Kingdom of Straight

There is one strange place in the world where there is absolutely no color. Everything, from buildings and trees to animals and people, has an achromatic shade. Many scientists have puzzled over the mystery of this anomaly, but over the years, they have not been able to make any progress in solving it.

I visited this place and will try to describe my impressions and observations in detail.

If a person or object from this place leaves its boundaries, the ability to have and see colors returns. Therefore, a large number of people have permanently left their homes and gone wherever they could. They could compare life at home and outside its borders. Those who have seen the world in color have a hard time returning to the colorless one. Living in such a world turned out to be emotionally difficult, as following the spectrum, people gradually lost the emotional coloring of life, constantly experiencing the same gray feelings in which the surrounding world was colored.

There was another peculiarity of this place - colors could be seen in reflections. Therefore, local architects once tried to fill the streets with as many mirrored facades as possible, but there were several downsides. People stared at them, and some began to have a sense of aversion to the real "unreflected" world. Depression and nervous disorders, which were already "traditional" diseases, worsened. Pedestrians and drivers became more distracted as they unintentionally diverted their gaze from the road, thereby provoking traffic accidents and mishaps. Therefore, the local government soon banned the widespread use of mirrors, leaving residents with only natural reflecting surfaces - puddles, bodies of water, glass windows and storefronts, and car metal.

Also, these people were distinguished by a negative attitude towards others. I made an explanation for myself - each of them only sees themselves in the reflection of a home mirror when they brush their teeth, shave, or try on clothes. And this self-image - perfectly normal - is rooted in their perception of themselves. Others, however, are seen only in shades of gray, which inevitably makes them think of themselves as "exceptional."

I asked many locals about how they evaluate their lives in the anomalous zone, and many of them feel a sense of "pride" - "Look at us here. We have a special place. There is nowhere else like it. Maybe it's not very easy or comfortable for us, but it's just a nuance."

A certain number of residents try to approach their fate philosophically - "What can you do? That's how it is for us. Maybe I don't really like it, but I'm used to it - you can still live." This category of people tries not to notice reflections to avoid reminding themselves that there are colors present in the rest of the world.

And one person said a simple phrase to me that I still remember to this day: "To stop seeing everything and everyone as gray, you need to look in a different direction." I know what he meant back then, but his words have a broader meaning for me now.

I was there only once, many years ago. And I don't want to go back there anymore. And not because I have quite gloomy memories. I just prefer to look in a different direction.

This is what that world looks like: