Fashion photo created by mrsiraphol - www.freepik.com
Fashion photo created by mrsiraphol - www.freepik.com
Sorting socks, I noticed there were only five individual socks left. Please tell me I forgot one in the dryer, I sighed, checked which sock was missing, and rushed downstairs.
The dryer door was still open because I couldn’t close it with both hands full of laundry and without hesitation I dove headfirst into its drum as soon as I was close enough to do so, and checked its insides from top to bottom.
“Where?” I mumbled to myself and spun the drum a full circle with my hand. “Where did you put it, huh?” I checked every hole and every weld with the tip of my fingers and grew more and more restless. “I know I put it inside you. You hear me? I know it was you, dryer. I know.” I talked to it as if it could answer me, hearing only my own echo coming back at me, in a deeper, more metallic voice.
I brought my head out of the drum, took a good look around the dryer, and noticed the screws on the back panel. “You think you’re the only one who can play dirty, huh,” I chuckled to myself, pleased with my new idea. “Just you wait.”
Looking over to the dryer every two seconds as if making sure it wouldn’t suddenly escape, I made my way to the other side of the room to grab the toolbox, and with a silent “a-ha” pulled out the appropriate screwdriver.
With a huge grin on my face I rushed back and started unscrewing the screws one by one, until the last one hit the floor. With the screws gone, the panel was barely holding on to its two side holders and it didn’t take much effort to remove it and reveal the devil’s guts.
As tempting as it was to mess with the wiring, I wanted to find a way to take it all apart and get to the drum from the other side, see if the socks were somehow trapped somewhere. Plenty of screws later, I was ready to remove the final panel and have a good look inside. I was absolutely positive I’d find at least a pair in there and, removing the metal sheet, I found so much more. Dozens of socks, all of which I’ve lost, just lying there, under the drum.
He who laughs last, lau–… I reached down to grab the socks and as soon as I touched one of them, I was sucked into a wormhole leading to what can best be described as another dimension.
Next thing I remember I was lying flat on the floor, my entire body in pain, and about thirty socks in all colors surrounding me, supersized to the size of a phone booth, and very much alive, shouting and spitting on me. Some of them I recognized as mine, some of them I have never seen before.
I tried to move, but couldn’t. Tried to shout, couldn’t either. I wanted to close my eyes, but it was as if I had no eyelids to close them with. There was nothing I could do but lie there and be at their mercy.
Suddenly, they all went quiet and stood as still as rocks.
“Brian.” A bright yellow sock, slightly larger than the rest, hopped its way in front of me. “I’ve heard a lot about you from the ones you’ve enslaved. I’ve heard all about your sins and evil-doing.” The socks I have lost to the dryer over the years started cheering loudly. “But no more!” The yellow sock shouted, overriding all other voices. “It is your time now to be at our feet! Your time to feel how you have made others feel! All the while we smile and tell you you’re our very favorite.” The crowd cheered so loud I could barely hear their King speak.
“Toss him on the main road with the others!” He shouted. “I want him to pay for his crimes! Be trampled under all our weight!” The crowd cheered louder than ever, and one of the navy blue socks hopped forth, looked down at me, then proceeded to slowly creep its fabric over my legs first, then squeezed me tightly at the waist. I was dragged behind it as it hopped, trapped inside its hole and unable to move.
It wasn’t long until we’ve made it off the lawn and onto a road, and surely enough, the road was nothing more but people lying on the grass, motionless, and visibly in pain.
I was being dragged over all these living bodies, passing other socks on the way, when I heard loud chatter in the distance, like the one you’d witness in a bar full of drunks. Facing upward, I couldn’t see where it was coming from or how far away from it we were, but with every hop it was becoming more and more deafening.
As if it knew I wanted to see what was in front of us, the sock turned me to the side with a single hop, let go of my lower body, and looked at me. “Quite loud, isn’t it?” It was as if it could see the terror in my eyes. Hundreds upon hundreds of socks as far as the eye could see, happily hopping around and talking with helpless humans stuck underneath their weight. “It’s not to my taste, really,” it continued. “You see, I’m more of an introvert myself, but rumor has it, you just love hanging out.” He smiled to himself. “I bet you’ll fit right in.”
Smiling still, it proceeded to crawl its mouth back up my legs, then started hopping toward the racket.
Want access to exclusive stories?
Want to read some of my non-fiction?
Or maybe just want to support me as an author?
Do I really need another diet?
A book to help you improve your relationship with food
Bits of Dread Vol. I
A collection of 33 morbid stories
Want such a table for your own work? Or even make it better? Learn how to do it here.
Well, welcome back to steemit. And a good story about missing socks, wonder if you’ll go missing again or stay here finally :p
Hey @theironfelix! So very happy to hear from you! And thank you very much for reading my story!
I know I've been absent a while and its mostly due to three reasons:
Though I've written it fairly quickly, the technical issues behind it were immense, and my will to write was lost while I was waiting for everything to fall in place and get it published. I just had to get it done before I could get back to writing again.
I am planning to write lots still (again), but I'll see how much time I get on my hands. I want to do one story a week, but I'm sadly not sure I can deliver. I will, however, try to. That much, I can promise.
Thank you again for stopping by.
