Microstory 750: Deck

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There was once four families who lived near each other in the neighborhood. Two of their houses were right next to each other on one street, while the other two were on the street behind them. They all moved in at about the same time, and though they were friendly with the other people in the neighborhood, they became particularly good friends with each other. The previous residents of their respective houses had built tall fences to separate them—of differing woods—so it looked messy and ugly. The new four families decided to replace them with shorter, gapped fences, so they could have conversations over them. They agreed to use the same materials too, so it would look more aesthetically pleasing. After the old fences were all down, however, they realized theirs was a silly plan. They were so close that there was no reason to be separate from each other at all. They instead only bought enough pickets to surround the outer edges of all of their houses, and kept their backyards open. Their children and pets were free to roam around and intermingle with each other. Over time, their relationships solidified further, and they wanted to expand their little subneighborhood into something more more substantial. One family agreed to install a pool in their quarter of the megayard. Another was responsible for the pool house/communal building. The third family built a dense and beautiful garden in their section. The fourth family kept their yard mostly bare, so the animals and children would have some room to run around, but also bought a small playground for the youngest of them. And in the middle, complete with extensions reaching to each of their houses, was a deck. It had a gazebo, and multiple levels, and an outdoor cooking area. Though everyone had their own problems, and even had some disagreements amongst each other, that deck, and all its peripherals, were always there to bring them back together.