In a distant, magical land, so close you could throw a stone to reach it, yet hidden from the entire world, lay the City of Light. It was not just any city. It was located right behind two curious blue windows of little Elizabeth and spread entirely across the Canvas of Vision.
In this little town lived two kinds of inhabitants. The first were the cheerful and always colorful Cones. There were three main friends: Redwin, who loved the color of strawberry lollipops, Greenley, who saw the world as a meadow full of grass, and Bluejay, peaceful as a summer sky. During the day they had their hands full of work. When Elizabeth looked at the world, they diligently caught sunbeams and mixed all the colors of the world from them.
"I've got it! I caught the color of a dandelion!" exclaimed Redwin and sent a beautiful yellow image into Elizabeth's mind. "And I have the blue color of butterfly wings!" added Bluejay. It was their favorite game. Thanks to them, Elizabeth could see red toy cars, green trees, and blue sky.
However, other inhabitants also lived in the town. Quiet, inconspicuous, and almost invisible. They called themselves Rods. They were completely gray, from head to toe. Their main representatives were the peaceful Grayson and the thoughtful Shadey. During the day they usually rested in the shady streets of the City of Light and only quietly observed the colorful hustle and bustle of the Cones.
"Look at them, how they show off." Redwin smiled at his friends. "Without our colors, the world would be just a boring black and white photograph." The Rods weren't offended. They just smiled quietly. They knew their time would come too.
And that day came today. Elizabeth was playing in the garden, where the sun shone so brightly that the Cones could barely keep up with painting. The grass was deep green, flowers played with all colors, and Elizabeth's red ball flew through the air like a small planet. The City of Light was living at full speed. "More red!" shouted Redwin. "Add blue!" called Bluejay.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Elizabeth ran from the sunny garden straight into the house, into her little room, where the curtains were drawn closed.
BANG!
In a single moment, the entire City of Light went dark. As if someone had turned off the main switch. The colorful splendor disappeared and was replaced by thick, impenetrable darkness. The "Great Darkness" had arrived.
The Cones suddenly couldn't see anything. "Help! Where are you?" screamed Greenley and crashed into someone. "Ow! That's me, Bluejay!" came a voice from the darkness. "I can't see a step ahead! Where are all the colors? Where is the sun?" Redwin panicked the most. "My red! It's gone! I've lost my most beautiful color! What will we do?" Complete chaos reigned in the city. The colorful friends bumped into each other, fell, and screamed with fear. For them, masters of light and color, darkness was the worst enemy.
Then a calm voice came from the quiet streets. "Quiet, friends. Nothing is wrong." It was Grayson, one of the Rods. He walked slowly forward, followed by Shadey and the other gray inhabitants. "What do you mean nothing is wrong? It's completely dark!" replied Redwin fearfully. "You don't understand, you don't even know colors!"
"That's true," nodded Grayson. "We don't know colors. But we know darkness. And we know how to move in it. Just give us a little moment. We need to wake up." The Cones fell silent. What were these gray figures talking about? How did they want to move in darkness where absolutely nothing could be seen?
The Rods positioned themselves throughout the City of Light. They closed their eyes and concentrated. It was as if their bodies were slowly charging with some mysterious energy. It lasted only a moment, but for the frightened Cones it was an eternity.
And then it happened. "I can see it now," whispered Shadey. "Me too," added Grayson. "Look, there's something big and soft ahead. It must be a bed." The Cones couldn't believe their own... well, actually nothing, because they couldn't see anything. "How can you see that?" asked Greenley. "We don't need much light," explained Grayson. "Even the smallest ray that penetrates through the window is enough for us. We don't work with colors, but with shapes. With light and shadow."
The Rods began to slowly and surely map Elizabeth's room. "Carefully, there's a table on the right," Shadey navigated the confused Cones. "And there's a tall wardrobe standing in the corner," added Grayson. Redwin, Bluejay, and Greenley carefully held hands and followed the voices of their gray friends. They were amazed. The world that the Rods saw was completely different. It had no colors, it was only in shades of gray, black, and white. But it was there! It existed!
"You are true heroes of twilight," said Bluejay with respect. "Each of us is a hero." Grayson smiled. "You are masters of colors when the sun shines. We are guardians of shapes when it gets dark. We are one team and Elizabeth needs both of us." Redwin felt a bit ashamed of how he had mocked them before. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I thought the world had no meaning without colors." "But it does," said Shadey kindly. "It's just different. Thanks to us, Elizabeth won't bump into a wall when she goes to the bathroom at night. And thanks to you, she enjoys the rainbow after rain. We couldn't manage without each other."
Gradually, Elizabeth's eyes also got used to the darkness. The City of Light was no longer in panic. The Cones understood that it was time to rest and their gray friends had taken over the duty. They sat on the edge of the Canvas of Vision and watched with amazement how the Rods safely guided Elizabeth's gaze around the room.
And so whenever you enter from bright light into a dark room and can't see anything for a moment, remember the inhabitants of the City of Light. Give them just a little moment so that the colorful Cones can rest and the brave Rods can begin their service. They are, after all, the best friends who together make sure you can safely see the world... day and night.