Narrated and retold by:Jack ferguson

Thashira, the daughter of a queen, was a beautiful girl. Nothing made her happy except bright colors. She lived in the dry country so Thashira never smiled.

One day Thashira looked up and saw the sky. It was a soft blue color. Thashira smiled! Sun saw her smile. His sky made her happy and that made Sun happy. Soon, they liked each other.

Every day, Thashira climbed to the highest hill to see the new colors Sun would put in the sky. Every day, Sun would look at Thashira and before long he fell in love with her.

One day Windbird saw Thashira’s face and smile. Windbird fell in love. He blew a soft wind across her face, but Thashira did not noticed.

Windbird blew gently for weeks. He brought in gray clouds and the heavy clouds sprinkled rains onto the dry country. Soon, flowers and plants grew. There were colors everywhere for Thashira to enjoy.

But Thashira was so busy with Sun that she never noticed Windbird’s work. Windbird decided to impress Thashira with his strength. He cried, “Thashira, it is I who made the grass and flowers grow. Now see my strength!” Windbird blew strong winds that broke the grass, flowers, and bushes.

When Windbird was finished, Thashira looked around. The colors disappeared and that saddened her. When Windbird called to her, she shooed him away.

The queen noticed how sad her daughter was. She asked, “Thashira, what will make you happy?” Thashira answered, “To be with sun. He fills the sky with colors and helps the grow flowers.”

The queen said, “Very well. It will be done.” She ordered that a great ladder be built, tall enough to reach the sky. The people began building. Even the animals helped – elephants, hippos, rhinos, and monkeys. Everyone worked hard to build the great ladder.

When the ladder was done, Thashira began to climb. When Windbird saw her, he was mad. He said, “We will see who is stronger – Wind or Sun!”. The queen cried as the ladder fell to the ground. But Thashira did not fall. She floated up to the Sun.

The queen looked up and saw Sun. Next to him was Thashira. Thashira became a rainbow. No matter how hard Windbird blows, Rainbow will always shine brightly.