Chapter 4 — Creative Sparks

Luca Rivera

Luca Rivera stood at the base of the zoo’s cracked and weathered mural wall, his paintbrush set slung over one shoulder like a quiver of arrows. He tipped his head back, letting his gaze trace the expanse of concrete. The wall stretched nearly forty feet, its surface marred by peeling paint, graffiti tags, and the occasional stubborn vine snaking along its edges. Yet to Luca, it bristled with untapped potential. He reached out, running his fingertips over the rough texture, feeling the grit and the faint chill left by the morning dew. Around him, the hum of the zoo pulsed—a tiger’s distant growl, the chatter of visitors, and the earthy aroma of damp soil mingling with the faint metallic tang of rust from nearby enclosures. Even the breeze carried stories, teasing him with whispers of what the wall could become.