It's great to see you're active still. <3
P.S.: While I was gone, I have created a couple of worlds I very much like, but they're more "long story" material than short, so... hopefully in the near future ^^... I'm very much looking forward to working on those ideas and bringing them to Steemit for all to enjoy :D
<3!!!!~
For one: ooooo~ like to see a post on that now.
For two: hey, I will be in college in a few months; so I shall know the pains. Fortunately not as crazed for tests and final exams, but an education based upon actually reinforcing over time and making people prove they know by orals and socratic seminars.
For three: well it could be also writing dissatisfaction that got coupled how you had to write a lot in this period of time. So can’t blame yah~
Well, at least have fun while doing it!~ <3
Got a lot of @curies by then and hope to see your work curie’d in the near future!
Well, in the World of Steemit and general Capitalism, break it into smaller parts and parcel ship it. Writer has gotta grow, no use publishing a full story in one go!~
For one: I'll get to writing the post as soon as I finish replying to these comments :P
For two: What field are you planning to study?
For three: Well, yeah, just all in all a bad period for the creative mind.
Very happy to hear that! :D And thank you for the kind wishes! :D
Indeed. Maybe if I fail to post a full short I'll post just part I of one of such worlds :P
Yay!!!!~ :p
Since philosophy is basically integrated throughout undergraduate year: mathematics (might centralize on that, pick some specific classes) and Chinese.
Damno mango.
<<<<3333!!!!~
We’ll see!~
Aaaand it's live! Took me a little longer than expected, and probably has some errors, but I'm too tired to look at it any longer, so will reread it tomorrow and the day after, and edit out the stuff that... maybe shouldn't be there :P And edit in the stuff that should be there.
You can find the post here:
https://steemit.com/writing/@davidkain/do-i-really-need-another-diet-a-psychological-approach-to-your-relationship-with-food
Nice!
I was also considering studying maths, but then decided for chemistry.
Happy to see you're taking this route ^^
Chinese, huh? Now that's an interesting combo together with math! I'd imagine a good one, though... you'll be so employable people will fight over you :P
Will check it soon! ~^^~
Happy Blocktrades vote, yah deserved it (check the names in the people that voted)!
Well that seems fun to do, maybe yah should consider using chemistry in your posts (from l'drugs to speculative and SFF [Science Fiction and Fantasy] to everyday use that could be enhanced with chemicals)~
Oh boy, if people weren't fighting for me on Steemit, Highschool and online gaming, I can't imagine what Cool Leg and post-College life will be with people fighting for me. :p
Bam baby, not just back, but he comes in flying!
This is brilliant, the way you open in the mundane, setting the tones of normality, a very relatable situation. Talking to himself, the mutter under the breath, addressing himself as "you" captures that detached wonder at the self so well.
It then builds into the feeling of being outwit by an appliance, (which kind of speaks a depth about a life of obstacles, and enjoying tackling something that seems simple enough to solve). There is a fine line here between humor and horror in the personification of the washing machine. The sudden switch into fantasy, at the touch of a sock is so well done, it hits harder than a body drop for its contrast to the tone so far. And then sock world! A wonderful bit of nonsense humor, that holds a mirror to perspectives, transformed into pure horror with the twist of skill.
I love that what he saw as trapped, for the socks, was freed, and a human cobble street, sounds like a plan i'd like, i always wanted a floor that 'sang' as i walked over it, 'screamed' is just as good :p
Did it look like flying? Strange. I could've sworn I arrived via a wormhole :P
Thank you! I wanted the first part to be as relatable as possible, and what's more relatable than losing your socks?... Maybe running out of toilet paper at all the wrong times :P
You just... seem to have caught it all so perfectly. I'm so very happy to read this comment of yours, and admittedly, I've read it about 5 times already :3...
Hmmm, they couldn't really scream, not in the vocal sense, but I'm pretty sure their minds were just exploding with the voices of pain as the socks hopped over them. ;P
Nah, wormhole construction is still missing that important final touch, must have been that controlled falling you do so well :p
Ahaha i kinda wana see what sort of story that would lead to now, and which of the many situations that's inconvenient in you'd opt for as the most relatable :p
As promised, i did show restraint and not gush like crazy!! I know, i know, my self restraint is still as poor as ever ;) but yey!!! <3
Hmmmm yeah okay, thinking about it allowing them to scream would create all kinds of socks falling into mouths as they walked along problems, kinda like potholes :p but no wise sock would create that. I wonder if they also serve mauled/chewtoy dog stew in this socktopia ;)
I think you broke the fourth wall here :P
Hmmm, maybe having to poop in the woods really badly, doing the deed, then realizing you're in the middle of nowhere, alone, with nothing to wipe with? ;P
Do you pull your pants up and pretend nothing happened? Try and wipe with the surrounding leaves that could be irritating to the touch? Rub your butt against the floor?
So many questions :P
^^
It would just be one loud uniform scream, probably. :P
Hmmm, now I'm imagining socks "squeezing" rubbery toys with sock-saliva dripping from their "mouths".... Thanks!
Loved it! !tipuvote
So very happy to hear that! Thank you; for the upvote, and for reading the story! :D
We are a safe harbor for every writer and poet. Freedom, solidarity, quality, inclusion: these are our values. Keep an eye on our weekly contests and grow with us in a friendly environment!
Thank you! Means a lot to me!
Definitely extra motivation to keep on going! :D