Austin Sparks

World in Monochrome

Sounds of a woman’s screams filled the sterile white room. A woman in labor. A woman with pure red skin. After one final wail, she gave birth to a baby with skin in shades of grey. The newborn was silent, deathly silent, barely breathing. The nurse quickly pulled up a familiar silver briefcase, and from within, she took a heart-shaped locket. A locket that everyone else in the room was wearing. She put it around the baby’s neck, it glowed red, and within seconds the baby was a bright shade of red, howling out the sounds of life, breathing rapidly. The nurse gently handed the baby back to the mother, and she began making noises and speaking gently to the newborn, trying to calm it. Eventually, the baby was quiet again, but the tension in the room was now gone, replaced by happiness and smiles. The slightly washed-out red of the mother’s skin became bright red, much like the baby’s, and she cried tears of joy. The father who had been standing nearby came over to kiss his wife and see his new daughter. The father’s skin began to brighten as well.