Little Boxes

Little Boxes

Arthur started humming the song as soon as he turned up the first street. “Little boxes, on the hillside…” This was his first experience really understanding the song. Every house on both sides of the street exactly the same. Each little box the same size and shape, with matching garages, all on the left. Perfectly square lawns out front, and a tree. Each tree planted in the same place and obviously planted at the same time. The houses were different colors, of course, green, pink, blue and yellow just like the song, and white ones here too. Rand’s was white, he was meeting Rand.

His GPS told him where to turn, thank goodness. The streets looped around in circles, some with both ends connecting to a street that in turn connected to other streets that all seemed to connect together. The bright street signs at each corner being the only thing that assured you that you were, indeed, in a different place at each turn.

This was Arthur’s first time buying something from the internet. He needed a chain saw, but not a new bazillion dollar one that did tricks, just one that worked. The old trees on his property were in need of some serious pruning and he was determined he was not going to pay some young whipper snapper big bucks to do something he could easily do himself.

Arriving at the address, he walked up to the door and knocked. Rand was delighted he hadn’t gotten lost, they walked out to the garage together to look at the saw.

Rand called Phil a few minutes later. “Never mind going to the store, I got another 'buyer' for the barbeque. I just need to finish slicing him up. Can you come take away his car?”