Once upon a time there was a monster . He was very ugly and had no friends. No one wanted to talk to him. Even other monsters thought he was ugly. He lived alone and was very unhappy because he was so lonely. "I wish I had a friend." He said to himself every day, "One friend would be enough. Someone to talk to." He wrote a letter to a magazine. The magazine gave people advice. "Dear Editor," he wrote, "I am a ugly monster. How can I find a friend?" "Dear monster," the Editor replied, "Advertise for a friend in this magazine." The monster wrote an advertisement. "Monster wants a friend, male or female. I have two heads, four arms, six legs and three tails. I have one blue eye, one green eye and one brown eye. Smoke comes out of my nose. But I am really a kind monster and will be a good friend to someone. If you would like to meet me, please stand outside Blake's Store at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 7th. Write to Mr. A, Box 45, everybody's Magazine." A few days later he went to the magazine. "Do you have any letters for Box 45?" he asked. The clerk looked in Box 45. "Yes, there is one." She said, and gave it to him. The monster opened the letter, and read, "Dear Monster, I think a person's character is more important than his appearance. I will wait outside Blake's Store on Friday. Please carry a flower so that I will recognize you. Yours sincerely, Miss Alice Thwaite." What was strange about Miss Thwaite's letter?
She was not interested in people's appearance. She wanted to meet the monster. She needed a flower to recognize him. It was the only reply.