A long time ago...
Long before the town that many Algebraliens lived in became the one they knew and loved...
Young Algebraliens of the town needed a place to play and learn in, and coincidentally, Algetown needed a place of recognition, an attraction that would set the town apart from all others.
Two Algebraliens who seemed different in almost every way helped to solve the problem.
This little short will explain how.
***
Question Mark was playing in their room and floated low while playing with their toys.
She had been in this town for about as long as she could remember, and doing the same things all the time was pretty boring.
So, Question Mark decided to go out and find someone who was willing to be her friend.
***
Golden Nine sighed in boredom. There were a lot of chores that he had to help out with, and the only other thing to do would be unpacking stuff, which wasn't very fun either.
His parents had just moved to the town because the home that used to be his home was in bad shape and was being demolished.
Golden Nine knew the problems with his old house, and it was seemingly impossible to restore with the condition it was in, but he still loved his old home. The neighborhood was cool, and his old friends were cool. The hangout spots were cool, and everything about it felt... well, welcoming, except for the fact that the condition of the buildings wasn't the best, but that didn't mean that Golden Nine didn't love the place.
It had everything.
Everything he knew and loved.
Now, he was stuck in Algetown, unpacking stuff and arranging things.
He placed a notebook that his parents had given him on his bed.
"Algetown Memories."
As if he'd want to keep track of anything in this stupid town.
An empty house.
No furniture.
None of his old friends.
Almost no clean blankets.
No play area.
Nothing good about -
Suddenly, Golden Nine's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"I'll get it," the upset Algebralien told his parents as he walked to the door.
He opened the door and saw a curious pink question mark.
"Hello there," said the unknown Algebralien.
"Who are you?" said Golden Nine. "I don't think my parents arranged a visit."
"I'm Question Mark. Or if you choose, you may call me Question for short. I was looking for a friend. I am sort of tired of doing the same things everyday, especially if I am by myself. I was hoping to find a friend here, because the last few times, I wasn't so successful."
"Hmmm... Well... I feel homesick and lonely here, and for me, there's not much to do either, besides chores and unpacking stuff."
"Maybe I could help you out?"
"Anything to have a little fun. Ma-pa! Pa-ma! Can I invite my friend here?"
"Of course!"
"I'd love to meet them!"
"Now that that's settled... I'm Golden Nine. And... this is my new house. Come on, Question Mark! Let's sort some stuff!"
Question Mark followed Golden Nine inside, and Golden Nine led his new friend to his room, where the two picked two boxes and danced while sorting items into different piles.
Halfway through Question Mark's box, they found a camera.
"Ooooh! I've heard of these! You use them to take pictures!"
Question pointed the camera at herself, not knowing which way to hold the camera. It was already on, and they decided to take a picture.
"Wait! You're holding the camera the wrong way -"
CLICK!
"Ow! That light was bright!"
"That's the flash. Gotta watch out for it."
"So, which way do I point the camera?"
"You point this part, the lens, at whatever you want to take a picture of," Golden Nine explained while waving the now physical picture.
"Then, when the picture comes out of the camera, you wave it like this until you see the picture."
"Whoa! It's us! I see it now!"
"Hehe! Yeah. Now, let's keep sorting these."
After Question Mark and Golden Nine were done sorting and unpacking stuff, Golden Nine picked up his Algetown Memories book.
He taped the photo of his friend and himself inside.
He then wrote:
"Me and Question Mark. This place isn't all bad." and then drew a smiley face on the page.
His friend was pretty interested in what he was doing.
"Ooooh! Is that a scrapbook?"
"Ehhh... sort of."
"It looks cool! I'll show you the town now. You can bring that if you want."
"Um... Okay." Golden Nine smiled at his new friend.
Golden Nine's parents allowed him and Question Mark to explore the town together.
First, the two walked past an area full of bushes and trees. Lots of plants.
"If this part of town were to get a playground, I'd want it to be here."
"Yeah, it seems fitting. I hope it does happen."
Then, the two went to the plaza, where the office store was, as well as a snack shop, or restaurant in others' words. An accessory shop was near the office store as well.
The big area in the center weirdly wasn't occupied by anything.
"You'd think there would be a store here."
"Yeah. Weirdly, there isn't."
"Or, at least SOMETHING."
"Maybe someday, Golden Nine -"
"EXCUSE ME!" shouted a percentage sign as they flounced and showed off their so-called beauty.
"That's Percenty," said Question Mark. "You DON'T want to be around her."
Question Mark quietly led her friend out of the plaza without Percenty knowing.
Then, the two went to Question Mark's house and played with Question's toys a bit.
"Thanks for helping me feel at home," said Golden Nine as he picked up a pony and played with it.
"And thank you for choosing to be my friend," said Question Mark.
The both shook hands and simultaneously exchanged a
"You're welcome, friend."
***
The two were the best of friends.
They looked out for each other and helped each other out.
They both secretly insulted Percenty.
They both participated in a town raffle together.
They were fair with the prize when they won.
They helped turn the overly bushy area into the Equation Playground, which solved two of the problems with Algetown.
And they hadn't lost each other's trust since.
Word total: 1056