One fine day when Oliver went to the beach, he meet seven girls and their dog. They were called the Rainbooms. He spent the whole day getting their help after his horrible experience with bullying, and through it all developed a friendship with them all.
By the end of the day, the Rainbooms agreed to have Oliver become an honorary member the Rainbooms. When the boy left for home that day, he envisioned a time when he would see them again.
The school bus pulled up to it’s stop in front of a house, and the children who resided in the neighborhood departed. And what a fine day it was to be getting home from school, for tomorrow was officially the first day of summer vacation.
The children all went their separate ways, and the bus closed it’s door and drove off. The last child to depart was a boy named Oliver.
It had been three weeks since Oliver’s trip to the beach, and his encounter with his eight new friends. Ever since, his life had picked up for the better. The sun seemed to shine brighter. Grass looked greener. Swimming in his pool seemed somehow more refreshing and invigorating than ever. And best of all was that ever since he posted his beach video to the internet, he had received nothing but well wishes and praise from his family and peers.
But, he couldn’t stand on the sidewalk all day taking in the scenery. He still had to get home.
Oliver walked two houses down from his bus stop, onto the front walk of his house, and stepped confidently through the front door.
“Heeeeeere’s Ollie!” Oliver called through the house.
His greeting was met by his little sister, Mela, rushing to him for a big hug.
“Oliver, you’re back!” she enthusiastically greeted.
“And it’s great to be back too. Because, I got something for you,” Oliver said.
“Really? What is it?”
“If you let go, I can take off my backpack and show you.”
“No!” Mela adamantly asserted, “I wanna hug!”
Oliver wriggled his arms from his sister’s grip and removed his backpack from his shoulders. He unzipped the largest pocket and handed Mela a colorful piece of paper.
Mela looked at the drawing, and saw that it was her riding on the back of a pony. Standing on either side of her were Pinkie Pie and Applejack. They were all smiling as they stood on the beach, underneath a rainbow that arched across the sky.
“Wow! Are these the girls we saw on TV?” Mela asked.
“Uh-huh. Those are the friends I made at the beach,” Oliver answered.
“Can I meet them someday?”
“Sure. If I see them again.”
“Is that Oliver I hear?” came the voice of the third sibling. Older brother, Robbie.
Robbie entered the living room to greet his brother.
“Look who’s back from school. And look what you brought home,” he said, looking at the picture his brother drew. “Are those the girls you met a few weeks ago?”
“Yep they are,” Oliver answered. “Right now I’m officially an honorary member to the Rainbooms.”
“What!?” Mela and Robbie shouted.
“Oliver, you’re the luckiest kid at school,” Robbie said, picking up Oliver for a hug.
Then their parents with their baby came into the living room to meet their son.
“So Oliver, what are you going to do for your summer vacation?” his mom asked.
“Not much. I was thinking we could take a family trip to the beach,” Oliver said.
There was no fooling his family. They all knew that he was hoping for a chance he would meet the Rainbooms there again.
“How about you hang out with the Rainbooms again?” his dad said, cutting to the quick.
If Oliver was being honest with himself, that was exactly what he wanted to do. But, in the time since he had met them, he had a lot of time to think about some things, and had decided against it.
“Actually,” I’m not so sure I want to,” Oliver said.
Not one member of his family could comprehend this decision. The way he spoke about them, they thought it might border worship.
“Why don’t you? I think they’d really want to see you again,” his dad said.
“And you said you wanted to see them again,” his mom reminded him.
“I know. But, I’ve been thinking a lot lately. They don’t want to spend all of their time with an eight year old. I just don’t fit in with people their age,” the boy explained.
The mail was delivered through the slot in the door, which was promptly picked up by Mela.
Oliver moved to the couch, and was joined by his parents there.
“Oliver,” his mother began, “When I met those girls, I thought they were just a group of kind-hearted strangers. But, after I watched the video of them helping you, I know they’re more than that. The mere fact that they could have changed you so drastically from the way you were to the way you are now is proof of that. It’s because of that that I know they’ll be delighted to see you again. And I bet they would love to meet your family.”
Oliver looked over his family, not knowing what to say, but knowing his mom was right. Maybe, he could take them to meet his new friends.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden popping sound, and a burst of party horns. Looking to the source, they saw Mela covered in confetti, holding an open, pink envelope in her hands.
“Mela! What happened?” Oliver asked.
“It’s for you,” Mela said.
“What?”
“Mela! You shouldn’t open other people’s mail!” Her mother scolded.
“I know. But, there was no return address. And the envelope looked so pretty,” she said, holding up the pink, glittering envelope.
“Well, it’s for you. See what it says,” Robbie urged his brother.
Oliver took the envelope, removed the letter, shook off the remaining confetti and read aloud:
“Dear Oliver,
How have you been since we met you. We haven’t seen you since that day on the beach, and me and the others have really missed you. Spike especially, since he misses the way you scratch his ears.
Anyway, I’m writing because we all wanted to know if you would like to spend your summer vacation with us. We have a cabin in the woods where we can stay the whole summer, so we can get you used to being an honorary member of the Rainbooms.
There was so much more we wanted to do together on the beach, and we realized that one day wasn’t enough for any of us. Twilight already has an entire list of activities planned out for us all to do, and she’s already accommodated them all for if you accept.
Enclosed is a map that will direct you to where the cabin is. Sorry, but you can’t find it on GPS. I know, it’s that out of the way. But, it’s a great place, and I know we’d all be glad if you joined us. Here’s hoping for a ‘yes.’
From, Sunset Shimmer.”
Oliver lowered the letter and stared ahead into space.
“Well, well, well,” his mother said, the letter having contradicted Oliver’s thoughts.
“Tell me about it. He’s younger than me, and he’s already got girls clamoring after him,” Robbie joked.
“Knock it off, Robbie. Don’t make your brother nervous,” his dad admonished.
This was a huge opportunity for Oliver. First, he was making new friends. Now, they wanted to induct him into their group. How could he have refused.
“I’ll do it! I’ll spend the summer with the Rainbooms!” Oliver declared.
“That’s the stuff,” his mom said.
“No it’s not. I haven’t got any of the stuff I need. I have to start packing now. There’s so much I have to get. Clothes, bug spray, water, sleeping bag. I could go on,” Oliver said, as he sprung out of his seat and rushed to his room.
There, he quickly started packing up as much as he could. There was so much to do, and even though he had so much time, he felt he had very little. This summer was going to be great.