THE DINOSAUR SOCKS

Ben's red dinosaur socks were the new boys on the washing line.

"Ooh..." Left Sock said, "I like this!"   He blew around in the breeze.

"Ooh... so do I!" Right Sock said.  "This is wonderful!"

 "Where do you come from?" the Grey Socks asked all together.

"From the Dinosaur Park," Right Sock said.  

"We were a present from Granny," Left Sock added.  "What are your names?" 

"We're the Grey Socks," the Grey Socks said all together.  "Have you got special names, then?"

"I'm Right Sock," Right Sock said, "because the dinosaur is on the right side of my leg."

"And I'm Left Sock," Left Sock piped up, "because my dinosaur is on the left side of my leg."

"Well, I never," the Grey Socks said, and they went on blowing in the breeze. 

It was raining on Thursday.  Mummy was at the school gate to meet Ben.  "We're going to see Granny," she said.  "We can't go on Saturday because you're going to a party."

Ben raced upstairs when he got home and put on his dinosaur socks.  Mummy said he must put on his wellington boots too, because it was raining. 

"I don't like wellie boots," Left Sock said at the end of the day.  He was on the floor in Ben's bedroom.  There were lots of things on Ben's floor.  There were the Grey Socks and trousers, and tee-shirts and toys, little cars and plastic building bricks.

"You smell!" the Grey Socks said all together.

"Well, it was hot and sweaty in the boot," Left Sock replied.  "And you lot smell a bit too, you know."

"But not as bad as you," the Grey Socks said.  "Anyway, we work very hard because we go to school."

I wonder where Right Sock is? Left Sock thought.  He was feeling lonely.  But before he could think about it any more, the light went out.  It was time for Ben to go to sleep.

Next morning Mummy picked up the dirty things from the floor when she woke Ben up.  "Oh, Ben," she grumbled, "why can't you put your dirty things in the washing basket?" 

"Mmm..." Ben mumbled under the duvet, pulling it up closer round him.

Left Sock went through the wash on his own with all the dirty clothes. 

"Where's Right Sock?" the Grey Socks asked all together when they were out on the washing line.

"He's lost," Left Sock whispered.  He was too unhappy to blow in the breeze.

"Ben, what's happened to your other dinosaur sock?" Mummy asked when she was folding  the socks up together.

"I don't know," Ben said.

"Well, you must look for it," Mummy told him.

Ben looked in his right wellie boot.  Right Sock wasn't there.  He looked in his sock drawer.  Right Sock wasn't there.  He looked on the floor.  Right Sock wasn't there.

"Have you found it?" Mummy asked when she came into his room.

Ben shook his head sadly. He loved his dinosaur socks, and he really wanted to wear them to the party on Saturday.

"Well, let's move the bed out," Mummy suggested.

Mummy moved the bed, and Ben got down on his hands and knees.  He put his head down.

"I can see it!" he cried.  "It;s here!" He wriggled his hand underneath the bed and pulled Right Sock out.  "Here it is!"

"Well, done," Mummy said.  She took Right Sock from Ben.  "Phw-o-ar!" she made a face.  "It's smelly!"

Mummy washed Right Sock all on his own and hung him out to dry.

"This is better," Right Sock said when he was blowing on the line.  "I don't like being smelly!"

At the end of the day Right Sock and Left Sock were together again in the airing cupboard.

"I've missed you," Left Sock said.

"And I've missed you," Right Sock said.  "It's no fun being on your own, is it?"

"Nope," Left Sock said.  "We must stick together."

The dinosaur socks went to the party with Ben on Saturday.  They had a lovely time. 

And, guess what?  When Ben takes his socks off now, he always puts them in the washing basket.

THE END

Have you found where Herbert's hiding in the bedroom?

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ZUBB          THE BIG HEAVY VASE          LITTLE DAISY

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