In a futuristic city where the skyline shimmered with neon and the streets pulsed with life, one man—or was it many?—was causing mass confusion. Waldo, with his signature red-and-white stripes and ever-present grin, was everywhere. And that wasn’t just an expression. Literally, everywhere. On every corner, in every café, peeking out from behind hovercars and popping up on holographic billboards.

The people of Neo-Tokyo Delta were growing increasingly suspicious. How could a single man be simultaneously ordering ramen, walking a dog, and suspiciously reading a newspaper upside down? It wasn’t possible—unless someone had figured out cloning.

The answer lay in the shadowy depths of the Genetic Replication Institute. Deep within its secretive labs, a rogue scientist with an unfortunate fondness for 80s pop culture had thought it would be “hilarious” to mass-clone Waldo. The catch? Waldo wasn’t a person. He was a placeholder—a walking enigma designed to hide in plain sight.

What the scientist didn’t account for was Waldo’s innate curiosity. As soon as the first batch was released, the Waldos started wandering, exploring, and questioning their existence. By the time Batch #842 hit the streets, the collective intelligence of the Waldos had started to merge, creating a hive mind. They weren’t just blending into crowds—they were the crowd.

Enter Janet

Janet, a mildly cynical private investigator who had seen far too much weirdness in her career, was hired to crack the case. She had her suspicions about the Genetic Replication Institute, but confronting the situation was easier said than done when every alley she turned into was filled with grinning, waving Waldos.

“Hey, Waldo,” she said to one.

“Who, me?” came the response in unison as three identical Waldos turned, their smiles unnervingly synchronized.

Janet groaned. “This is going to be a long day.”

The Revelation

As Janet pieced together the mystery, the Waldos continued to evolve. They weren’t just blending into society anymore—they were reshaping it. They started taking over monotonous jobs: standing in line at the DMV, holding places at exclusive restaurants, even attending mandatory virtual meetings. “Let Waldo do it” became the new mantra.

It wasn’t long before the Waldos realized something profound. Each clone, despite being a copy, was slightly different. One Waldo painted abstract art in the park; another mastered the theremin. Another had started baking the galaxy’s best sourdough. They weren’t just clones—they were fractals of individuality.

The hive mind began to fragment, shifting into a network of shared experiences. Waldo was no longer everywhere because of cloning—he was everywhere because he represented potential. He was what happened when Nature’s code, endlessly replicating and refining, was allowed to flow freely.

The Confrontation

Janet finally confronted the rogue scientist.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” she demanded.

The scientist adjusted his oversized glasses. “Created a utopia? Released humanity from the monotony of waiting in line? Enhanced sourdough quality?”

“You’ve created chaos,” Janet snapped.

“Chaos?” the scientist grinned. “Or opportunity? Waldo isn’t just a clone. He’s a reminder that even copies have the capacity to grow, evolve, and create something novel. Nature doesn’t repeat itself—it reinvents.”

Janet had no idea how to respond to that.

So she didn’t—she just slowly backed away, clutching her coffee, and made a mental note to cancel her DNA test subscription.

An invitation

In a world where everyone seems to blend in, what happens when the line between individual and copy blurs? Waldo’s unexpected adventure with his endless clones challenges us to think: What truly makes us unique? 

by Emrys Solis