The Morning Sketch

Whip Cream Artist stood at his easel in the center of his studio, paintbrush hovering over the canvas. The morning light streamed through the tall windows, casting colorful shadows across his art tool towers that spiraled up to the ceiling.

"Perfect day for painting," he said to himself, dipping his brush into bright yellow paint.

But as he touched the brush to canvas, something felt wrong. The paint seemed dull, lifeless. He frowned and tried again with red. Same thing.

"That's weird," he muttered, stepping back to examine his work.

His phone buzzed on the counter. The caller ID showed Mayor Buttercup, the woolly mammoth who ran Fridge Metropolis.

"Whip Cream Artist!" her voice crackled through the speaker. "We have a problem. Three artists called this morning—they can't create anything. Their paintings look flat, their sculptures won't hold shape. Something's happening to our city's creativity."

He set down his brush, staring at his own failed painting. The colors looked gray and lifeless.

The Hummingbird's Message

Whip Cream Artist grabbed his cape and shot into the sky above Fridge Metropolis. The wind whipped through his blonde hair as he scanned the city below for clues.

A tiny emerald blur zipped past his face, then circled back. A hummingbird with rainbow-colored throat feathers hovered in front of him.

"You're the hero, right?" the hummingbird chirped in a high, musical voice. "I'm Ruby. I saw something weird last night near the music festival grounds."

"What kind of weird?" Whip Cream Artist asked, floating in place.

"A woman in a white coat was collecting sparkly dust from the air around the artists' booths. She had this strange machine that sucked up the glittery stuff floating around when people painted."

Whip Cream Artist's eyes widened. "Sparkly dust?"

"Yeah! Every time someone creates art, little sparkles appear. But this lady was stealing them all with her vacuum thing."

The hero's mind raced. If someone was literally stealing creativity, that would explain why the paint looked dull.

"Can you show me where?" he asked.

Ruby darted downward toward the festival grounds. "Follow me!"