Charlie - a sock monkey story...

“Are you Charlie”?

“Yes, I think so, but, ah perhaps not, it depends on who is asking”?

“Well, it’s me, you know, Johnnie, we met at the Sock Monkey Fair last year in New York City. You know the big event that happens every year in a different large city to find homes for all the Sock Monkeys of the World, a special, elite group of citizens that are now bordering on extinction….like yourself”.

“Yes, I seem to remember now that I take a closer look”… and Charlie’s already humongous, crooked grin creeps even further towards the edges of his moon face almost touching his perfectly formed cauliflower ears.

“So, Johnny what brings you to the Fair this year”? And Charlie’s eyebrows curve so much they stop being peaks and end up as half-squares.

Johnny’s head droops forward as he lowers his eyes and sighing softly murmurs, “Bandit is dead”.

“No way”, murmurs Charlie still stupidly grinning. “What happened”? Charlie vaguely remembers an egg head with a fat red nose at one of their gatherings. “Too bad”, he thinks to himself”, “Nice guy, and big heart to go with his big nose!”

“Waayyy”, replies Johnny slowly, “Musky ate him. Charlie shakes his head in disbelief. “Who the hell is Musky” he thinks.

“Yup, continues Johnny, “my dog tore him apart with his bare teeth and shook him so hard all the innards fell out! There was no way Bandit could be put together again, the stuffing blew everywhere and right out of the window. I cried for days. Bandit was my best friend and for a year I couldn’t even look at any pictures of Sock Monkeys let alone Bandit. But, here I am again looking for a new friend”. And at this, Johnny sized up Charlie looking him over approvingly. Charlie shuffled from one foot to the other starting to feel uncomfortable and flushing red.

“Haave you found anyone yet”?

Charlie stammers hesitantly, hoping it wasn’t going to be him. The Sock Monkey Society is small and gossip is rampant. He heard rumours about Johnny and at that moment thought that maybe even perhaps it was Johnny himself who did the deed on Bandit and not Musky the dog at all. Johnny had a reputation, and it wasn’t good … for being temperamental. Suddenly Charlie started feeling queasy as he remembered more of what Suzy had told him about Johnny.

to be con't...