Rainbow Treasure"

Hello! My name is Wojtek and I live in the Eternal Land of Anger. All the inhabitants here are sad and full of resentment towards life. And do you know why we're so sad? In the very center of our town stands a small building, which we call the "Building of Bad Luck." This name fits this place perfectly. It houses a very important room. It's here that a centuries-old stone was placed, dropped by the elf Elgorro, enchanted by a sorcerer. It's thanks to him that all the inhabitants here are enchanted by this stone. I can't imagine living in our land without this crystal!

Every day at 4 p.m., I would visit my friend who lived with his grandfather. I loved visiting them! At first, all three of us would sit at the table with smiles on our faces. We drank tea and talked for a long time. When misfortune struck, we argued constantly. My friend's grandfather never told me a single fairy tale.

Wanda (that was the name of my grandfather's caretaker) told me about life in the Valley before the cursed crystal arrived. It must have been beautiful! People were happy, they didn't argue, there was peace and harmony. I feel miserable living in this time.

That day was an exception. My grandfather began to tell me the story of "The Treasure at the End of the Rainbow."

"After every rain, which our fields and gardens eagerly await, the sun always comes out. And then a beautiful, colorful arc appears in the sky. Scientists call it 'an optical phenomenon resulting from the refraction of sunlight reflected by raindrops,' but anyone with dreams simply calls it a 'rainbow.'" My grandfather laughed, knowing that I now had before my eyes a magnificent arc composed of colorful strands stretching across the sky. Scientists are mistaken when they call a rainbow only an 'optical phenomenon.' It is a very precious, colorful path, at the end of which treasure can be found." The treasure is a large cauldron full of gold coins. But you can't just take it. The cauldron is guarded by a fair but strict elf. You have to be good and do a certain thing to get this treasure. People used to say that to earn the elf's trust, you have to..." and suddenly Grandpa fell silent. The smile on his face vanished, and the cheerful sparkle in his eyes faded. I felt sad too. What a strange feeling!

"Grandpa, this is terrible!

A huge troll has burst into the "Building of Bad Luck" and increased the power of the crystal. The crystal, do you understand?!! He demanded a gold bar for it. If the inhabitants of the Land don't give him the treasure within the next six months, the troll will make the situation even worse and leave an evil power in our Crystal forever. What are we going to do now, Grandpa?!!

"The Crystal, the Crystal?" I thought frantically.

"It's impossible!! We have to give the troll the gold, that's for sure. But where are we going to get it? Wait... Treasure at the end of the rainbow. Treasure at the end of the rainbow. TREASURE AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW!"

As I ran out, my grandfather shouted,

"The rainbow is just an 'optical phenomenon.'" That was true. But it's worth checking," my grandfather shouted louder.

"If you want to get to the rainbow, it's only with your imagination, but a strong imagination."

I looked around the square. It was grayer, vendors were arguing with their customers, children were crying, and... Oh my! The "Building of Bad Luck"! It was a terrible sight! The windows were broken, one of the turrets collapsed, and the small wooden steps were still burning. Our Crystal... I'll get it back! Everything must, MUST return to normal. He's only been gone half an hour, and I've already argued with my friend's grandfather. How strange tears of sadness are... so heavy, so gray.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, and it became even darker and colder. A moment later, it was pouring rain. I ran home. My parents weren't there. Dad was at work, which was normal, but Mom? I learned from a neighbor that my mom had run off with other residents of the Valley to save Crystal from a troll and hadn't returned yet. What a shame! I wanted to say goodbye to her before heading "to the end of the rainbow." Well, I packed my things and wrote a note for my mom:

"Dear Mom!

I've heard the story about Crystal. I know the troll demands gold from the residents.

I've decided to go "to the end of the rainbow" because I should find a cauldron of gold there. Don't worry about me.

Yours truly, Wojtek."

Mom should understand. I left the note on the table and left the house. It was a little lighter now, and the rain had stopped. I looked around... YES! A beautiful rainbow was passing over the entire Valley. "I'll find treasure there!" I thought. "But which way should I go?" That's what I didn't know. Which side of the rainbow ends? "The rainbow begins in your heart, and ends in the heart of your enemy," I remembered my grandfather's words. "So it will be in a different place for each of us."

"Who is my enemy?" I thought quickly, the faces of the inhabitants of the Land flashing before my eyes. Suddenly, the face of the dwarf Garli stopped. He was very strict. Whenever I met him, he looked at me with a baleful expression. People said he was fair. Maybe that was true, but for me, Garli was an enemy, and it was with him that I would find the treasure!

The dwarf lived in the Great Forest. I had never been there because it was too far. I decided to set off quickly, so that I would be beyond the Valley by nightfall.

