For Jenny's Birthday: Purple Sock Day

[alexcat]

Skipper was rifling through all his drawers, throwing things over both shoulders and muttering to himself.

Private waddled up to him and watched for a few minutes then he spoke. “What are you looking for, Skipper?”

“Socks! Purple socks! It’s getting cold out there and I can’t find a single pair of socks!”

“But, sir, we stol – errr – borrowed several pair from that store last year!”

“I know we did but they’re all gone! I can’t find them anywhere!”

“And we borrowed some from those elves too.”

“I know, but they’re gone too!”

Private looked around and didn’t see Kowalski or Rico anywhere so he turned to Skipper. “Let’s check their stuff. Maybe they stol – borrowed them from you.”

“Good idea, Private. I’ll keep a lookout while you search.”

Private didn’t think that sounded quite right but he agreed. The Skipper was, after all, the Skipper. He checked Rico’s footlocker and found several strange things: a basketball, an action figure of Legolas the elf, pink lipstick and seventy-four cents in Canadian money. But no socks. Not a single pair or even a single sock.

Kowalski had a coil of wire, some plastic explosive and a box full of Barbie clothes and underneath all this, there is a picture book about dolphins and a DVD copy of March of the Penguins.

“No socks here, Skipper.”

“Let’s go ask Phil.”

Mason and Phil were playing chess and drinking tea in front of the zoo clock.

“Hey, chimps,” Skipper called out. “Have you seen my socks?”

“Phil wants to know what color they are,” Mason translated.

“Purple.” Just as he answered, Skipper noticed that both chimps wore purple socks. “Like the ones you have on.”

“Are you accusing us of stealing?” Mason said, leaning toward them.

“I am not. I have a feeling there is more to this than just chimps in socks!”

“Phil says you should go to the lemur habitat.”

Skipper slapped Private on the shoulder. “We should have known that Ring-Tail had something to do with it.”

They thanked Phil and Mason and headed for King Julien’s throne.

There were purple socks everywhere: Mort and Maurice wore them on their feet. The chairs had socks on their legs and armrests. King Julien had purple socks on his feet and on his tail and even on his head like a hat.

“Welcome to my kingdom, loyal subjects!”

Skipper was seeing red. “Loyal subjects! Why you! You have stolen my socks! All of them.”

“I, King Julien, have declared it purple sock day here in the zoo. Have you noticed that everyone is wearing them in honor of me, King Julien?”

“They’re MY socks!” Skipper roared. He was black and white and red with fury at Julien’s latest stunt. “I want them all back! NOW!”

King Julien smiled his oiliest smile. “Now, penguin. Calm down. I am only borrowing them in order to honor myself!”

Skipper made a rude sound and marched back toward the penguin habitat. “We need to find Kowalski and Rico! I’m getting my socks back,” he muttered to Private as they left.

Kowalski was ready to take action. He did, after all, have a trunk filled with explosives. “The socks will fall like snowflakes and we can just pick them all up!”

Private looked scandalized. “That’s not very nice. What would a Rainbow Unicorn do?”

Kowalski laughed. “Poke a hole in Julien with his horn!”

Skipper held up his hand. “I don’t want to blow up the ring-tail. Yet. Let’s talk to Maurice and see what we can do.”

Private was dispatched to the lemur habitat to fetch Maurice. The two returned rather quickly and Maurice handed Skipper the pair of socks that he’d been wearing.

“I’m sorry about all this, but you know how he is when he gets an idea.”

“How do we get the socks back?” Kowalski asked.

“The best way is to trick him into thinking it’s his idea,” Maurice told them.

“Where did he get this idea anyway?” Skipper asked.

“Phil sent Mason to tell him it is Royal Purple Sock day and everyone in the kingdom, especially the king, must wear purple socks!”

“So it’s really Phil who wanted socks to keep his feet warm?” Private asked.

“Or Mason,” Kowalski said.

Rico made a very loud and very rude noise.

“Perhaps we should visit the chimps, Rico,” Kowalski said and they were gone.

Half an hour later, Mort showed up, carrying dozens of pairs of purple socks. He carried so many socks that all that was visible of him were his tiny feet. He dumped the socks on the floor, made a face at Skipper and was gone. Rico and Kowalski met him coming in as Mort was leaving.

“So what did you do?” Skipper asked.

“It took some persuading and more than a little plastic explosive but we convinced Phil that he’d better tell Julien that he misread the paper and it said purple rocks, not socks.”

“This I have to see!” Skipper said as he donned a pair of socks and headed for the lemur enclosure.

Sure enough, there sat King Julien on his throne with a large purple stone balanced on his head. Mort and Maurice wore smaller ones as well. Skipper waved at the ring-tail and headed back for home.

Once back there, he had Kowalski patch him into the zoo phone system and made a phone call.

“Happy Purple Sock Day to you!” He said to the person who answered the phone. The old elf laughed and looked down at his own purple socks. Happy Purple Sock Day indeed!

~the end~