There was once a screwdriver who set out to find its own place in the world.

  He hammered and did alright, but never quite like the hammers.

  He pried and did okay, but never quite like the crow bars

  He tried to dig but didn't do very well.

  Finally he tried to tighten a Phillips-head screw, thinking he had finally found what he was made for. But he completely failed.

  Feeling sad, and lost, the screwdriver wandered around unsure of its purpose in life. Until one day he wandered past the maker's home. He heard sounds of laughter and peeked inside. Tools of all kinds were lined up in front of the maker and one at a time they leaned close as the maker whispered in their ears. Then they left with big smiles on their faces, and the maker laughed with joy.

  Just as the screwdriver started to walk through the door, a wrench shoved him out of the way, trying to get inside.

  "What are you doing here?" The wrench asked as it hurried to get into line.

  Screwdriver's face turned sad, and he turned around, walking away from the maker's house.

  The wrench is right. Why did I think that I could talk to the maker? He thought.

  Days passed and the screwdriver did his best to fit in, finding jobs that he could manage if he tried really really hard. As the seasons changed and life moved on, the screwdriver grew tired and the world became grey.

  One day, he had a job on the far side of town, a place he hadn't gone to in a long time. As he walked, he suddenly saw a burst of color and heard laughter coming from an open door.

  He moved closer, curious about what was going on. When he peered through the door, he saw the room was filled with color, and a man stood on the far side of the room laughing as he held up a hammer.

  The screwdriver froze, finally recognizing where he was. He felt afraid, and the color began to fade. He turned to leave before the maker could see him.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  He stepped out the door and didn't notice that the maker had looked over and watched him leave.

  The screwdriver began to walk slowly away from the maker's house, feeling more lost than ever.

  Then, all of a sudden, he heard a voice calling out to him.

  "Screwdriver, wait! Come back! Why are you running away?"

  Screwdriver turned around and saw the maker running toward him, wrapped in color. Before he could escape, the maker caught up and threw his arms around him.

  “I have been waiting for you! I was so glad to see you walk through my door today. Won't you come back with me?”

  Screwdriver didn't know what to say, but as the maker spoke, his world lit up with color again. Finally, he nodded and followed the maker back to his home.

  The room was filled with light, and the screwdriver saw that no one else was there.

  “Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?” Screwdriver asked. The maker smiled and nodded affectionately.

  “You are right where you're supposed to be! I noticed you were looking a little grey.”

  Screwdriver nodded, his face growing sad.

  “It seems like no matter what I do, I am just not good enough. I try harder than anyone else but I still don't measure up.”

  The maker nodded in understanding.

  “Do you know what kind of screwdriver you are?” The maker asked.

  Screwdriver frowned and shook his head.

  “You are a star-bit screwdriver, and you were made to tighten star-head screws. Have you ever tried doing that?” the maker asked.

  Screwdriver thought back through all of his jobs and realized that he had never tried working with that kind of screw.

  “I don't think I have,” he explained.

  The maker smiled at him.

  “Can I show you?” He asked.

  Screwdriver nodded, and the maker picked him up and carried him over to his workbench where a board was sitting with a single screw sticking out of it.

  Screwdriver looked on with fear, worried that he would fail once again, only this time in front of the maker.

  The maker placed one hand on the screw and brought screwdriver down to the head. To his surprise, Screwdriver fit perfectly into the screw. The maker began to turn him and the screw tightened easily.

  Screwdriver was amazed and when he finished his job, he realized that he wasn't tired or grey. He looked up at the maker with wonder in his eyes.

  “It’s never been like that before. I didn't have to strain or tire, but the screw tightened all the way!” he said.

  The maker nodded.

  “You are a star-bit screwdriver and were made for this very purpose. You can do other things and some may be able to do what you did. But no one can do this job as well as you.”

  The maker set down Screwdriver and turned toward the wrench that stepped through the door.

  Screwdriver smiled at the wrench, who looked tired and grey, and walked out the door.

  To his surprise, the world was filled with vibrant colors and fantastic sounds, and laughter could be heard from every direction. With a broad grin and a pep in his step, he made his way to his neck job.