Published: 2025-10-18

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a world behind the rainbow. The people of Rainbowland were just like any others; they played under the sun, and the rainbow sprinkled them with magic dust, which dreams are made of. One of the inhabitants of Rainbowland was María, the tallest woman Rainbowland had ever seen. She helped people who couldn’t reach their favorite mug from the wall cabinet and always smiled at them. When she smiled, her eyes squinted, and the freckles in her cinnamon skin seemed to multiply.

But not everything was perfect in Rainbowland, in fact, they have only two rules: no outsiders could enter, and people that left could never return. The people of Rainbowland didn’t mind the rules, they lived in harmony with each other; they understood each other.

María in particular didn’t seem to mind, she had many friends to hang out with; both boys and girls loved spending time with María equally. She told the best jokes, knew the most curious facts, and had the cutest dimples in her freckled cheeks.

One night, while María was taking a walk, she saw a pair of eyes near the entrance of Rainbowland, “how odd,” she thought “nobody ever goes beyond that door, and certainly nobody comes near it.” Like precious stones bathed in the moonlight, the eyes, hidden in the darkness, shone bright, inviting María to go near them.

María, who was known as the most curious one in Rainbowland, could resist the urge to see for herself who, or what, hid in the darkness. “Maybe it’s just a stray dog.” She thought as she approached the yellow glow.

A man that she had never seen before stood in front on her. “He must be from outside Rainbowland.” María thought. She was confused, she had always been told that people from the outside had long fangs and claws and that she should never interact with them, and yet, this man, who was around the same age as she was, looked no different than her.

“Who are you? I’m María.” She said with a smile.

The man said nothing, he was pale as if something frightened her. María tried to get closer but the man pushed her and ran away. “You are one of them.” He kept saying while running away.

The commotion attracted the attention of the people of Rainbowland, and soon the main gate was crowded with people. Nobody seemed willing to help María get on her feet, but she didn’t notice; she stood up by herself and walked towards the crowd, but people spread their arms and blocked the way. María was confused.

“What’s the matter, everyone?” She asked.
“You have left land; we can no longer accept you.” Said one of the men.

María looked at his feet and gasped, she had indeed crossed the boundary that separated Rainbowland from the rest of the world. Her curiosity had betrayed her. “Please leave me in. I will never do it again.” She pleaded and supplicated but the answer was the same, she was to leave Rainbowland, never to return.

With her head down, María departed from Rainbowland, losing herself in the coldness of the night.

María had spent all her life in Rainbowland; she didn’t know how the outside world was, and in all the tales she had heard about it, people were mean and selfish, self-centered and rude. She didn’t know if she could live in that world.

She walked and walked, through forest and river, and night became day; she was far from home now. She was hungry and tired, and in that moment, she wished she could eat a slice of rainbow bread with extra magic sprinkles and licked her lips at the thought.

As the thickness of the forest dissipated and the dirt roads became smooth asphalt, the horizon filled with tall buildings that seemed to reach the heavens. María rejoiced at the sights she had never seen, the sound she had never heard, and the aromas she had never smelled. Everything was new outside of Rainbowland.

She laughed at the funny attire people wore: layers and layers of fabric that covered their entire body, leaving barely their face visible. Meanwhile, her shorts and crop top attracted unsolicited attention from the passersby.

A curious store called her attention as she walked past it. She turned back. Through a picture window, the store displayed an array of pastries and sweets; nothing seemed as delicious as rainbow bread, but they were still mouth-watering.

A young woman, with short, purple hair from inside the store caught a glimpse of María’s flecked face on the window. She smiled. The woman walk to the front door, “Hi, would you like to come in?” She said.

“I’d love to, but I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t worry about that, come in.”

The woman held the door for María and motioned for her to enter.

María entered the store and sat on a stool at the counter. The red brick walls and large windows gave the café a cozy feeling.

The woman came back holding a glass of orange juice and a croissant.

“For you.” She said, while smiling.
“But I have no—”
“It’s OK.”

María accepted the food and, with a little shyness in her eyes, started eating.

“My name is Carol, what’s yours?”
“I’m María.”
“You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“Is that obvious?”
“It is.”

They both laughed. Carol observed her with much interest, as a parent looks at their child.

“Was it difficult?” Carol asked.
“What was?”
“Coming here. Getting out of there. Letting go.”

María looked puzzled.

“Rainbowland.” Carol said.
“How do you know?”

Carol smiled.

“You come from there, too, don't you?” María said.
“I do.”
“Well, I didn’t want to leave. I stepped over the boundary. Someone saw me, and they vanished me. I had no choice.”
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right.”

María took another bite of the croissant, which now looked like a half arc.

“What’s your story?” María asked.
“I left.”
“You left? Why?”
“Because I wanted to be seen. I didn’t want to feel trapped my whole life?”
“But, people outside are mean and selfish.”
“Some are, but we have to learn to live with that. The alternative is to live isolated, patting each other on the back.”

María listened to Carol’s words while drinking the last of the juice. After that, she stood up.

“Well, it has been a pleasure to meet you, Carol, but I have to leave.”
“Where will you go?”
“Wherever the wind takes me. I want to see the fangs and claws of the world by myself. I don’t want to be told the way things are supposed to be anymore.”

Carol smiled. “Remember to drop by anytime you like.”

María smiled back. “I’ll do.” She said, and with that, she walked out of the café.

THE END.