The rainbow towered above me for the rest of the day. After a while, I noticed that the end of the colorful arc pointed to the forest where Garli lived. Overjoyed, I marched even faster.

After just a week, I reached the Great Forest. I asked myself, "Where exactly does the gnome live?" I frantically searched the trees. I saw a small squirrel peering at me curiously. I decided to ask her for directions.

The creature listened patiently. When I finished my story, the squirrel thought for a moment. Then she picked up the largest nut and tapped it against the tree trunk. Little fairies flew in from all directions. Their dresses were red, purple...

" "These are the Rainbow Fairies," the squirrel informed me.

"They help anyone who has dreams and strongly believes they will come true!" "The Rainbow Fairies" will lead you to the house of Garli the gnome."

After a brief introduction to the fairies, we set off on our journey. "If you dream hard enough, you'll find treasure at the end of the rainbow"—that's what the fairies sang along the way. I'm sure Grandpa met them once too! And he repeated the words of their song to me.

We walked for about two hours without a moment's respite. It turned out we were already in the middle of the forest. Tired from the journey, I collapsed on the moss and immediately fell asleep.

When I woke up, rainbow sprites were sitting on a branch, chatting loudly. I looked around. We were in a large clearing. In the center of it stood a large tree with a door and windows. This was definitely Garli's house!

I walked up to the tree and knocked on the door. I heard a knock, and a moment later, a sprite stood before me. He looked at me ominously, seemingly displeased with my arrival. We stood there for a moment without speaking. Finally, Garli invited me in. He led me to the living room, and he went, as he had said, to prepare some tea. I looked around the room.

A magnificent sight met my eyes. In the center of the room stood a large cauldron filled with gold. Its glow illuminated the entire room.

"If someone dreams hard

, they will find treasure at the end of the rainbow.

And then your enemy

will become a friend.

So don't give up on your dreams

and be happy..."

I heard the singing of rainbow fairies flying around the cauldron. "I did it! I found the treasure. Now I'll give the gold to the troll, and life in the Land of Eternal Wrath will return to normal!" I thought. I stood mesmerized, staring at the cauldron of gold and listening to the fairies' wonderful song. I only came to when the elf entered the room.

"So it's you..." he said sadly.

"You came for the treasure.

'The beginning of the rainbow is in your heart, and it ends in the heart of your enemy.' So I am your enemy. You are good, I like you, and I could give you the cauldron of gold right away. But, unfortunately... The Lord of the Rainbow wouldn't let me give the treasure to someone who hadn't done a certain thing. Do you know what you have to do?" he asked.

Unfortunately, I didn't know. Grandpa stopped talking at that moment—it flashed through my mind.

"Unfortunately not..." I said aloud.

I felt sorry for him. I was so close to my goal and I was about to lose it? The fairies suddenly fell silent and looked at me.

"So, here are the rules. Firstly, you have to be good. You are good! Secondly, you can't spend this reward on your own pleasures. I can give you the treasure if you tell me what you intend to do with it, and I deem it correct. I hope you know what you're going to use this gold for?"

Pleased, I told the elf about the Crystal, the evil troll, and my journey. Garli decided it was a very good cause and handed me a cauldron of gold. Then the fairies began to sing their song. The elf listened and said,

"And then your enemy will become your friend." Wojtek, do you agree to us becoming friends?

Of course I agreed! Afterward, we talked for a long time over tea. Finally, at eleven o'clock, Garli told me it was too late for me to go home and offered me a place to stay with him. I readily agreed and went to bed immediately, as I was already very tired. Rainbow spirits sat around my bed and sang their song of dreams.

When I woke up, it was very late. I looked out the window. A beautiful rainbow stretched over the forest, with fairies flying along it. I went downstairs. The gnome was sitting at the table, calmly finishing his breakfast. Near my seat stood a large cauldron of gold. My treasure... Garli served me a delicious breakfast. When I finished eating, he said,

"You live far away, and the cauldron is very heavy. It will be difficult for you to carry it. So I have something for you. Come with me to the yard."

I obediently followed the gnome, and what I saw there exceeded my wildest expectations. In the clearing stood a wolf and a white pegasus with golden wings. A small carriage was attached to the horse.

"He will take you home safely. You can keep him if you like." Now help me carry the cauldron to the carriage...

Finally, I had to say goodbye to the elf. I got into the carriage, and Amras (that was the pegasus's name) flew up. In half a day, we reached the Land. How happy everyone was to see me!

The next day, the townspeople gave the gold to the troll, and with great sadness, he broke the spell on the Crystal and disappeared. Life in our town returned to normal. Everyone was happy, no one argued, the streets were colorful and full of laughter. From then on, a magnificent rainbow reigned over us for days.