The Strange Street

On a strange country lied a strange town with even stranger street. It's not anything about the street itself that made it so strange but more of the people that lived on that ever so strange street. The strange thing about these people that lived on this strange street in this strange town on this strange country was not that they were all completely different from each other but that they were all exactly the same. And by the same I mean the same hairstyle, dress sense, coloured hair, coloured eyes, coloured nails, coloured houses, coloured skin and even the same coloured cats. And it was this indistinguishability that made these strange people on this strange street in this strange town on this strange country so very, very strange. Now, before I get ahead of myself let me point out that it was not every person on this strange street that was exactly the same as every other person on this street. There was one not so strange man (this opinion can of course be argued) living in the house that's door number was 2 (the only one that wasn't 1 by the way). And while everyone else was doing one thing he was of course doing something else.

While everybody (with everybody being everyone apart from him) was watching a soap opera he was watching a sit com. And while everybody was playing polo (no not the mint) he played online poker. And while everybody was at the market he was at home. He went through life for many months avoiding his identical neighbors, not wanting to get in their way or annoy them, mostly because with them being the same and all if he annoyed one of them he in turn annoyed all of them.

For many months his neighbours ignored his existence not wanting to interact with anybody different from themselves, but one day for some strange reason they got very annoyed and cross at him for being as different as he was and all came up with a plan to make him the same as them.

The very next day when he was going for his morning jog (something which his neighbours never ever did) he was approached by his neighbours who called out to him. Being as understandably curious and surprised as he was he stopped to see what they wanted. And as he stopped his neighbours asked him all at the same time "Well excuse me our good neighbour we don't think we've been properly introduced, we are Charlie, may we ask your name?" He was very much more surprised now but kept his manners and replied "Well it's very nice to meet you Charlie's, my names Derek." And to this they replied "Well Derek perhaps you would like to join us for a game of polo?" In hearing this Derek was utterly shocked. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts and not wanting to offend his neighbours who had just so kindly invited him to play polo with them he accepted their offer and they were on their way.

Soon after the game of polo Derek's neighbours asked him if he would like to change the way his hair looked. Being as polite as he was Derek agreed to have his hair changed and soon his hair looked exactly the same as his neighbours. His neighbours then asked if he would like to go shopping and though he was getting rather suspicious of them, being as polite as he was he agreed to go buy some new clothes and very soon after he was wearing the exact same clothes as his neighbours. His neighbours then asked him if he was interested in changing his name.

In hearing this he immediately knew what they were up to and soon came up with a plan of his own. He decided to play along and said "Alright but first lets go for a walk in the forest" The neighbours who thought their plan was going perfectly agreed and off to the forest they went.

In arriving at the forest Derek went from one neighbour to another asking them what their favorite colour was. And all of them said blue except for one of them who said pink. And the one who said pink left the group. He then went around asking everyone if they liked the jumper they were wearing, and they all said yes, except for one of them. And the one of them that said no left the group. He then went around several more times until there was only him and one person left in the group. And that one person then asked "Where has everyone gone?" "Well Charlie they have all gone to do their own thing, and I should think that a lot of them are going to change their names soon." "But why?" asked Charlie. "Because you're all different, and I suggest you also go do your own thing Charlie." And Charlie stood there, thinking about what had happened, and after a very long while he understood. He got the message, the meaning and; well, he acted on it, becoming the type of person he had always secretly wanted to be.

And that is of course the story of the strange street in the strange town on the strange country.