The binder clips

Once upon a time, there were three binder clips. By happenstance, they clipped three consecutive sets of documents in one case. And by happenstance, the sets of documents were unclipped at the same time, and the binder clips were placed facing each other. The binder clips were unsure who or what placed them there, only that a Great User dealt them their sets of documents. Yet for the first time, they were confronting each other face to face.

The first binder clip was small and silver. The second binder clip was medium and silver. And the third binder clip was medium and black.

Immediately, the black binder clip felt outnumbered by the silver clips. It envied the silvery finish of the other two clips yet took solace in knowing it bore the more traditional color of binder clips. The small binder clip also felt threatened as it was outnumbered by the two medium clips flanking it. They were much taller and wider than it was. Who knows what they could do to it?

Yet the medium silver binder clip felt at ease amongst its brethren. Could the medium silver binder clip bridge the gap between the black medium binder clip and the small silver binder clip? After all, it thought to itself, we are all Binder Clips.

They stared at each other in silence. "Gentlemen," the medium silver binder clip said. "I sense an unease."

The other two remained silent.

"Let me remind you that we are all one and the same," the medium silver binder clip continued. "Do we not have bodies of plastic and tongs of steel?"

The other two nodded grudgingly.

"Yes, the color of plastic may be different--" The medium black binder clip nodded.

"--And our sizes may vary--" The small silver binder clip nodded.

"--But we are the same." The medium black binder clip and small silver binder clip looked up at the medium silver binder clip.

"But we're not, really," the small silver binder clip said tentatively. "I am small, you both are medium."

"You both are silver, and I am black!" the medium black binder clip exclaimed.

"We are fundamentally different!" they both said.

"We are the same," the medium silver binder clip insisted. "We serve the same purpose. We have the same goal," its voice quivered with a metallic vibrato. "We clip documents!"

The other two binder clips looked at each other as the singularity of their purpose dawned on them.

"Yes," the small silver binder clip piped, "we do clip documents."

"I suppose so," the medium black one stated.

"Small binder clips are for small sets of documents. Medium binder clips are for medium sets of documents. And there are even large ones that clip large sets of documents," the medium silver binder clip continued. "You see? We all have our purpose. And the color of the binder clip has no bearing on the binder clip's ability. Some people like a little variety. Just look at us. Our Great User has used us both, not just silver, not just black, not just small, not just medium, but all colors and sizes."

The other two nodded with slow realization.

"We are the one and the same! We are . . . Binder Clips!" the medium silver binder clip snapped with a resounding finality.

As they all nodded in unison and reaffirmed their bond, they heard a noise. A door opened, all of a sudden the Great User entered the Realm. They became immediately silent, each hoping She hadn't heard their rumblings.

It was decided then. Theirs would be an unspoken pact among all binder clips, a realized purpose for all Binder Clip-kind. A secret from all Great Users.

Except this one.