“Crasston” is a city of dreams, brimming with all kinds of resources. It stands as a testament to sustainable development, offering its residents and visitors a harmonious blend of natural wealth and technological advancements.

Nestled in a picturesque location, “Crasston” is surrounded by lush greenery, rolling hills, and breathtaking landscapes. The only unusual thing in the city is that the authorities have passed a law that prevents people from showing any emotions at all. They just have to work tirelessly and earn their living. They cannot show happiness, sadness, disappointment, or even grief because, according to the authorities, showing emotions is a great liability and a sign of weakness.

Not only this, but the city people are also deprived of portraying and promoting any kind of art that evokes emotions in a human being, such as literature, music, cinema, and painting. But this is intolerable to Abby, a thirteen-year-old who is very much into art. She loves to give color to her emotions through painting but is always interrupted by her mother. She observed the people around her and realized that despite the city being filled with every type of resource, the people living there are not merry and joyful; they show no sign of creativity or joy, and this puts her into an unending gloom.

One fine day, Abby was taking a walk when she suddenly heard a soothing sound and couldn’t resist following it. After following, she discovered a weird but mystical hole in a wall and curiously jumped into it. What she discovered after entering that hole was indescribable. She encounters people different from normal human size; they are tiny little people roaming around, brimming with joy and enthusiasm, singing cheerful songs and playing music, and the surroundings are filled with vibrant colors. Abby was delighted to see the people around her. Artists, poets, musicians, and philosophers formed a close-knit community, using their creative expressions to capture and convey the essence of joy, love, sadness, and every emotion in between. Her visits to the “city of exuberance” became frequent, and she blended with the people very easily. Enthralled by their spirit and their desire to break free from the authorities’ emotional oppression, Abby joined forces with the people of the “City of Exuberance.” Together, they devised a daring plan to bring back the freedom of her society.

In the nighttime, Abby, with her tiny forces and vivid strokes of her paintbrush, captured the essence of emotions on the streets and walls, depicting scenes that evoked deep connections to the human experience. The next day, people saw her imaginativeness and ingenuity. Her artwork became a symbol of hope and a rallying cry for others who secretly yearned to rediscover their emotions. There was an outbreak of revelry all around the city. Newspapers and magazines were filled with this revolutionary step. But this does not entertain the authorities; the head of the authority ordered an immediate investigation to find out the offender. After being involved in a week-long investigation, the worst of the worst happened. Officials get to know about Abby and all that she did. She was put into detention. Everybody was appalled and sad at the same time by this news, as Abby’s creativity came like a ray of hope into people’s lives who were anticipating some positive change.

Days, weeks, and months passed by; everything went back to how it was, and people started following the same dull and monotonous lifestyle that they were leading. One day something unexpected happened: the health of the daughter of the head official, Mia, worsened as she was suffering from a very serious disease, and after years of treatment, nothing truly worked in her favor. She was just surviving instead of living. Witnessing her condition, all the hope sank into despair, and one last time her father asked her of any wish that she wanted to get fulfilled, and she said to her father in crippled words, lying on her bed helplessly: “colors,” “paint,” “music”…

The head of the official does not have any option other than fulfilling his daughter’s wish, and to fulfill it, he needs somebody to help him. And the only person who can help him and his daughter get through this difficult time is Abby. He ordered his people to bring Abby to his house. The next day, when Abby was brought to his house, he told her about his daughter’s illness and wishes. He also promised not to put her in detention again if she agreed to help him. Without wasting a minute, the arrangements were made for her daughter. Her room got decorated with vibrant colors; all kinds of paints were made available to her. Music was arranged too. Abby started coming to the “big house” on a daily basis. They started doing all the things they were deprived of. From listening to songs and music to painting their hearts out. Mia’s days were spent with Abby very cheerfully and productively, as if being with Abby and doing all the things they loved gave hope to Mia. Abby gave a new life to Mia; she came into her life as a luminous light and lightened up her life. They both laughed and cried together. As time passed, a positive change came over her. Instead of just lying hopelessly, she became more happy, cheerful, and alive than ever before. It seemed like something miraculous had happened to her. Nobody has seen her this bright and lighthearted. Her father also noticed this, and it gave him a realization of how much significance art, creativity, and emotions hold.

Day by day, Mia’s health got better, and her father’s realization became more consolidated, and he finally decided to remove the law and motivate people to engage in art more. In the end, things turned out how Abby wanted them to. With Abby’s creativity, efforts, hope, and the realization of the head official that it was not “weakness” and that it made her daughter stronger than she was ever before, The city is now brimming with creativity and art, with paintings on the street walls. There are shops everywhere relating to art, music, literature, and cinema. The authorities also permitted the construction of small theaters in the city so that people could easily express and be more vocal about their emotions. People are now free to sing their hearts out and perform on the streets with no restriction or fear. There is merrymaking, joy, and enthusiasm on the streets and in the hearts of the people. “Crasston” is not “crass” anymore. It is “merrier” than ever before.