Once upon a time, in a restaurant located in the center of Paris; the city of love, whine, lights, and fine dining, there lived a spoon named Nathaniel. He happened to be crafted out of the most beautiful silver and etched with the most delicate rose design. He was handsome and well mannered, and he jumped at the chance to help people eat their food. Everyone liked Nathaniel, he was friendly and attractive and downright wonderful.

In the very same pantry there lived a can opener named Regina who must’ve been the ugliest kitchen tool in the world. She was coated in a thick layer of rust the color of hundred year old yams. Her handle was made of cheap plastic that was cracked in many places and smelled like strange chemicals. No one liked Regina, she just opened cans with a squeak and then sat on the shelf all alone. She used to cry sometimes when other utensils made fun of her, but she learned that if she held still and didn’t even bother to lift her gaze at the persecutors; that they would turn and leave.

One day when Nathaniel was looking particularly shiny and bright he left the kitchen with a plate of warm spaghetti and never returned. All of the cutlery and glassware banded together and made a search party. Regina watched as cheese graters and goblets bounced around on the white tile floors calling out “Nathaniel! Where are you?” in loud worried voices. She didn’t care about Nathaniel. She didn’t care one bit. Not a speck of worry could be found in her thoughts, although she did begin to wonder where he could be; so she went looking for him too.

She scaled enormous cupboards and dived into deep oceans of dirty dishes. She opened drawers and barreled through innumerable kinds and quantities of noodles. Where was he? Regina inspected the kitchen from top to bottom until she couldn’t think of another place to look. Nathaniel was really gone, maybe he was gone forever. She felt a tiny bubble of concern forming in her brain and then it “POPPED!”

She had forgotten to check the top of the fridge! She knew that Nathaniel had to be there, he had to be hiding there for some reason and she was going to find out why. This was her last obstacle to face and she wasn’t sure how it was possible to deal with. She did know however that Nathaniel had done it. If Nathaniel could do it, so could she.

It took Regina hours to get to the top of the fridge; she had to find objects to stand on top of each other until she had made a tower tall enough to reach. When she could finally peer over the top of the refrigerator, she saw him. Nathaniel was bright red orange colored and sticky all over. He had been used by a small child to eat the spaghetti!

He noticed Regina staring and quickly turned away. She climbed up the final step to the roof of the fridge and sat down next to him. Nathaniel cried when she did this, for he realized what it was like to look strange.

“I can’t be seen like this.” He wailed, “I look awful. I’m so sorry that the other utensils picked on you and I didn’t do anything. It must’ve really been horrible!”

Regina laughed quietly and smiled at him, “You know, I never expected to hear one “sorry” especially not from someone who didn’t do anything.”

Nathaniel looked at Regina with sorrowful eyes and said, “Never look at the rusty outside of someone when their inside is as radiant and polished as silverware from the most wonderful silver makers in the world.”