He scooted back towards the back of the dryer (it was a big dryer and he was a small boy) so he could put his back on it and push against the door with his legs. The only problem was…he kept scooting. and scooting and…
…falling?
Jackson tumbled head over toes through the darkness. He wanted very badly to call for his mummy, his daddy, even his sister, but he tried to be brave. He imagined this was how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole. Maybe he was going to Wonderland! The thought made him feel a little better, even though he was still feeling very scared. The White Rabbit would take care of him.
After what felt like forever, he landed with a soft “pumf” on a large pile of soft. He sat trembling, too scared to move. His sister was probably right. He was probably sitting in the Sock Snake’s nest. It was probably gonna eat him alive! He started to cry, sniffling quietly and trying not to make too much noise. If only I could see where I am, he thought pitifully.
Suddenly, small lights started glowing in the sky above him, distracting him out of his tears and fears. The flickered in and out, tiny dots that lit the air for a moment, then disappeared. Fireflies, Jackson realized. If there are fireflies, it can’t be all bad here, right?
The fireflies started swirling above him in a steady pattern, a big spiral that reminded Jackson of an old timey lollipop or a big prickly seashell. The spiral closed in on itself and all the hundreds of little lights joined into one big ball. They all flickered out at once, and when when they flickered on again, Jackson could finally see where he was. The firefly ball stayed glowing this time, a miniature sun for an underground world.
As predicted, he was sitting on a large number of socks. He was happy to discover just how wrong his sister was, though. They weren’t shredded and dead – they were woven together in a large net, a net he was sitting in the middle of. He gathered all of his bravery and crawled to the edge of the net, inching carefully along. When he peeked over, he saw more darkness leading down to nowhere. He scooted quickly back to the center of the sock net and waited.
What he was waiting for, he didn’t know. Maybe he was waiting for his sister to tell his Mummy what had happened, and for them to come flying down out of the sky to save him. Maybe he was waiting to wake up from a dream. Maybe he was waiting for the Sock Snake to appear and eat him. Mostly, though, he was just waiting for someone to tell him what to do.
But no one came. No one told him what to do. He realized then that he was very alone for the first time in his life. He tried to think of what Mummy had said to do when he got lost. “Find a grown up,” she told him and his sister. “Find a grown up and tell them that you’re lost. If you can’t remember our house number, that’s okay. The grown up can call the police and the police will call me and Daddy and we’ll come find you.”
But this time, there were no grown ups. There was no phone. There was nothing but the firefly sun and a net of socks, and one very small, but very brave boy. This is my chance for an adventure! This time I get to be the superhero!
Jackson looked at the sock net. The socks were tied and woven together very tightly and tied to four hooks on the walls of the tunnel cave. He scooted carefully towards one of the ties. The net wobbled and waved under him, but he reminded himself that it was just like on the playground when his sister shook the climbing ropes under him. He made the mistake of looking down when he got to the single rope tying the net to the wall.
It was a long way down into darkness. He dropped down onto his belly and hugged the rope, squeezing his eyes closed tightly and whimpering softly. He lay there for a long time until he could open his eyes again. This time, he stared straight ahead at the hook on the wall. There’s a door beside the hook. There’s gotta be a door. He inched out slowly, carefully, clinging for dear life. As soon as he was completely off the net, he flipped upside down and shrieked in terror and surprise.
He squeezed his eyes shut and clung to the rope. Just like the sloth at the zoo, he thought. I’m a sloth. I move slowly and carefully. I take my time and get to the door in the wall just like a sloth.
When he opened his eyes and looked at his hands, he realized they were furry with long fingernails. He craned his neck to look at his belly and legs and saw they were furry too. I AM a sloth! He would have rushed to the wall, but that’s not what sloths do. Inch by inch he crept along the rope. When I get to the end, there will be a door. When I climb through the door, I’ll be a boy again.
Sure enough, when he eventually reached the wall, there was a small red line marking the edges of a door. He tapped it experimentally with his claws and it opened like magic. He hooked one claw on either side of the door, holding the rope with his his legs, and swung through. Once he got to the other side, his fur disappeared and he was Jackson once again. The door swung shut behind him, but this time he wasn’t scared of the dark.
“Wahoo!” He whooped, jumping up and down excitedly. “I’m king of Sockland! I’m magic! I bet stinky Tammy isn’t magic! I can do anything!”
“Anything?” a slimy voice called out to him from the corners of the room. “Would you care to make a wager on such a bold statement?”
365 Shitty First Drafts 