Journey of a lost sock

I was enjoying being together with my partner from the day I was born, talking and flirting as always, when suddenly, we got hurled to a white basket.

Prior to this, all I heard was, "Kids, wash your clothes. Wash everything dirty. It's weekend for goodness sake."

I was bit offended by the fact that the boy thought I was dirty. Sure, I might not smell the best right now but my partner sure didn't mind a bit. I sat limp in it for few minutes before I felt a pair of trousers and two sweaters tossed on me. Groaning, I lifted my head up to see that my partner had also fallen into such state. I hurriedly helped and my partner gasped some air.

"That was so inconsiderate", I said aloud but no one replied to me. I felt the bumpy walk that the boy took, lifting me in the air. I hope my partner doesn't get nauseous and faint again, I thought.

We had gone through this many times. First, he chucks us in the torturous machine, aka washing machine. Spins us for two hours. Leaves us their the whole night because he always forgets. Then, the next day, he hurls us to the drying machine, making us stuffy and uncomfortable for an hr. Then, he again forgets for the rest of the day, until the night and haphazardly fold and throws us into his closet for the school tomorrow. No matter how much his parents tell him to be responsible, he always fails to listen. I'm just glad I don't have a kid.

Anyways, the boy throws all of us into the machine when I hear his mother shout again, "Separate the whites from the colorful ones." The boy mumbles something under his breathe and start sorting begrudgingly. He throws all the while beddings and sweaters and finally me.

I talk with my partner about the time we met, in the hopes to ease her discomforts. The time we went on romantic dates, watching the outside view in the golden hour, how we used to play hide and seek for long hours. How we could look forward to smelling really nice occasionally, when the mother sprayed us with scents after our wash.

"Oh no."

I frantically search my partner after the door the the whirling machine has been shut. My partner isn't here yet. I move to tap the glass door facing the boy when suddenly he opens the door and tosses my partner in.

"Phew! That was a close call." I see if my partner is okay and thankfully, everything's alright. Now, we wait. And the machine starts to pool with water, nearly drowning us. Then comes the spinning. Personally, I don't mind it. It feels like a warm massage and I feel refreshed. My partner however, begs to differ. She claims she nearly dies everytime.

I hear the door open. I'm still in a bit of daze though. I feel I'm slowly being lifted until I heard the door slam and I'm inside next machine again. It must've been the next day, is my last thought before I am pulled to the slumbers again.

***

I wake up in the darkness. But atleast it's not cold. As I adjust my eyes to the darkness, something feels wrong. The hum from the machine already subsided. My surrounding is wrong. I look around and met with shock. "Who are these." I see a tie beside me. "Was it there before too?"

I am mushed with a big jacket. "This can't be of the boy, this is too big."

I frantically search around for my partner, only to be met with emptiness. My threads run cold.

"This cannot be happening." I wriggle around a bit. No luck. I bang on the glass. No one seemed to notice my helplessness. I sit there, alone, cold, inside a dryer.

"Finally", I thought, as I felt being lifted in the air. I wriggled myself up to get a view. I am met with a woman. "This cannot be happening."

She hums and drops me on the bed. She starts folding everyone around me. "She's going to notice me. Then she'll bring me back to the boy." I felt joyous and my worry began dissipating. And I was right. She did notice me and kept me aside from the rest. I could barely contain my happiness.

Just as she was about to pick me and take me away, I heard the doorbell. She set me down and hurried out. My smile dropped. "Atleast she'll be back later", I consoled myself.

I was minding my own business when I felt something wet. I opened my eyes and the saw the family dog right in front of me. "Ew! It's breathe stinks." She licked me again after sniffing. "Get off me.", I said as I tried to push it away. She didn't give up. Instead, she picked my between her teeth nearly killing me. My poor white strands were turning transparent shade. "Bad doggy. Put me down this instant.", I shouted with all I could muster but she didn't care.

She put me down in the carpet. I kept shouting at her but she paid no heed. I finally thought I was getting some peace when I got bombarded by wet licks from all sides. All of her kids where licking me. "What was the use of me being washed.", I thought as I was unable to escape.

I heard the pitter patter of light footsteps and the licking finally stopped. I was being lifted again. This time by a toddler. He looked at me carefully and poked me around. "How rude. Didn't you parents teach you manners."

He giggled and sat beside me. He pulled me into his lab and started curling me into a ball. Good thing I had a great flexibility. He then proceeded to toss me up and down. I couldn't believe he was drooling all over me. I was just washed clean!

After a bit, he got tired and stood up. Taking wonky steps, he placed me on the table and walked away to play with puppies. I guess she was more interested in them but I didn't care. Atleast I was free.

I was once again in panic when I felt myself swaying. I looked around, trying to find the cause. All the windows were closed. So were the door. There was no way there would be wind, I was sure of it. Until my eyes landed on the fan. Since I was still rolled up, it was easier for me to move. And I couldn't stop. With each passing breeze, I was being pushed in the corner. I tried hard to resist but I was kept being pushed back.

Thump. I landed on the floor. I was stuck between the table and the wall. I squirmed with all my might until I got tired but I couldn't budge at all. As the days passed, all I could do was hope I would ne rescued. After a small talk with the bottle cap about the honking of carfeeling spiders crawling across, we eventually ran out of things to talk with.

That was a long time ago. I lay here for another day, collecting a thin layer of dust. With the hopes that someone would finally notice me and I would get to see the joy on my partner's face after months, or years, I stay there, with all the patience I have.