The Monochrome Market
Brisk wind swept the once-lively marketplace of Kelahar, now drained of all color as though painted over in dull gray. The bright flags and fruit stalls that used to dazzle visitors were replaced by a monochrome hush, where even the sky appeared washed out. Merchants stood behind stalls laden with grayscale produce—apples, once scarlet, now a cold, uninviting slate. Customers whispered to one another in hushed tones, longing for the days of vibrancy that had vanished overnight.
Karis, a newly minted Time Keeper, stepped into this bleak scene with her $TIME watch strapped firmly on her forearm. She could sense the distortion pulsing in the air—a tear in the timeline anchored by rogue Coalition meddling. Rumor held that a Coalition Agent, seeking to siphon off the market’s vitality to power hidden experiments, had warped Kelahar’s entire color spectrum.
“Karis,” called an elderly merchant from behind piles of monochrome peppers, “please help us. We haven’t sold a single thing since last week. No one wants gray peppers.”
Karis offered a reassuring nod. She clicked two dials on her watch, calibrating it to the moment just before the color drained out. The watch hummed with latent $TIME tokens, a wellspring of possibility. Step by step, she followed faint distortions that led behind a row of vacant stalls.
There, a swirling ripple in the air threatened to widen—the Coalition’s anchor point, created by an illicit device. The closer Karis drew, the louder her watch hissed in warning. She discovered a contraption of twisted gears and glass rods, shimmering with trapped color. That had to be the color siphon.
Taking a breath, Karis jammed the watch’s chronal override into the contraption’s main gear. Energy crackled. For a heartbeat, color flickered across her vision. Then the watch sent a surge of reversed time-flow, unraveling the distortion. With a pop, the siphon shattered, spraying bits of tinted glass that sparkled in midair like confetti.
A vibrant rainbow washed over the market in an instant. Shouts rang out as merchants and visitors erupted into cheers. Piles of peppers gleamed in reds and yellows; apples shone ruby once more. The old merchant laughed in relief, and Karis exhaled, smiling at her watch.
She’d saved Kelahar’s color and livelihood—one more victory in the endless dance against the Coalition. For now, the Monochrome Market was monochrome no more.
Micro stories are a content feature offered by $TIME's dev Woj. Handwritten and accompanied by art, they serve to deepen the story world we're creating here. Enjoy!
