“Turn left at the lights and then make a right at the big pink home on the corner. Look for the pink place. You can’t go wrong once you see pink.”
Travellers to the country knew exactly what to look for when visiting the small coastal town. All they had to do was seek out the pink monstrosity and get their bearings from there!
That pink home was a reference point. The folks who lived near it for over thirty years loved talking about it. Sure, they snickered at the owners for choosing to live in such a radical-looking house, but the neighbours benefitted from having it around. For them, it was like a lighthouse their visitors could use to find them.
But when the Grangers bought it a year ago, they didn’t want their new home to remain pink. Pink was far too radical. Off-white was a conservative alternative. It matched the neighbourhood. The Grangers moved in and set out to change it almost right away. Ladders and scaffolds were erected. Brushes were dipped into cans of wet white paint. Half of one wall of the home was painted when…
…a protest formed.
…a petition was signed.
…a letter of demand to cease and desist was handed to the owners.
Can you believe the neighbours had such audacity?
They weren’t happy about losing their pink beacon. The motivation behind their protest was simple: Selfishness. They claimed, “The home is an historic institution,” which really meant: “We don’t want the new people to change our landmark.”
They honestly believed they had the power to block another homeowner from changing their home to a conservative colour.
You’re wondering whether the home is extraordinary in some other way? Is it a historical monument, an architectural wonder or the home of a past celebrity?
No, on all counts.
It’s an unremarkable, thirty-year-old brick building — except it was such an intense pink that no one could miss.
Angry citizens went to their local council. They picketed at the pink home. They wrote their local newspaper. But their cries fell on deaf ears. Thirty years of town growth put the home to one obscure corner of it. A new highway changed where people entered the community. The pink house had become irrelevant to most residents. Only those living in the streets immediately near it were outraged. The rest could not care less.
The happy ever after: The home became white, and the neighbours had to deal with it. Oh yes, they continued to make noise, but, one by one, they dropped off the protest wagon and returned to their homes. Six months later, no one cared about the house that was formerly pink, and no one got lost because this particular pink lighthouse was removed from the landscape.
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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