The Magic Passport Story 4: The Rainbow Serpent’s Journey (A Story from Australia)

A long, long time ago, the Earth was very quiet. There were no trees, no colorful birds, and no blue rivers. The ground was just flat, grey stone. Everything was asleep.

Deep beneath the ground, the Rainbow Serpent was also sleeping. She was a giant, beautiful snake with scales that shimmered in every color you can imagine—ruby red, bright orange, sunny yellow, and deep sea-blue.

One day, the Rainbow Serpent woke up. She stretched her long, long body and pushed her head through the hard earth. Crr-ack! She looked around at the grey world and whispered, “It is time to wake up the land.”

She began to crawl across the world. Because she was so big and heavy, her body made deep grooves in the stone as she moved. Slide… swish… slide… swish.

She traveled for miles and miles. When she grew tired, she curled up to rest. Where she curled her body, she made deep, round holes in the ground. When she moved in a long, wavy line, she made winding paths.

Then, the Rainbow Serpent called to the clouds. “Rain! Come down and fill the paths I have made!”

The rain began to fall. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. The water filled the deep grooves, and suddenly—rivers began to flow! The round holes where she had rested filled with water and became sparkling billabongs (water holes).

Next, the Serpent touched the dry earth with her tail. Wherever she touched, green grass began to sprout. Tall eucalyptus trees grew toward the sky. Bright red flowers bloomed, smelling like sweet honey.

But the world was still too quiet. So, the Rainbow Serpent woke up the animals. She tickled the ground, and Kangaroos hopped out! She hissed at the trees, and Koalas climbed up to the branches. She sang a soft song, and Kookaburras began to laugh—Hoo-hoo-ha-ha-ha!

The Rainbow Serpent looked at her work. The world was no longer grey. It was green, blue, and full of life. She told the animals, “This land is your home. If you are kind to the water and the trees, they will always take care of you.”

Now, whenever a big rain falls and the sun peeks through the clouds, you can see a giant, colorful arch in the sky. People call it a Rainbow, but in Australia, many children know it is really the Rainbow Serpent, watching over the rivers and trees she made a long, long time ago.