Morning Patrol

Crayon Marker Doe stretched her yellow gloves as she stepped onto the observation deck of the tallest crayon tower. The blue-and-black fabric of her supersuit caught the morning light, and her red cape fluttered in the breeze. Below her, Canvas Forest Metropolis sparkled with thousands of colors—emerald green parks, ruby red rooftops, and golden yellow streets where humans and humanoid deer walked together.

"Another beautiful day to protect the city," she said to herself, adjusting her blue mask.

She pulled out her giant blue crayon and pointed it toward the horizon. A brilliant beam of blue light shot out, creating a shimmering bridge in the air. With a graceful leap, she began her morning patrol, soaring above the colorful neighborhoods.

Everything looked perfectly normal. Children played in rainbow-colored playgrounds while their parents chatted on violet-painted benches. Shop owners arranged their bright merchandise in store windows.

But as she flew over the eastern district, something made her pause. One small building looked... different.

The Gray Spreading

Crayon Marker Doe swooped down toward the strange building. As she got closer, her big ears flicked back in alarm. The entire bakery had turned completely gray—the walls, the windows, even the cheerful flower boxes.

"That's impossible," she whispered, landing softly on the sidewalk.

Through the gray window, she could see the baker inside. He was a middle-aged human man with short brown hair, but his skin had turned an ashen gray color. His eyes looked dull and lifeless as he mechanically arranged gray loaves of bread.

"Sir, are you alright?" she called through the door.

The baker turned slowly. "Everything... lost its color this morning," he said in a flat, emotionless voice. "Started with my rainbow cookies. Then my yellow aprons. Now everything."

Crayon Marker Doe pulled out her giant blue crayon, pointing it at a gray flower box. A brilliant blue beam shot out, but instead of restoring color, the beam flickered and faded. The flowers remained gray.

"My powers aren't working properly," she gasped.

Just then, her superhero communicator buzzed with an urgent message from City Hall.