The Lonely Lamppost

On a quiet little road in a quiet little village there was a lamp post. He was tall and thin, and had a coat of blue paint all over.

It wasn't a bright blue, as happy as the sky on a summer day, but more of a dirty blue. Like drain water. The lamp post wasn't very happy about it either. Being the colour of filthy water is enough to make anyone miserable. What was worse was that in some places the paint had flaked off, showing rusty metal beneath. The lamp post was so ashamed of this his lamp would droop. He never lighted up at night because he didn't want anybody to see him, not that anybody would. He stood at the end of a street in the village, and none of the villagers ever went past him because there was nowhere for them to go. This made the lamp post even more sad and lonely.

"Nobody likes me," the lamp post would say. "I'm the worst lamp post in the world."

One day, a strange car was parked in front of the lamp post. It was a very colourful car, bright green with yellow wheels like a meadow of flowers. The lamp post was very jealous.

"I wish I could be that colour," the lamp post said. "But I never will be. I'm the worst lamp post in the world." His lamp drooped even further.

The car was looking around, shining her headlights everywhere. "Why is it so dark down here?" the car asked. Then she noticed the lamp post, and smiled a shiny-headlight smile. "Hey, lamp post," the car said, beeping her horn in a merry tune. "What's wrong? Why aren't you lighting up this road?"

"Why should I?" snapped the lamp post. "Nobody needs my light, and I look a mess anyway. I'm the worst lamp post in the world!"

"Sometimes my driver doesn't need my headlights, but I shine them anyway because it makes me happy. Maybe if you lighted your lamp it would make you happy."

"Do you think so?" asked the lamp post.

"Of course," replied the car. Then her driver came back and they both went away. The lamp post was lonely again.

The next night, the lamp post tried the car's idea and lighted up his lamp. From where he stood, he could see a nasty bend in the road. It didn't look as bad in the day, and during the night he couldn't see it because he never shined his lamp. So the lamp post shone his lamp, but he was still on his own.

After a few hours the lamp post got lonely again. There were no villagers to see him, and shining his lamp wasn't making him as happy as he had hoped. He was about to stop shining his lamp when he heard a car coming. Thinking it might be his friend returning, the lamp post put all his effort into shining bright and cheerful, just like the car's headlights.

Sure enough, the little green car with the yellow wheels did come around the corner, but her headlights were not on at all. The lamp post thought she must be sad, but when the car was parked in front of the lamp post again the driver got out and spoke.

"Thank you, lamp post," said the driver. "My car's lights had just stopped working but you let me see that bend. Without you, I could have had a bad accident and smashed my car."

"I wouldn't have liked that either," said the car. "All my paint would have been ruined."

The lamp post was filled with pride. Somebody needed him, and it felt warm inside.

"I was looking for somewhere to build my new guesthouse, and this seems like a very safe place. I'll build it right on this corner."

And the driver did just that. He built his guesthouse, and the many people that came to stay often walked past the lamp post to get to the village shops. The driver even painted the lamp post bright green so that it matched his car, and he always parked in front of it.

At last, the lamp post was happy. He looked smart and clean in his bright green paint, and he had someone to talk to every night.

"I'm the happiest lamp post in the world," he said.