Color Inside the Lines

 Dan Peters Publishing,

"Hey there Dan, it's Shane Miles. Maybe you don't remember me but I was the college intern you told to "get the *** out of my office." Since then, I've graduated college, receiving a bachelors in English, and I've really cleaned up my act. I know the previous internship didn't go perfectly, but I'm extremely eager to make it as a journalist, and well, I would really appreciate a second chance.

Assuming you aren't already convinced to take me back like the prodigal son...unless you are? 

Ok, so you're not convinced to take me back, and that’s why I've come prepared. I would like to present to you some of my solo journalism work. Over the past couple months I've been researching, investigating, and writing. What about, might you be wondering, well grab some popcorn Dan, the story of your life is about to unfold..."

On a small planet, near the center of our galaxy, lives a people group, quite like you and me. Though they are all human, beating hearts, working brains, active bodies, they are divided.

This division has split them into two groups. As it has been previously stated, both groups are human, which I'd say is a pretty big similarity, so what sets them apart? Language. Well ok, there's a bit more, but MAINLY language. Mainly meaning around 32%... probably less. Whatever, where was I...

These two groups are the Pigments and the Dulls. 

The Dulls.

The Dull people live in black and white, literally. They have outlawed the use of color since 1300. Why? I actually don't remember, I interviewed one on Monday. Our shuttle got back to Earth Friday and the jet-lag is killing me, so bare with. 

Anyways, the Dulls are people of Science, mathematics, medicine, and law. Professions connected to these categories are taught and encouraged starting at the preschool level. They are forbidden from all forms of art, including; dance, music, theater, and most importantly, love.

They wear bleak baggy cloaks, disguising the shape of the individual's body, uniqueness and individuality is of little interest to the Dulls. They wear black shoes, and have shaved heads, avoiding the risk of natural hair color. I saw a man get dragged out of his office and arrested because he forgot to shave that morning, he was a redhead, quite tragic. They pack black mud paste on their lips, concealing any possible pink or red pigment. Don't ask about the eyes… They like teeth though, like a lot. Teeth are white, strong, and symmetrical for the most part. The money Americans put into cosmetics and clothes would be equivalent to what these people spend on teeth. Braces, whitening, teeth implants, the list goes on and on. For every McDonald's down our streets, they have a dentist. The Brits wouldn't last a day.

They think in words. Thinking in pictures, especially colored pictures, is a crime, although this is nearly impossible for those born into Dull, for they have never seen color. Those who claim to dream are immediately sent to the doctors and given a high dose of who knows what to keep them sedated through the night. The issue with dreaming is that it is too fluid, like a river, who knows where it could take you, the Dulls prefer ice.

The way the Dulls communicate is through drawing hieroglyphic-like symbols in the air. How? A dark sand-like material moves through their fingertips as they trace the symbols in mid air. Maybe I oversimplified when I said they were "human," they certainly look human, besides their eyes...

Anyways, that's the majority of what I got on Dull. I didn't stay as long as I should have. I couldn't help it. It was so cold, plus the vocabulary being spit out of their perfect teeth starting feeling ostentatious. Oh, yeah, they can speak too, sorry I forgot to add that in the language section. They just preferrre to use their symbols because it apparently "separates the people from the Pigs." 

The Pigments.  

They were like the Dull yet completely different. Here are the similarities. Both had underlying morals, one might say a sense of good and evil. Both, in their own unique ways, sought after peace. Both saw community and family as a fundamental part of life, holding a deep appreciation for them, although Dulls wouldn't say it in such emotional terms. Both also celebrated holidays, and that’s the conclusion of similarities.  

The Pigments were not only a people of emotion, but the soul. All Pigments were educated in all art forms, although the “education system” was much more intuitive than the Dulls strict boarding schools. Most children were educated by their parents, schooling institutions were seen as restrictive to children's individuality. 

Not only were they colorful on the outside, the color within was prevalent. They were extremely caring, and kind-hearted people, seeing love as the ultimate virtue. Their bodies were completely stained with some sort of crushed berry juice. Did I mention they were farmers? The Pigment style was a bit more challenging to identify than Dull. They valued uniqueness, shunning the ordinary and mundane, therefore, each Pigment had a vastly different style. I saw clothing of all different shapes and texture, many coated in hundreds of colors. 

They communicated through fluid color. Much like Dull, this substance emerged from their fingertips. They waved their hands through the air like paintbrushes. This substance had no particular form and was never the same color. Don't ask me how they understood each other, they'd say it just "felt right."

Unlike Dull, it wasn't the atmosphere that made me want to leave, it was actually quite pleasant. There was a constant warm breeze and the sun always shone. The reason I wanted to leave was the sound. That awful awful sound. All throughout Pigment echoed a chilling mixture of screams and laughter. Like I said, they're people of emotion. What I didn’t realize was how extreme this emotion was. They seem to constantly flip between two ends of the emotional spectrum. Rage and bliss. This emotional chaos terrified me far more than any cold Dull.

By the end of my journey, I felt fatigued by the people's polar differences and was relieved to be done. It was the day of departure. I glanced out the shuttles window, taking it all in, that's when it happened. I saw something, something quite extraordinary. 

I saw a young girl and a young boy. One was Dull and the other Pigment. The boy drew a chalky black line in the air, forming a box. The girl filled the box with a colorful liquid, however the liquid didn't collapse like the usual Pigment language, it was supported by the box. I sat and stared as the rocket launched into the darkness. The boy and girl slowly fading into specks.

I sunk back into my chair and smiled. “They were communicating.”