One warm spring morning Alice and Alfie got up early. Jacques had gone fishing with one of his friends, so they climbed down the ladder at the side of the window and ran round the back of the windmill. To their surprise all the daffodils and tulips were all flowering in amazing colours. Alice said to Alfie, “They are so beautiful.”

Tied up at the side of the mill there was a little boat with rowing oars. Alice said, “Can we get into the boat, Alfie and pretend we are going down the river?”

Alfie replied, “Yes, as long as you don’t rock the boat.”

Alfie got in first and the boat rocked from side to side. Then Alice stepped into the boat and as she sat down she knocked the rope off the hook which was moored to the wooden jetty. All of a sudden the boat started to move and they began to float down the river. Alfie said, “Ho, Ho, Ho, and off we go,” but Alice looked scared and said to Alfie, “I’m frightened.” They were taken by surprise when Mr. Otter jumped up and said, “Don’t worry, I will look after you.” He told them to grab the oars and row the boat.

The rag dolls watched fish jumping in and out of the water as Mr. Otter played with his friends the ducklings and swans.

The sky started to get darker and darker and then it began to rain. There was a loud bang and they saw amazing colours streak across the sky. There were blues, reds, pinks, greens and all different colours.

Alice said to Mr. Otter, “What is that?”

He said, “It is called a rainbow and they say that at the end there is a pot of gold.”

Alice and Alfie rowed over to the side of the riverbank, where they all got out and Mr. Otter asked “Can I come too?”

Alice said, “Of course,” and as they walked along the riverbank it stopped raining. They could still see the rainbow and it was getting nearer and nearer. Suddenly the colours were shining onto Alice and Alfie and Mr. Otter said, “Stop, stop! You are at the end of the rainbow.” As Alice turned there was a small pot of gold by her feet. She picked it up and the rainbow went flying up into the sky and disappeared. They carried the pot of gold back to the boat and carried on down the river.

In the distance they heard some bells ringing and up on a hill they saw a little church, so they stopped to listen to the bells ringing. As they got nearer the church they could hear children crying. Alfie opened the door and in the courtyard of the church there was a crowd of small boys and girls. The rag dolls hid behind the pillar, and saw a little lady and her friends dressed in white robes. Mr. Otter told the rag dolls they were the nuns who looked after the children.

That night lightning had hit the church roof and destroyed it. The nuns had told the children that they would have to live somewhere else and that was why they were crying. The children all shouted, “Why? Why?” and the nuns told them it was because they had no money to rebuild the roof.

Alice looked at Alfie and said, “Let them have the pot of gold and build the new roof.” So Mr. Otter took the pot of gold over to the nuns and said it was a gift to them from Alice and Alfie, children with big hearts who live at the magical windmill.

The nuns asked Mr. Otter if there was anything they could do for Alice and Alfie. He told them that they would like them to pray that one day they would be reunited with their friend Nichole. The nuns said they would pray for them and they would tell Nichole in their prayers.

As the rag dolls got back to the boat the bells of the church started ringing again. They could hear the children in the distance laughing and singing. Mr. Otter said, “What a lovely day,” and he helped them all the way back to the windmill.

Alfie tied the boat up and they went upstairs to their bedroom. Jacques the windmill keeper was fast asleep and as they lay on the windowsill they fell fast asleep. The moon shone down again and tapped on the window, Alice woke up and opened the window. The moon said, “Nichole’s star has told me that he has heard from the nuns and that you are both well and she sends her love.”