The Land of the Sodas

  I have no idea when I wrote this, but it was probably in the late 80's or early 90's.  I was in elementary school and we had just read Gulliver's Travels.  We had to come up with some further adventures for Gulliver to experience and write our ideas down as stories.  I got an A and the teacher said that the story was "Very, very clever!"  Here it is, warts and all.

The Land of the Sodas

  Gulliver comes to an island he'd never seen before.  A small group of soda cans comes up to him.
  "We are the Cokes.  We welcome you to the Island of the Sodas."
  "I guess nothing comes to me as a surprise anymore."
  "What did you say?"
  "Oh, nothing.  It's a long story."
  "OK.  Please make yourself comfortable, Mr..."
  "Gulliver."
  "Mr. Gulliver.  Oh, I'm going to have to ask you to remove your blue hankerchief.  Blue is Pepsi's color code and you are on Coke territory.  Red is our color."
  "There are Pepsis here too?"
  "There are many different races of soda beings on this island.  Pepsi and Coke are the Dark sodas.  The Clear sodas, Sprite and 7up, live on the other side of the island.  There are the Mountain Dews.  They make the best cars and electronics.  Cherry sodas used to roam the land, but now only a few are left."
  "What's that over there?"
  "That's the Great Mother Soda Machine.  We all come from her."
  "What's all the noise?"
  "We are at war now.  It's the Darks vs. the Clears."
  Suddenly a Coke can comes screaming.
  "I've been hit!  I'm bleeding badly.  I can't stand the sight of Coke.  I'm going flat, I can feel it.  My hands are sticky with Sprite.  At least I know my death is not meaningless."
  "There goes a hero.  May his carbonation rest in peace.  Now he will find true happiness with the Recycler up stairs."
  A messenger comes.
  "Here's a message from the Clears.  They want to know who the giant is."
  "Hey, Gulliver, what are you going to do about the Clears?"
  An angry soldier yells, "This giant should kill them all!"
  "Now that would be downright un-cola.  We're not soda-thirsty vampires like Dracola.  We're civilized soda beings."
  Gulliver gets an idea.
  "Hey, I have an idea.  I want to stay neutral in this.  I'd like to have a chance to talk to both sides at once."
  "We'll arrange that for you."
  Gulliver sits in the middle of the island while both sides listen to him.
  "I've called you together so that I can peacefully talk to you.  Please, put your can openers down and listen to me.  You must see past your differences and see past your colors.  You all came from the same soda machine and will eventually go to the Recycler up stairs.  You are all unique in your own ways, but you are all soda beings.  You should treat each other equally.  I have here, in my pocket, a can of Crystal Pepsi.  It's clear, but it's Pepsi."
  The crowd was awe struck.
  "How can we have been so blind for all these years?"
  The whole island unites and everyone is happy.  Gulliver has done all that he can here.  He goes on with his travels.  Where will he end up next?