"Grandpa, why do things look different when I grow up?" William asked, looking up from his toy monster.
Grandpa chuckled, "That's a good question, William! It's like the world gets more colorful as you get bigger and learn new things."
William, who loved colors, especially the bright ones he saw on birds, frowned. "But the park looks less colorful today," he said, staring out the window.
And it was true! The park, usually a beautiful green with colorful flowers, looked dull and gray. Even the red slide looked washed out.
"That's strange," Grandpa said, peering over William's head. "Let's go investigate!"
William grabbed his Grandpa's hand and together they walked the short distance to the park. William, with his super strength, easily pushed open the heavy park gate for his Grandpa.
The park was usually full of children laughing and playing, but today it was strangely silent. The swings hung still, and the sandbox looked deserted.
"It's like all the colors are gone," whispered William, feeling a little scared.
Grandpa nodded. "This seems like a case for the best detective duo in Columbus!"
They started by looking for clues. There were no footprints, no dropped crayons, no spilled paint. Just then, William spotted something shimmering under a bush.
"Look, Grandpa!" he cried, pointing. It was a single, sparkling rainbow feather!
"This looks like a unicorn feather," Grandpa exclaimed, examining it closely. "But unicorn feathers are supposed to bring color, not take it away!"
Suddenly, they heard a soft whimper coming from behind the big oak tree. Peeking around the trunk, they saw a small unicorn, its coat as gray as the rest of the park, looking very sad.
"What's wrong?" William asked gently, crouching down beside the unicorn.
The unicorn looked at them with big, sad eyes. "I lost my colors," it whimpered. "I was playing a game of color tag with the butterflies, and when I bumped into that tree, all my colors disappeared!"
"Don't worry," said Grandpa kindly. "We'll help you find them!"
William had an idea. He remembered his Grandpa telling him stories about pirates finding their way with maps. Maybe they could make a map to find the unicorn's colors!
They found a stick and started drawing on the soft ground under the oak tree. They marked where the unicorn had lost its colors, and then, remembering the unicorn's story, they marked the butterfly garden where it had been playing.
Following their map, they searched everywhere the butterflies flew – over the slide, past the swings, and around the sandbox. Finally, they reached a patch of bright, colorful flowers.
And there, scattered amongst the petals, were tiny flecks of shimmering light - red, yellow, blue, green, every color imaginable!
Carefully, William used his super strength to gently lift the colors. As he carried them back to the unicorn, they left a trail of sparkling dust in the air.
The unicorn was overjoyed! One by one, the colors flew back onto its coat, until it was as bright and beautiful as a rainbow.
As the unicorn galloped away, laughing, William noticed something amazing. The park was bursting with color again! The flowers were vibrant, the slide was red, and the swings were swinging happily in the breeze.
"Wow," William breathed, looking around in amazement. "The colors came back!"
Grandpa smiled. "That's because you helped the unicorn," he said. "And you know, William, sometimes things seem dull or gray when we’re sad or scared. But just like finding those colors for the unicorn, we can always find ways to bring back the joy and brightness in our lives."
William thought about that as they walked back home, hand-in-hand. He realized that growing up wasn't just about the world changing, it was also about the way you saw it. And with a little bit of courage, kindness, and a whole lot of imagination, even the dullest day could be filled with the brightest colors.
