Maia’s Purple Socks – Read and Print

By Rachel Dunstan Muller, copyright 2021

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Maia had a pair of socks. Now, these weren’t just any socks. No, these were eggplant purple socks with a bright yellow stripe across the toes and bright green polka dots all over – and they were Maia’s absolute favourite. When Maia put those socks on in the morning, her toes would start to tingle, and she’d get the urge to dance. She’d spin around on one foot, then on the other. She’d hop up and down like a bunny. She’d spread her arms wide and stand as tall as she could, just like a super hero. Oh yes, those purple socks were special.

On the days Maia was wearing her favorite socks, well everything seemed just a little better. Her corn flakes were tastier, her big brothers and sisters were more cheerful, and she had the most interesting adventures when she went out into the world. People smiled when she passed them in the street. Birds flew closer, as if to say hello. Even the sun seemed to shine more brightly.

So, as you can imagine, Maia wore those purple-socks-with-yellow-toes-and-green-polka-dots as much as she could. As soon as they came back from the laundry, she’d put them on and wear them all day long. She wore them, and wore them, and wore them, until – there was a hole in the big toe of the left sock.

“Oh dear,” said her mother. “I’m sorry, Maia. I guess this is the end of your purple socks.”

“NO!” said Maia. She was very upset. “Please, mama. You can fix the hole, I know you can!”

And because her mother knew just how special those purple socks were to Maia, she got out some bright yellow yarn, and a big darning needle, and she mended that hole. It wasn’t quite as good as new, but Maia didn’t mind. She just wanted to keep wearing her special socks.

The very next day, as soon as she got out of bed, she put on the left sock, and she put on the right sock. She felt a tingle in her toes; she spun around one way and then the other, did a bunny hop, and stood up tall like a super hero. It was going to be a fabulous day.

And so it went. Maia wore those socks every day that she could, day after day after day – until there was a hole in the second sock. But this time her mother knew exactly what to do. She got out her yarn, and her needle, and she made those socks almost as good as new.

But one day, something dreadful happened. When Maia’s father took out the clean clothes from the clothes dryer, he found only one of Maia’s purple-socks-with-yellow toes- and green-polka-dots. Well you can imagine how upset Maia was when she learned that one of her favourite socks was missing. She organized a search party on the spot, and everyone joined in. Her father searched the laundry room from floor to ceiling. Her mother searched the kitchen, her brothers searched the basement and the bathrooms, and her sisters – well, they searched just about everywhere else inside and outside the house. And Maia? Maia turned her bedroom upside down. She looked under her bed, and behind her bed, and between the blankets and sheets. She looked in the closet, and in her drawers, and behind her dresser. She looked in her cupboards, and her toy box, and between the books on her bookshelf. And her missing sock – wasn’t in any of these places.

Well, let me tell you, Maia was not very happy when she went to bed that night. In fact, she was down right miserable. 

“Oh, Maia,” said her mother. “Those old socks were getting quite grubby – and besides your feet have grown. It was about time we got you a new pair of socks. In fact, let’s get you seven pairs – one for every day of the week.”

But Maia – she didn’t want new socks. She wanted her special purple-socks-with-yellow-toes and-green-polka-dots. Poor Maia, it was all she could think about as she fell asleep that night.

The next morning when she got up, she put on a pair of plain brown socks, boring brown socks. They didn’t make her toes tingle; they didn’t make her want to dance, and spin, and stand tall like a super hero. She left her bedroom and shuffled down to the kitchen to eat her breakfast.

Then with a sad sigh she followed her father out to the car and together they drove to the shopping mall. Maia’s father was very patient. Together they went to every store in the mall that sold socks. And let me tell you that added up to a lot of socks. Red socks, green socks, striped socks, rainbow socks. Socks with rainbows and puppies and unicorns. Socks with bells and socks that glowed in the dark. But there were no socks quite like Maia’s favourite pair; no purple-socks-with-yellow toes-and-green-polka-dots.

Maia and her father spent half the day in the shopping mall. And finally, just so they could go home, she settled for a package of plain, white sports socks.

“Are you sure?” said her father. “These white socks don’t seem very exciting.”

Maia shrugged her shoulders sadly – and nodded.

When they got home, Maia took the package of white socks upstairs to her bedroom, and threw it on her bedside table. Then she went down to have her lunch.

The next morning when she woke up, that package of white socks was still waiting for her. Well, as you can imagine, Maia wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic as she opened the package. That is, until she spied something quite unexpected. Now I don’t know if someone at the sock factory made a mistake, or if they did this on purpose – but there was an extra pair of socks hidden among the white socks. Only this pair – wasn’t white. This pair was orange, with blue toes, and bright yellow stripes. It was a very happy looking pair of socks. Now, they could never replace Maia’s favourite socks, of course. But maybe they would be ok.

Maia put one orange sock on, and then the other. Then she wiggled her toes. Was that – could that be a tingle? Yes, it was! Suddenly, Maia felt an overwhelming urge to dance. She spun around one way and then the other, did a bunny hop, and stood up tall like a super hero. Then she raced down the stairs to tell her family the good news.

Maia never did find the missing purple sock. But that was alright; she had a new pair of orange socks with blue toes and bright yellow stripes. And in the end, that was almost as good.

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