File type: Rich Text File (.rtf) [Download]
-----------------------------------------
Could not generate preview text for this file type.
-----------------------------------------
Could not generate preview text for this file type.
True Colors
A Thursday Prompt story
© 2024 by Walter Reimer
Prompt: white
“Did you know – “ the hare began to say.
As usual, the coyote interrupted him. “I probably do, but go ahead, please.”
The hare lightly stamped one foot, his tail and ears twitching. “Did you know,” he said patiently, “that white is the absence of color?”
The coyote looked up from his crossword puzzle before laying it and his pen aside. “Excuse me?”
“White is the absence of color.”
The coyote’s expression changed to one of pity. “Are you sure you haven’t been out in the sun too long? You sound as if your brain’s been boiled.”
“What do you mean?” the hare demanded. “I saw it on the internet – “
“Let me stop you right there.”
“What?”
The coyote stood up and headed for a closet, opening the door and sorting through a few boxes. He placed the box on the coffee table and opened it, revealing three small high-intensity lamps.
“What’s that for?” the hare asked.
The coyote didn’t reply at first as he set the lamps up, plugged them in using the extension cords in the box, and started looking through a box of color filters. Finally he sat on the couch and said, “Come here.”
“What?”
“Come here and sit down next to me.”
The hare began to comply, but paused before sitting down. “You’re not going to do anything funny, are you?”
“Scout’s honor,” and the hare sat down warily. “Now,” and the coyote switched on one lamp, “look at the wall and tell me what you see.”
“Blue light.”
“Very good.” He switched on a second lamp.
“Red.”
“And?” the coyote asked as he switched on the third lamp.
“Green.”
“Very good. Now watch,” and he moved each lamp so that the three colored lights merged. “What do you see?”
“White . . . huh?” the hare asked, mystified. “How does that work?”
“Simple,” the coyote replied. “White light is simply all of what’s called the visible spectrum. If you took a prism and held it up to the Sun, you’d see all the colors of the rainbow.”
“Huh.” The hare suddenly asked, “Okay, Smarty-pants, how do you explain my fur?”
“Lots of shampoo and fur care product.”
“No, it’s white! How do you explain that?”
“Easily. What are you seeing when you see color?”
“Huh?” The hare’s ears dipped as he thought. “Um . . . “
“Here.” Two of the lamps were switched off. “What color do you see?”
“Blue.”
“That’s because the light reflects, or scatters, only blue. Other colors – other frequencies of light – are absorbed. White objects reflect all visible light.”
“Wow.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
“Huh, yeah.” The hare’s ears went up. “So – “
“Yes?”
“How do you explain black?”
The coyote smiled and switched the two lamps back on. He removed the blue, red, and green filters, replacing them with cyan, magenta, and yellow. “Watch,” and he aligned all three colors.
The hare gaped. “Black.”
“Yes.”
The hare stood up and started walking to his bedroom. “I-I think I need to lie down.”
The bedroom door closed, and the coyote switched off all three lamps and carefully put away the color filters. Once the lamps had cooled down, he’d pack them away.
He took up his pen and crossword puzzle, humming a song while he continued solving the acrostic.
end
A Thursday Prompt story
© 2024 by Walter Reimer
Prompt: white
“Did you know – “ the hare began to say.
As usual, the coyote interrupted him. “I probably do, but go ahead, please.”
The hare lightly stamped one foot, his tail and ears twitching. “Did you know,” he said patiently, “that white is the absence of color?”
The coyote looked up from his crossword puzzle before laying it and his pen aside. “Excuse me?”
“White is the absence of color.”
The coyote’s expression changed to one of pity. “Are you sure you haven’t been out in the sun too long? You sound as if your brain’s been boiled.”
“What do you mean?” the hare demanded. “I saw it on the internet – “
“Let me stop you right there.”
“What?”
The coyote stood up and headed for a closet, opening the door and sorting through a few boxes. He placed the box on the coffee table and opened it, revealing three small high-intensity lamps.
“What’s that for?” the hare asked.
