The Pen with a Purple Ink

Before the multicolor pens came out, there were only blue and black pens. But there was a unique pen, she is neither black, nor blue. And this is her story.

Once there was a lonely pen. Not because she is alone, but because no one picks her to be their pen. Her characteristic is so unique. She is a pen, and yet her ink is purple. Other pens admire her for the beautiful ink that she produces. But still, no one chooses her to be their own pen.

She asked the other pens, "Why do people don't want me to be their own pen?" The black pen answered, "Maybe because your ink is too beautiful that they are afraid you might get empty when they use you." Another pen answered, "Maybe because they do not know where they're gonna use you. You are a pen but your ink is purple. They can't use you as a typical pen for writing because they need either blue or black ink like us. They can't even use you for coloring because you are a pen."

Almost everyday, the pen with a purple ink bids goodbye to her fellow pens who leave because they found someone who would own them, with the names of their new found owner engraved on them. Pens just come and go, but the pen with a purple ink remains on the rack.

One day, while the pen with a purple ink was sleeping, a loud voice woke her up.

"Is this the only blue pen that you have?", the voice said.

"We ran out of blue pen, sir. We only have black pens and that single purple pen."

"Isn't it a blue pen? Ah, never mind, I'll just get it."


All pens on the rack giggled and cheered for the purple pen.

"At last! There is someone who noticed you! I think he will pick you," one of the black pens said to the purple pen.

"I don't think so," said the purple pen. "I heard he is looking for a blue pen. He just mistook me for a blue pen."

"Well, it doesn't matter. As long as you got his attention.", the other black pen added.

"Do you want your name to be engraved on this pen, sir?" said the lady.

"Hmm, I'll still think about it.", the guy answered.

The guy left and took the purple pen, thinking that it was a blue pen.

The pen with a purple ink felt happy because finally, someone pays attention to her uniqueness. But she was still in doubt, knowing that she was chosen not because of what she really is, but because of what the guy thought she was.

The guy took the pen to write a book, but he writes very seldom. He only writes when he needs to cheer himself up. He picks the purple pen when he has spare time to write, or when he remembers to use the pen. The purple pen feels upset when her owner forgets her. But every time the owner gets her and uses her for writing, she feels fulfilled because she was able to serve her purpose as a pen -- to be a part of writing his owner's life story.

Years have passed, the purple pen and her owner created a good relationship. Despite that she was mistaken for a blue pen, she stays faithful to her owner, providing him the things he need and cheering him up through writing.

But there was a time that the guy didn't write for a while. The pen with a purple ink noticed that her owner doesn't get her to write. She thought that her owner was just too busy. But it has been so long, and it was unusual.

One day, while the pen was on her owner's table, she heard the conversation of the paper and the planner.

"Have you seen the new pen our owner is using now?"

"Oh yeah. The new blue pen. It seems that it was not bought here."

"Exactly. It just arrived recently. And I heard that our owner wants his name to be engraved on that pen."

The moment that the purple pen was afraid of has arrived. It is the part of the story that she doesn't want to write. She didn't know what to feel or how to react on what she just heard. Though reality bit her, she was not that surprised anymore when she heard the news. She knew that there will come a time that she will no longer be the pen that her owner prefers to use. That is because she is just a pen -- a purple pen who was mistaken for a blue pen.

The pen with a purple ink went back to where she formerly belongs. She remains to be a pen without a name engraved on her. Despite what happened, she continues to write stories, but this time, her own life story.  Together with other new purple pens, she embraced her purpleness and started to love her own ink. She will never be or ever dream of being a blue nor black, and will not let anyone mistook her again for another pen.