“But Maaaa….”
“No more ‘buts’ Fuzzy. It’s the end of the day.”
“Can I have a story first?” Fuzzy whines.
Ma sighs heavily. “Fine. One story. Then you go straight to the hamper.”
“Two stories?”
“No. I said you could have one, and that’s it.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now what story do you want to hear?”
“Um… Hmmmm….” Fuzzy pauses for a minute. “Well…” Another pause. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Asks Ma.
“Um…”
Ma sighs. “How about…”
“Oh!” Fuzzy interrupts.
“Yes?”
“The soldier one!”
“The soldier one?”
“Yeah! You know, the one with the cat! And the soldier!”
“Ah. Okay. You mean ‘The Miracle of Holey Cotton?’”
“Yeah! That one! Tell that one!”
“Okay. Here goes…”
“A long time ago, in a faraway place called Quantico there lived a soldier.”
“Maa…” interrupts Fuzzy. “Where’s Quantico?”
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“Far away from here.”
“Oh.” Fuzzy pauses. “Have you been there?”
“No.” Ma gives Fuzzy a stern look before continuing the story. “At Quantico there lived a soldier.”
“What kind of soldier?” Fuzzy interrupts again.
“Well, this one was a Marine kind of soldier. It means they are on their feet a lot. And like every soldier at Quantico, this Soldier was given boots and socks. The Soldier’s socks were named Cotton. They were ugly and long; not white and not yellow. But they matched the Soldier’s uniform. They worked very hard for the Soldier and the Soldier took good care of them. Then one day the Soldier left Quantico for another faraway place called Assignment. The Soldier made sure to bring Cotton with him, though Cotton was getting a little old by now.”
“How old was he?” Asks Fuzzy.
“Well, that’s hard to say. Soldier socks live brief lives compared to us. Cotton was probably halfway to becoming Holey and still wasn’t as old as I am.” Ma explains.
“Are you halfway to becoming Holey?” Asks Fuzzy.
“Not for a while yet.”
“How will I know when I’m that old?”
“You will know. It just happens. Now do you want me to tell the story or not?”
“Yes!” Fuzzy says.
“Okay. In Assignment, the Soldier works even harder with Cotton. One day, the Soldier meets a Lady with a cat.”
“Is this our Lady? And our cat?” Asks Fuzzy again.
“Yes, Fuzzy. Now, the cat is special because it really likes to play with socks. The Soldier and the Lady become friends. After a while, Cotton knows his time is almost up. He is thin in some places and the Soldier has ordered new socks to replace him.”
“Oh no!” Interrupts Fuzzy.
Ma sighs. “What now?”
“Did I replace someone Ma?”
“That’s the way of life, Fuzzy. We replace others and one day we will also be replaced.”
“It’s so sad.”
“So,” continues Ma. “Cotton knew he would soon be Holey. He knew the other soldiers put their Holey socks in the trash and it would be his turn soon. But a miracle happened! Cotton became Holey Cotton while the Soldier was visiting the Lady. Together, the Soldier and the Lady turned Holey Cotton from soldier socks into a toy for the Lady’s cat. Over time, Holey Cotton left Assignment to visit many new places called Apartments. He had many adventures with the cat and became more Holey with each adventure. Rumors say that Holey Cotton still lives and we might one day meet him at the Great Washing Machine!”
“Wow. I like that story.” Fuzzy yawns.
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet him?” Asks Ma.
“Oh. I don’t think so.” Says Fuzzy.
“You don’t? But he’s the Holey-est sock to ever skip the trash!”
“Yeah, but…” Fuzzy pauses for another yawn.
“But?” Prompts Ma.
“He was ugly before. I bet he’s all green now as well as being all Holey.”
“That may be true. But he has all sorts of stories to tell. He went on many adventures with the cat and visiting many Apartments.”
“Oh yeah! I like the story about the ball! Will you tell me that one? Pleeeeease!” Fuzzy whines and pretends he isn’t sleepy.
“No, Fuzzy. I said one story. That’s it.”
“But Maaa….” Fuzzy whines.
“Hamper, Fuzzy.” Ma orders. “Off you go.”
The End