The tale of Platypus Kid

So every so often, life isn't so shitty. Sometimes, somebody somewhere does something so unbelievable and awesome, or hilarious, or downright stupid, that you can't help but smile, and it's the kind of thing that gets you through the day.

This afternoon I was already having kind of a wanky day. My working hours towards the end of the week are typically 2pm while about 11pm, so I have time to do daily chores and other important things like watching wrestling and spooning the cat before work, but today my borderline narcolepsy this week caused me to sleep in and forget to do any of that, leaving the kitchen smelling of dirty dishes and me running late for work. Seriously, I must have gotten 14 hours of sleep last night, on and off, which would usually have made me feel awesome, but I was just pissed at myself. I digress.

I got to the tram stop to find a young man with severe learning difficulties (I hesitate to use the word Autism, it just seems to be a go to word to generalise anything wrong with anybody these days), and his father/carer, also waiting for the tram. The kid was loudly, almost obsessively making some sort of noise, and not responding to anything his carer said, but I had my headphones on and wasn't paying attention.

When I boarded the tram, I took off my headphones as I usually do until I've seen the conductor. I work in a job where I have to deal with customers and I'm acutely aware of how fucking annoying it is when you have to address somebody who won't so much as pause their music or tear themselves away from texting their asshole friends while you're trying to help them, so I tend to sympathise with them in that way. And it was at that point I realised that this kid was actually beat boxing. And doing it really, really well.

The kid was doing an almost perfect Dubstep routine, and by the time the tram conductor had scanned my pass, I had begun to recognise the tune he was imitating. So I left my headphones off, and despite the tutting of some of the other asshole passengers and the carer repeatedly telling him to be quiet, I listened to him for a bit. My knowledge of Dubstep is limited, mostly due to most of it being shite, to be honest, so I wondered if it was Bangarang by Skrillex, as that was the only mainstream Dubstep song I was likely to recognise. Then out of nowhere, he just looked up at his carer and said;

"Terrifies the local cats, that one."

He was doing that advert, the one with the Platypus. I actually laughed out loud a little. That kid was incredible, and that little thing, that few minutes of eavesdropping and people watching along with the unique talent of a deeply withdrawn individual and the funny side of my own propensity to over-analyse things, had brightened up my day to no end. I ended up getting to work on time, and having a decent day fuelled by a great mood.

Thank you, Platypus Kid.