The Town That Forgot Its Colors

Far away, tucked between green hills and deep, whispering forests, there was a little town called Kaleidos. There was no other place like it in all the world, for its houses were painted in every color you could ever dream up.

Every street was a burst of rainbow. And the people who lived there were every bit as bright as their homes. They came from many different places, spoke many different languages, and kept many different traditions. Yet for all their differences, the people of Kaleidos lived happily together.

But not everyone loved the town's rainbow of colors. Among the neighbors lived a man named Gregor, whose house was painted a dull, dreary gray. Gregor did not like anything that was different from his own quiet way of living.

He believed everyone ought to look the same, speak the same language, and keep the very same customs. The bright colors of the town prickled at him, and he often grumbled that things would be far better if everyone were exactly like him.

One day, Gregor decided he'd had quite enough. He marched up and down the streets, trying to convince his neighbors to paint their houses gray. “Gray is the color of togetherness!” he announced. “If we are all the same, there will be no more squabbles and no more trouble.”

At first, a few people listened. Perhaps he was right, they thought — perhaps being the same would make life simpler. Little by little the town lost its brightness, as more and more houses were painted gray. The streets that once sparkled now turned dim and dull and drab.

But when the colors faded, the joy faded with them. Neighbors hardly spoke to one another anymore. They no longer celebrated their own special traditions or shared their favorite stories. The town grew sad, and its cheerful, humming days gave way to a gloomy hush.

One day a little girl named Lila, who had always adored the bright colors of Kaleidos, noticed how gray and lifeless her town had become. She missed the laughter, the music, the festivals and merry celebrations. So Lila decided to visit her neighbors and find out how they were feeling.