The coyote didn’t reply at first as he set the lamps up, plugged them in using the extension cords in the box, and started looking through a box of color filters. Finally he sat on the couch and said, “Come here.”
“What?”
“Come here and sit down next to me.”
The hare began to comply, but paused before sitting down. “You’re not going to do anything funny, are you?”
“Scout’s honor,” and the hare sat down warily. “Now,” and the coyote switched on one lamp, “look at the wall and tell me what you see.”
“Blue light.”
“Very good.” He switched on a second lamp.
“Red.”
“And?” the coyote asked as he switched on the third lamp.
“Green.”
“Very good. Now watch,” and he moved each lamp so that the three colored lights merged. “What do you see?”
“White . . . huh?” the hare asked, mystified. “How does that work?”
“Simple,” the coyote replied. “White light is simply all of what’s called the visible spectrum. If you took a prism and held it up to the Sun, you’d see all the colors of the rainbow.”
“Huh.” The hare suddenly asked, “Okay, Smarty-pants, how do you explain my fur?”
“Lots of shampoo and fur care product.”
“No, it’s white! How do you explain that?”
“Easily. What are you seeing when you see color?”
“Huh?” The hare’s ears dipped as he thought. “Um . . . “
“Here.” Two of the lamps were switched off. “What color do you see?”
“Blue.”
“That’s because the light reflects, or scatters, only blue. Other colors – other frequencies of light – are absorbed. White objects reflect all visible light.”
“Wow.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
“Huh, yeah.” The hare’s ears went up. “So – “
“Yes?”
“How do you explain black?”
The coyote smiled and switched the two lamps back on. He removed the blue, red, and green filters, replacing them with cyan, magenta, and yellow. “Watch,” and he aligned all three colors.
The hare gaped. “Black.”
“Yes.”
The hare stood up and started walking to his bedroom. “I-I think I need to lie down.”
The bedroom door closed, and the coyote switched off all three lamps and carefully put away the color filters. Once the lamps had cooled down, he’d pack them away.
He took up his pen and crossword puzzle, humming a song while he continued solving the acrostic.
end
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Rabbit / Hare
Gender Male
Size 120 x 92px
Listed in Folders
Thanks!
I recalled an old Time-Life science book, and the song of course.
I recalled an old Time-Life science book, and the song of course.
That's why some of those plant 'grow' lights have only red and blue LEDs - the plants reflect/don't use the green ...
This was a lot of fun! "I saw it on the internet" Ah the classic blunder.
This is positively delightful!
The interaction between the two characters says so much about their personalities - like old roommates who are painfully aware of the other one's quirks. I laughed aloud reading the coyote's witty replies, and this was scientifically-accurate to boot. Well done, indeed!
The interaction between the two characters says so much about their personalities - like old roommates who are painfully aware of the other one's quirks. I laughed aloud reading the coyote's witty replies, and this was scientifically-accurate to boot. Well done, indeed!
Philosopher: white is absence of color
Physicist: https://youtu.be/oHC1230OpOg?si=yXbUhCswH1BpgzKw
Additive color for things that emits light (lamps, screens, projector, etc), substractive color for things that absorbs light (inks, pigments, paints, etc)
Physicist: https://youtu.be/oHC1230OpOg?si=yXbUhCswH1BpgzKw
Additive color for things that emits light (lamps, screens, projector, etc), substractive color for things that absorbs light (inks, pigments, paints, etc)
I thought white is the presence of all colours and black is the absence of all colours.
I loved the physics lesson! Great writing Walt! The only light I see out of this is one of gold!
Wow, I could read stories like that all the time. It's a very fun idea.
Furry stories have a lot of potential to teach anatomy in amazingly immersive ways for sure. In this case his question about whiteness of his fur worked quite well!
Furry stories have a lot of potential to teach anatomy in amazingly immersive ways for sure. In this case his question about whiteness of his fur worked quite well!
Personally I'd love to see a furry anatomy book, maybe even a coloring book.
That poor hare's entire world has been destroyed by a single physics lecture... well played.
Thank you! The hare needs a reality check at times.
Especially so soon after March.
Especially so soon after March.
Comments