Fortune's Magic Farm by Suzanne Selfors (rainbow fish read aloud .txt) 📕

fan of our seeds,” he said, waving the packet in the air. “Perhaps you would like to try these?” He ripped the packet with his teeth and poured a single seed into his hand. It sprouted, then started to grow.

Mr. Supreme raised his eyebrows eagerly. “Changed your mind about making a deal? What is it?”

“Piranha planticus,” Walnut said. “A carnivorous plant that prefers living flesh.” The plant sprouted a fish-like head with enormous fangs. Walnut held it at arm’s length. The fangs eagerly gnashed the air. “It seems rather hungry, wouldn’t you agree?”

Mr. Supreme backed up, his gaze darting wildly between the plant and Nesbitt’s looming frame. “What’s to keep me from coming back tomorrow? Or the next day, or the next?”

Isabelle knew what would keep him from coming back—the only thing that mattered to him. She squirmed free of her grandmother’s arms and marched right up to Mr. Supreme, holding her chin as high as she could. “If you ever come back to Runny Cove, I’ll travel all over the world and make every one of your factories disappear!”

“And I’ll go with her,” Sage said.

A rock soared through the air and hit Mr. Supreme’s car. Then another rock and another. The marmots appeared at the edge of the road. They raised themselves onto their back legs and took aim.

“Hey, stop doing that,” Mr. Supreme cried as rocks rained down. “Watch the paint job. It’s fresh out of the factory!”

A rock hit Mr. Supreme in the head and Isabelle knew, without even looking, which marmot had thrown it. “Good girl,” she whispered.

The Piranha Plant growled furiously and grabbed Mr. Supreme’s coat, tearing off one of the sleeves. Rolo swooped and pecked Mr. Supreme on the nose. The plant grabbed the other sleeve and more rocks flew, but Mr. Supreme escaped by jumping into the roadster’s driver’s seat. As the engine burst to life, he rolled down his window. “I have your word, Fortune, that if I don’t return to Runny Cove, you’ll leave my other factories alone?”

Nesbitt nodded.

“So be it. But mark my words, you tenders haven’t seen the last of me.”

Then he sped away, leaving behind a nasty-smelling black cloud and a whole bunch of happy people.

Rolo flew high above an orchard where trees stood in tidy rows, their branches weighed down by red, orange, and purple fruit. Usually when he scouted the orchard, Rolo saw dozens of people climbing ladders and filling baskets. But on this day, except for the occasional scurrying marmot or darting blue jay, the orchard lay still. Rolo caught an undercurrent and lazily circled over the trees he had helped to plant. One by one, he and Great-Uncle Walnut had deposited squirming seeds into land that had once been suffocated by Cloud Clover.

Rolo pumped his wings and picked up speed, following the gravel road to the factory. Out front a huge painted sign read: SUNNY COVE JUICE COMPANY. Usually the factory buzzed with activity but on this day it sat quiet. Rolo passed over a chimney that had once spewed stinky smoke. A nest of sticks perched on top. The nest’s owner, a great blue heron, paid her respects as Rolo flew by.

A breeze, carrying the scent of salt and waves, caressed Rolo’s wings. He dipped lower, his shadow gliding across the sand dunes and the driftwood forest. In the distance, sunlight danced upon clear water. Under Sage’s guidance, Neptune and his wives had pulled the rotting fishing boats from the cove. Isabelle and her friends had planted oyster and clam seeds. Slowly but steadily the fish had made their return. From the corner of his black eye, Rolo caught their silver shapes as they darted between beds of kelp. A gull screeched at him, worried he might steal its clam. But something else had caught his attention.

All along the speckled beach people stood holding brightly colored umbrellas, some with tassels, some with rhinestones and stripes. The people were brightly colored as well, wearing their Sunday best on a Friday afternoon. Rolo scanned the crowd until he saw the boy with the tangled black hair. He lowered his wings and gently landed on the boy’s shoulder.

“Hello, Rolo. How’d the scouting go?” Sage asked.

Rolo nodded his head.

Sage walked to the front of the crowd, where the girl with green hair stood. She smiled at Sage. She and her friend Gwen wore matching dresses and held bouquets of flowers, as did Mrs. Wormbottom and Mrs. Limewig.

Then the girl with the green hair, whom Rolo had come to know and love, began to sing.

The Sunny Cove Song

I never thought that life could feel

warm and dry and bright.

I never knew that things could smell

sweet and clean and light.

But now I know and it’s clear to me,

that Sunny Cove is the place to be.

Sunshine shining down,

songbirds flying ’round,

seedlings in the ground,

happiness to be found,

here in Sunny Cove.

Walnut fumbled through his pockets, pulling out packets of seeds, handkerchiefs, and wads of paper. “I can’t find it,” he mumbled. “I’ve lost it. What am I going to do? I’ve lost it.”

Nesbitt cleared his throat and handed a golden ring to his brother. “You haven’t lost it. You asked me to hold it.”

Walnut clapped his hands. “Oh, what a relief. Thank you.” Then he slipped the ring onto Maxine’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed,” he said.

A cheer erupted amongst the villagers. Walnut almost fell over from all the slaps on his back. Grandma Maxine gave Isabelle a hug and kiss. She waved as she and Walnut climbed into the caravan. “Have a nice honeymoon,” everyone yelled. Boris, Bert, and Leonard pushed the caravan into deeper water. Two of Neptune’s wives pulled it to the sea.

“We’ll leave soon,” Sage told the bird.

Rolo nodded again, then took flight. There was one last place he wanted to check.

He flew to the village, over streets that no longer stood underwater, over rooftops that no longer leaked. He flew past a sign that read: BORIS AND BERT’S BED