The Painter of Footsteps

A painter discovered she could see the color of people’s footsteps—joy left yellow marks, worry left blue, hope left green. She began painting streets to match these invisible trails. One day, she followed a fading violet footprint belonging to someone who felt unnoticed. She found the person sitting alone and quietly painted a bright golden path leading them home. She never told anyone what the colors meant. The city simply became kinder without realizing the painter was teaching them empathy, one step at a time.