The Colour Thief
An illustrated story by Atlas & Ash · Fantasy · Artistic · All ages · English, German
A young painter follows the thief who stole every colour from his city into a painting.
One morning the canal city of Verrin wakes up grey. Only Marlo's paint tubes still shine. He spots a gaunt grey man pulling the red out of the flower market into a jar and follows him into a painting at the gallery. Inside, the thief turns out to be a painter who lost his own colours long ago, and Marlo offers him something better than stealing.
Characters
- Marlo (Young painter): A nineteen-year-old street painter who sells little canvases on the bridges.
- The Grey Man (The colour thief): A tall, gaunt painter who lost his own colours and has been stealing everyone else's.
Episode 1: The Grey Morning
Verrin wakes up colourless. Marlo sees the thief at work and follows him into the gallery, and into a painting.
Marlo: Where did all the colour go?
Only Marlo's paint tubes still had their colour.
Marlo: Wait!
Episode 2: Inside the Painting
Inside the painting, the thief turns out to be a painter who lost his own colours. Marlo shares his.
Marlo: You're painting with our colours?
The Grey Man: I lost my own colours long ago. Everything I paint turns grey.
Marlo: Then let's paint it together.
And that evening, Verrin glowed brighter than ever.