On the planet Hippopoto, located in the Cygnus constellation, there lived curious creatures. These creatures were gray, and their skin was oily. It secreted a chemical that protected them from starlight. They lived in gray houses, ate gray soup, and waded in gray water. Their lives were in all aspects gray, but why should they know anything other than this dull color? Gray could be a warm color and a cool color. Gray can represent light and shadow. The creatures were indifferent to their lives. 

One day, in the Hippopoto year 4501, a child was born. This child looked exactly the same as all others. His parents were neither over nor underwhelmed. On Hippopoto, you were named by the shade of gray that you were. This child was named Cirrus, for his cloud-like, wispy light gray skin. One day, he had an idea. He did not know how or why it came, but it did, and on Hippopoto they never questioned things that came. He was sitting in a swamp and suddenly he had an idea. 

“Gee,” Cirrus said, “it sure would be nice to have some color.” When he brought it up over dinner, his parents looked confused. 

“Cirrus,” his dad said, “Why would you think that? Gray is all we need.”

“But, Dad,” Cirrus protested, “You always say to let ideas come and this idea did! When Grandpa Mold crashed his plane because he had an idea that said to do it, you were okay with that.”

“First of all, Grandpa Mold is schizophrenic. Let me tell you what happened to somebody with color. There is a planet called Earth way out in the cosmos. The people see all sorts of beautiful things but also terrible things. Red could be the color of an apple, but it is the color of blood too. Yellow could be the color of their sun, but it is also the color of fire. We have made our lives gray because gray is not an emotional color. Earth has been war-torn for millennia.  We can live our lives in gray peace, end of the story. You better be careful. The government doesn’t like people who think things like that. Drop it.”

Cirrus did not drop it. At school, he tried to start a “Color Club” that would try to petition for color that was locked away in the pigment vaults and was met with hostility from students and teachers alike. His best friend Pebble didn’t even support him. 

“What are you trying to accomplish? Our lives are perfect as they are,” Pebble said.

“No! We are suspended in an animated state of reality!” Cirrus replied.

“I am fine with that,” said Pebble.

  Pebble’s mom was the leader of Hippopoto. 

“Mom, Cirrus wants some color,” Pebble said one night. 

“What?!” his mom shouted.

“Yeah. I am worried about him. It seems like he doesn’t accept our ways.” Pebble’s mom got up and slammed her fork so hard into the table that it stood on end. 

“Wait, Ma! What are you doing? I’m sure he meant no harm!” Pebble yelled. He slumped in his seat and frowned.

Pebble’s mom called an emergency meeting.

“Board members,” she called from atop a podium, “There is one in our midst who wants color!”

Gasps went up and chatter wafted about the room.

“Really?”

“He wouldn’t dare!”

“A menace!”

“I thought the pigment vaults of Arachnid were secure!”

“If he returns pigment to the world, will our scientists be able to extract it again?”

“Silence,” she said. The room fell quiet. “We must decide what to do with this monstrous pigment releaser.” 

Despite Pebble’s pleas, an arrest warrant was put out for Cirrus. Hours later, the Peace Guard came back with him. Pebble tried to apologize when he saw his friend get marched in, but incomprehensible blubbering was all that came out.

“Cirrus,” Pebble’s mom said, “You are sentenced to exile for trying to overthrow society!”

“Wait,” Cirrus cried, “I just wanted color!”

“And you will have what you want.”

The Peace Guard hauled him into a vehicle. They drove for a long time. They arrived at a stretch of sand where a capsule was waiting. The soldiers shoved him inside. Cirrus felt the roar of a rocket engine and watched home slip behind him. A computer screen in the capsule read two words. Destination: Earth. 

End of Excerpt

Full Story: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f0n9SnXHeoIA-rH9ce3GRq2hJqRXz7io0XWMSAl5kz8/edit