Below is one of my first and favorite short stories from a few years ago when Baxter The Dog Books was just an idea and a sketch on the back of a plane ticket. This one always makes me smile. Enjoy!
I once lost a sock,
a yellow and green striped pair.
Those socks were my favorite.
But, one day, Lefty just wasn't there.
The dryer was empty.
The clothes shook.
The laundry folded.
There was nowhere else to look.
So, I set Righty aside
and hoped for the best.
Maybe, someday Lefty'd be back
to lay with the rest.
Winter came,
and spring and summer days.
Then in the fall,
Lefty appeared – Hip Hip Hooray!
Picking him up,
I noticed his toe was worn thin
as though Lefty had danced on it
every day, over and over again.
"I was! I've been dancing this whole time,"
said Lefty The Sock.
He could talk!
What a surprise!
"In The Land of Missing Socks,
the socks dance & never get tired or sore."
He bounced out of my hand
shaking his heel across the floor,
"There, each song makes you happy
every new note makes you hum.
Harmony makes you move
all together as one."
He headed for the door,
"I like being your sock,
but I can't help it.
Now I've got the need to rock.
I crave that wide, open floor
with socks of all different threads.
A rainbow of bright color,
bare and bobbing their heads.
It's a simple trick
to get there and to come back,
but I'm afraid you're much too big
to fit through the trap."
Then, Lefty bowed at the ankle,
slid down the stairs,
and jumped into the dryer.
I yelled, "Wait! Don't you dare!"
Lefty giggled,
"It's time to say goodbye.
It was nice to see you
one last time. Sigh.
I have one more thing to do!"
Lefty shouted, "Righty! Come on!
I can't leave without you. Let's go!
A sock needs to be a pair,"
Left winked, "It's a fact, you know?"
I turned just in time to see Righty jumping in.
I never saw Lefty or Righty after that day,
but their story spread from sock to sock
in every dresser wherever they lay.
First one pair split, then a dozen more.
I smiled, thinking of them dancing together
until there were no socks left in my drawer.
I just wish sandals were for cold weather.
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Text and Illustration copyright © 2017 Jennifer Hart.