Silly Stories: The Case of the Double Sign.

Published on 11 / 19 / 2024

Sometimes, a portal rips between two worlds. It tears between our reality and another, sometimes slipping the physical items of each between the two like an accidental handshake. On this day, I experienced such an exchange.

I always park in the same lot: U5. It is a small lot, rarely ever full. It stands as a home to our minority of orange parking passes, designated to off-campus commuters. The lot in its small, powerful existence lies in the northern third of Southern Methodist University's campus. Its recognition is beheld with a small, cemented sign that many overlook. I always notice the small things, and I've read the sign like my reflection in a mirror every time I park. I scan over its contents as if it is going to change, and in a way, it kind of did today.

On the left, you see U5's proud original sign. But today this sole sign had a visitor. Who are you, U5 doppelganger? You were not here before. You serve no purpose. I stood there, stumped on the curb probably confusing every passerby as to why this student was just staring at two signs. I was baffled. Who are you?

I stood there playing "Spot the Difference" like a child with a pencil and a crisp Highlights for Children magazine. Lettering? Consistent. Colors? Basically the same. I will let you take a look. What do you notice?

After some time, besides the obvious fact that the original is cemented in the ground and the stunt double is pegged into the grass, there are 2 differences.

1. The "U5." The OG features a subtract of the lot title, while the one on the right places the title within a circle.

2. The SMU font. The only reason such a difference would exist is in the alternate universe that our sign slipped from.

I can only blame this new sign on the fact that we stole it from another universe. The noticeable changes have no importance strong enough to warrant a new sign altogether. If SMU changed its name or the permit devoted to the lot changed, I could argue a new sign is valid. But this new sign wasn't made for the rebranding or modification of the lot. This is not our sign. This is a sign for their lot.

So to the SMU in Universe "x", we have your sign. You can reach out to me here if this website crosses interdimensional planes. What a marvel it is that we gained such a trophy. And no, I did not touch it. What if I did and then disappeared forever? I'd probably transport the sign with me, so no trace would be apparent of my travel between realities. Don't touch the sign!

What other objects do you think were never actually ours to begin with?

Thank you for reading my creative writing piece about "The Case of the Double Sign." When solving problems, one must use great creativity. I find most of my solutions by thinking to the extremes (like a sign's placement being caused by a dimensional shift). In doing so, the ideas will eventually have to be toned down to be feasible. But in this way, I come up with some of the best solutions. This week, try creating a crazy story, like this one, as an explanation for something unknown. It'll test your thinking.