Note to Readers: Well, my first attempt at fiction for Surf Excel Matic Indiblogger Contest. So read at your own peril.
It was soak time again in Apparel-land.
Mr. Stripes wrinkled his nose in disgust as Smelly Socks landed on him. Lady Black, submerged a short distance away, sighed. She absolutely abhorred the ordeal of lying around senselessly in the water, for hours on end. Her fine luster was fading. Lady Black looked up in disdain as Flowery skirt billowed by and nestled against Captain Vest. Flowery skirt was a typical riff-raff from the street vendor, just the sort she sniggered at.She suddenly fell back in fright as something black swished past. Silken Scarf booed at her.
There were strange undercurrents today, thought Captain Vest. In fact, of late, they had all been so much more spiteful and intolerant. His thoughts turned to his sister, Purple Pants. Over-soaks, she had lost all her color and become wimpy. It had been painful to see her deteriorate. Water did strange things to you. It was rumored that Miss Woolly had got so swollen up, that she had never regained her shape.
After a couple of hours, when they were all spread out and drying nicely, a sudden gust of wind brought Pinky Hanky flying from the neighbor’s yard. They were amazed by her loveliness. No colors had run out. Why! She looked as good as new.They peeped through the fence. All the clothes there looked so fresh and cheerful. Flowery Skirt looked for Pinky Hanky, but she was nowhere in sight.
That night, when they were all tucked in their cupboards, Flowery Skirt turned to the others “I think they have some secret behind their youth. How else could they look so young?” Lady Black rasped “Now don’t go airing some hair brained notions. There is no such thing as ever-lasting youth”. Every night, they would have the same arguments which would lead nowhere. Strange accidents had happened and the clothes were ruffled.
Finally, everything came to a head the day Lady Black had a stroke. She had been soaked as usual but her buttons were pulled on too tight. Mr. Stripes had been the first to note that she didn’t seem her usual biting self and all of a sudden, she was changing color. They had all helped to hold her head out of the water. Even Smelly Socks pitched in. In fact, it was the twins who had the brilliant idea of letting her have a full blast of their scent to bring her back.
That night, a dull chant started deep within the clothes-gang. As they strained to listen, it slowly grew louder and louder ‘soaknomore.. SoakNoMore…. SOAKNOMORE…”
An urgent closet meeting was held to find a solution. Lacy Stocking reported the existence of strange magic crystals which could cleanse without soaking. Captain Vest along with Silken Scarf was chosen to embark on the journey of discovery and bring back the magic crystals if they existed. As they departed, a shadowy figure followed them.
They planned to use a human transport and soon enough, their human wore them for a long trip. They met many clothes along the way but nobody had heard of the magic crystals. One day they met fragrant and fresh looking Daisy Ribbon in a clothes-line. She was a blabber-mouth who soon divulged where the magic crystals were made. It was deep inside human territory where giant cauldrons and tetra headed monster machines resided.
When Silken Scarf was hanging on a peg, he met Hardy Jacket whose human was a detergent factory worker. They befriended him and entered the place in his pocket. An unusual world of gigantic monsters opened out and at the end of it all, there were millions of those wondrous crystals. As Silken Scarf bowed low to have a better look, a sudden gust of air blew him away. Captain Vest followed in hot pursuit and he spotted Silken Scarf hanging on for dear life over a giant cauldron. He tried his best to extend his torso but couldn’t reach. Suddenly a familiar figure appeared by his side and Mr. Stripes with his long sleeves easily reached Silken Scarf. When they got over their disbelief of seeing Mr. Stripes, they stuffed their pockets full of the crystals.
As they were returning home with their human, suddenly some people attacked their human carrier. Captain Vest became stained with blood. Mr. Stripes even tore at one place. Their human managed to escape from his attackers and used Silken Scarf to staunch the blood over his wounds.
At long last they returned home and their human had his wounds tended. They found their friends waiting for them who were horrified to see the blood stains. Silken Scarf, the most stained of all, moaned “Will all the water in the ocean wash away this blood”. “Worry not” said their friends who found the magic crystals in their pockets. Lady Black quickly sprinkled some on each of them with a little water and a white haze descended. And when it cleared, they glowed like never before.
They were the heroes. As Captain Vest announced “Friends, now we have the power of these magic crystals to clean us like never before and we need to Soak No More”, the whole gathering broke out in applause.
One squeaky voice asked “Captain, can we also use it to wash the dirt in the human minds?”
The Motley Collection 