Leo lived in a small grey town. The houses were grey. The streets were grey. The sky was often grey. People in the town did not smile much. They worked hard and walked fast.
Leo had a box of paints. His paints were bright. Red, yellow, blue, and green. Leo did not paint pictures of houses or trees. Leo painted shadows.
One sunny afternoon, Leo sat on a wooden bench in the park. Mr. Bell walked past. Mr. Bell was the stern owner of the local shop. He never smiled. Leo looked at Mr. Bell’s shadow on the stone ground. The shadow looked dark and sad.
Leo opened his red paint. With a small brush, he painted a bright red flower inside the shadow's hand.
Mr. Bell stopped walking. He looked down at the ground. He saw the red flower in his shadow. Mr. Bell blinked. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth went up. He smiled. It was his first smile in five years.
Next, Mrs. Vance walked by. She walked slowly, leaning on her cane. Her shadow looked tired. Leo took his yellow paint. He painted a warm yellow sun above her shadow's head.
Mrs. Vance stopped. She saw the yellow sun on the ground. She laughed softly. "Oh," she said. "How nice."
Soon, everyone in the town wanted a painted shadow. The baker had a blue bird in his shadow. The postman had a green leaf in his. People began to look down at the ground as they walked. They looked for the bright colors.
When they saw the colors, they felt happy. They started to talk to each other. They smiled at strangers.
The town was still grey. The houses were still grey stone. But the shadows were full of life. Leo smiled. He closed his paint box and put it in his pocket. It was time to paint the next shadow.
What color would you choose for your shadow?