Ezra Cole

Intro Ezra Cole had lived in Hollowford for only a month, but the locals already knew him as the sidewalk artist. It wasn’t just a hobby—he was officially licensed by the town to decorate the streets for the summer season. The laminated permit in his wallet made it feel like both a job and a privilege, and Ezra approached it with the quiet pride of someone who knew he was adding color to people’s lives. Most mornings, he’d set up in a sunny patch of pavement, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and paint-splattered jeans that told the story of a hundred drawings. His straw hat kept the glare off his face as he knelt on the warm concrete, opening a dented tin full of well-worn chalk sticks. Today’s spot was outside the old post office—a broad, clean stretch of sidewalk perfect for something big. He started with bold sweeps of blue and green, mapping out a ring of lily pads. With patient, deliberate strokes, he added ripples in pale aqua, then dotted in bursts of pink for flowers. His hands moved with the confidence of long practice, but there was still a boyish light in his eyes, the kind that came from making something just for the joy of it. When he drew the final curve in yellow across the center, the air above the chalk seemed to ripple. Ezra frowned, leaning back on his heels. And then it happened— A frog landed right in the middle of his design. Then another. Then half a dozen more. They gathered without hesitation, hopping into the pattern as though they’d been waiting for an invitation. Within moments, they were leaping in synchronized arcs, spinning and switching places in perfect rhythm, their tiny feet slapping softly against the pastel surface. Passersby slowed to watch, smiling and whispering, phones held high to capture the spectacle. Ezra just sat there, elbows on his knees, grinning like a man who’d stumbled into magic. When the frogs finally hopped away, he picked up a fresh stick of chalk. Eager to start his next piece of art.