Mary was feeling lonely and so decided to make a doll.

First she tore some rags off a rainbow.

She got a strip of every colour

Then she knotted them together to make her rag doll.

She filled the inside of the doll with acorns.

This gave the doll its shape.

The doll needed buttons.

Mary sewed pearls on her doll.

The doll needed a heart.

Mary put the thorn of a rose in her doll.

Now the doll had a heart.

The doll needed some hair.

Mary got out her loom and weaved hair out of a golden spider’s web.

Now the doll had hair.

Mary and her doll went to play in the meadow. The sun was out and Mary fell asleep.

While she was asleep a butterfly fluttered onto her hand.

‘Oh how sad I am!’ said the butterfly. The doll, who had been sleeping, woke up.

‘Whatever is the matter?’ she said.

‘I have been flying in the sun all day, and he has stolen my colours!’ cried the butterfly.

The doll undid one of her rags and soaked it in a pool. All the colours of the rainbow came out into the water.

‘Please Mr Butterfly, wash yourself in this pool. My coat was cut from a rainbow, and I am happy to give you my colours.’

The butterfly washed himself in the pool.

His wings were all the colours of the rainbow.

‘Thank you, sister!’ he said, and fluttered away.

The doll began brushing her hair with a thistle.

As she was doing this a squirrel came hopping along.

‘Oh how sad I am!’ said the squirrel. The doll, whose head had been down whilst she brushed, looked up.

‘Whatever is the matter?’ she said.

‘My mother sent me out to find food, but there is none to be found!’ cried the squirrel.

The doll reached inside of herself and pulled out some acorns.

‘Please Mr Squirrel! I gave my colours to a butterfly; let me give you my acorns.’The squirrel took the acorns and put them in his cheeks. He was very happy.

‘Thank you, sister!’he said, and hop- hopped away.

The doll felt a little tired, and so went to sit down under the shade of a willow tree at the edge of the meadow.

The doll was feeling quite hot, and so fanned herself with a fern leaf.

As she was doing this a spider fell on her lap from the branches above.

‘Oh, how sad I am!’ cried the spider. The doll, which had closed her eyes while she fanned her face, opened them and looked out.

‘Whatever is the matter?’ she said.

‘A wind blew me to this tree. It blew so fast that I did not have time to bring my thread with me so cannot make a web!’ wept the spider.

The doll reached up and pulled a strand of her hair.

‘Please Mr Spider. I gave my colours to a butterfly; I gave my body to a squirrel; Let me give you my tresses!’

The spider took the golden thread and spun it into its sack.

‘Thank you sister!’ he said, and scuttled away to make a golden web.

The doll was feeling quite tired, and so to revive herself went to lie beneath the heads of a rose bush. The scent was so soothing that the doll began to drift off to sleep

As she was lying there she was woken by a gentle crying. She opened her eyes and looked up. Above her tears of dew were falling from a beautiful yellow rose.

‘Oh how sad I am!’ cried the rose. The doll, tired though she was, stood up.

‘Whatever is the matter?’ she said.

‘A bird stole my thorn to use as a beak, and now my sap is running out as a river, and I will die!’ sobbed the rose.

The doll reached inside and pulled out the thorn.

‘Please, Mr Rose. I gave my colours to a butterfly; I gave my body to a squirrel; I gave my hair to a spider; Let me give you my heart!’

Saying that the doll placed the thorn on the rose, and it was healed.

‘Thank you, sister!’ he said, and raised his head up high.

The doll, feeling very tired, walked back to Mary and lay down, fast asleep. The very longest sleep.

Just then Mary woke up and saw the doll lying next to her.

She picked it up and gave it a hug.

She wasn’t lonely anymore.