Mr monkey, his red fur gleaming, bounces excitedly in place, waving a fistful of crayons. Beary, with a warm orange belly, lines up the crayons in a neat rainbow. Dasy the bear, sunny yellow and always smiling, claps her paws together. Mousey, small and green, twitches his whiskers as he arranges sheet music. Freddy the bunny, blue and bright-eyed, holds the lyrics tightly. Neggy the panda, purple and cuddly, hums a little tune. Mr Dino, sturdy and brown, sets up a toy drum. Freddy’s sister, white and gentle, hands out crayons to everyone. "Okay, everyone! Are you ready to sing the Crayon Song together?" "I can’t wait! I love the red part the best," beams Beary, grinning at Mr monkey.

Dasy the bear sways to the beat, her voice bright and happy. Mousey squeaks along, a soft green glow from the sunlight dappling her ears. Mr Dino taps the drum, keeping everyone in rhythm. "Red and orange, yellow too! Green and blue and purple—woo!" "We all love our crayons, every single hue!" Neggy the panda sings, spinning his purple crayon in the air.

A hush falls as Mr shadow, black as midnight, glides into the center of the room. He holds a crumpled piece of black paper, and his voice echoes with mischief. "Well, well, what a colorful little party! Wouldn’t it be better if everything was just…shadowy?" "Hey! You’re ruining our song!" Mr monkey protests, hugging his red crayon protectively.

Freddy’s sister clutches her white crayon, her eyes wide with worry. Beary looks close to tears as his orange crayon dulls to gray. "See how much easier everything is without all those messy colors?" Mr shadow taunts, twirling his black paper. "No! We need our colors. Without them, the song just isn’t the same," whispers Dasy the bear, her yellow fur muted.

Freddy the bunny[/@ch_5]'s blue eyes as he stands up, rallying his friends. The gloom deepens, but a soft light glows from the crayons they still clutch tightly.] "Colors make us special. They make our world bright! We won’t let you take them away," Freddy the bunny declares. "Yeah! Let’s sing louder, even if the colors are fading," squeaks Mousey, raising her green crayon high. One by one, the friends start the song again, their voices shaky but growing stronger.

Neggy the panda spins, his purple crayon shining. Mr Dino beats the drum with newfound energy. Freddy’s sister dances, her white crayon sparkling like snow. "Red and orange, yellow too! Green and blue and purple—woo!" Mr shadow shrinks away from the rainbow of light, his black paper crumpling to dust.

Mr shadow[/@ch_9] peeks from the doorway, a little less menacing, watching as joy fills the room.] "Maybe you can join us next time, Mr shadow—if you promise not to ruin the song," Beary offers kindly. "Maybe...I like a little color after all," Mr shadow admits, a small smile flickering across his face. "Let’s sing it one more time, all together!"