and gold. Tiny bells went ting-ting in the windows.
Amiriah was a small fairy with silver wings. She was gentle and brave. She liked to help. She liked warm hugs. She also liked strawberry toast.
Her best friend was Teddy Bear. Teddy Bear was round, brown, and very cuddly. He wore a little blue scarf.
“Good morning!” said Amiriah.
“Good morning!” said Teddy Bear. “Oh! Something is wrong.”
Outside, the Crystal Spire was not shiny. Its colors were gone. The tower looked gray. The crystal flowers looked gray. Even the rainbow door looked gray.
“Oh, no,” whispered Amiriah.
From the cloudy hill came a cackle. “Hee-hee-hee!”
It was Witch. Witch had taken the colors in a big black pot. She was not happy. Her own little house was gray too, and she thought gray was the only color she could have.
“I will keep every color!” said Witch. “No pink. No blue. No gold!”
Teddy Bear held Amiriah’s hand. “I feel a little scared.”
“I do too,” said Amiriah. “We can be scared together. We can still be kind.”
Amiriah took her tiny star wand. Teddy Bear packed a honey biscuit, just in case someone was hungry. Then they walked down the crystal steps.
Step, step, step.
They crossed the Sparkle Path. Little stones winked under their feet. They passed the Bubble Brook. Pop! Pop! Blue bubbles floated up.
“Look,” said Teddy Bear. “One blue bubble is hiding!”
The bubble was caught under a leaf. Teddy Bear gently lifted the leaf. Pop! The bubble flew high.
A small blue light slipped from the bubble and flew into Amiriah’s wand.
“One color!” said Amiriah. “Blue!”
They went on. In the Sunny Meadow, a yellow bee buzzed sadly near a closed flower.
“Why are you sad?” asked Amiriah.
“My flower lost its yellow,” said the bee.
Amiriah touched the flower with her wand. “Can we share some sunshine?”
The bee buzzed, “Yes, yes!” It flapped its wings. The sun peeked through a cloud. A warm yellow light danced into Amiriah’s wand.
“Two colors!” cheered Teddy Bear. “Blue and yellow!”
At last, they reached Witch’s cloudy hill. Witch stood by her black pot. Inside, pink, green, red, purple, and gold colors swirled around and around.
“Go away!” cried Witch. “Colors are mine!”
Amiriah did not shout. She looked at Witch’s gray hat. She looked at Witch’s gray garden. She saw one small tear on Witch’s cheek.
“Witch,” Amiriah said softly, “are you lonely?”
Witch blinked. “Maybe,” she muttered.
“Did you take the colors because you wanted something pretty?” asked Teddy Bear.
Witch looked at her shoes. “No one visits my hill. I wanted all the pretty things close to me.”
Teddy Bear opened his bag. “Would you like a honey biscuit?”
Witch sniffed it. “It smells nice.”
She took one tiny bite. Crunch.
Amiriah smiled. “Colors are happier when everyone can see them. We can make your hill colorful too.”
Witch looked at the black pot. “Really?”
“Really,” said Amiriah.
Amiriah lifted her star wand. Teddy Bear lifted both paws. Witch lifted her crooked broom.
“Blue for the brook,” said Amiriah.
“Yellow for the flower,” said Teddy Bear.
“And pink for my new garden!” said Witch.
Together they said, “Shine, colors, shine!”
Whoosh!
The black pot popped open. Colors flew everywhere. Red raced to the roses. Green skipped over the grass. Purple curled around the clouds. Gold kissed the Crystal Spire.
The tower gleamed again. Ting-ting! The bells sang loudly.
But something wonderful also happened on the cloudy hill. Witch’s gray house became cozy purple. Her garden grew orange pumpkins, pink tulips, and bright green vines.
Witch laughed. It was not a scary laugh now. It was a happy laugh. “Hee-hee! I have a colorful garden!”
She gave Amiriah a small crystal box. Inside were three tiny gems: a blue gem, a yellow gem, and a pink gem.
“For you,” said Witch. “They are Color-Calling Gems. When you tap them, they make a little rainbow.”
Amiriah clapped. Teddy Bear did a wiggly dance.
Back at the Crystal Spire, Amiriah placed the gems by her bed. Every night, they made a soft rainbow on the wall.
Teddy Bear yawned. “We were brave.”
“Yes,” said Amiriah. “And kind.”
From her colorful hill, Witch waved her broom. “Come back for tea!”
Amiriah waved back. The Crystal Spire shone bright, bright, bright. And everyone had enough color to share.