Episode Two:
Socks and Shoes
They placed Lily’s bowl on the windowsill in the kitchen. The kitchen window overlooked the backyard, where Abigail liked to run around and play with the little boy from next door.
The windowsill soon became my favorite place in the house to sit. I even liked it better than the sunny spots and the soft armchair. I was happy because I got to be with Lily, and teach her everything there was to know about the world.
“What are they doing out there?” Lily asked me one day, as we sat and watched Abigail and the neighbor boy kick a white and black ball around the backyard.
“They’re playing sock,” I explained. I was pretty sure that was what the game was called. Sometimes Dad liked to watch it on TV.
“Sock? I thought that was the thing people wore on their feet.” Lily was confused.
“It is. That’s why they call the game sock, because they kick the ball with their feet.”
“But I thought you said the things they wear on their feet while outside are called shoes.”
I thought about this for a moment. I had only ever seen the family wear socks to cover their feet when they were inside. But I had only ever seen them play the game with the black and white ball when they were outside. “Maybe I got the name wrong?” I admitted, embarrassed. “Maybe it’s actually called Shoe. Although I thought for sure they said sock.”
“What’s the difference between a sock and a shoe, anyway?” asked Lily.
I stared at her incredulously. “You don’t know what the difference is?”
“They both kind of look the same from here,” she said, peering through the glass of her bowl.
“Socks are very different from shoes. Socks are soft and floppy, and easy to pick up with your teeth. You can also bat them around and throw them in the air and hide them behind furniture. Shoes are a lot harder and heavier.”
“What do you mean, harder?” Lily asked.
“Harder. You know, like –” I tapped a paw against the glass of her bowl. “Your bowl is hard. But something like…” I looked around for a good example and saw one a few feet away on the counter. “Those brownies are soft.”
“I still don’t understand,” Lily complained. “Are you talking about color? Is soft another word for dark?”
“No…” Of course Lily wouldn’t have a good understanding of the difference between hard and soft. Everything around her was water!
I got an idea of how to show her the difference. “Lily,” I said, jumping down from the windowsill to the counter. “See how I’m standing on the counter?”
“Yes,” said Lily.
I moved over. “See what the counter looks like now? It looks exactly the same as it did before I stood on it.”
“Yes?” Lily didn’t yet understand what I was going to show her.
“Okay. Now look at those brownies. You can see what they look like right now, right? All smooth and flat?”
“Yes. I can see that. What are you getting at, Tiger?”
“Watch.” I walked over to the brownies, then, ever so carefully, climbed into the brownie pan. It was difficult fitting all four paws in there at once, and to be honest, it was a little toasty--it hadn’t been very long since the brownies had come out of the oven.
I stayed in the brownie pan for a few seconds, making sure to tread up and down a little for full effect. When I stepped out, there were four perfect indentations in the brownies. “See?” I said to Lily. “See how you can still see where my paws were, even though they’re not there anymore? That’s because brownies are soft.”
“Oh! I think I understand soft and hard.”
I thought about Lily in her bowl. There was so much of the world that she couldn’t explore, while in her bowl. Then I had an idea. “I’ll show you a sock and a shoe, up close,” I told her. “You’ll be able to see the difference then.”
I jumped down and ran into Abigail’s room. Abigail had the best socks. Mom’s and Dad’s socks were all the same color - plain, boring white. Abigail had all kinds of colors, and some of them had fun patterns on them, like stripes and polka-dots.
I spotted a bright pink sock lying on her floor, and quickly picked it up with my mouth. I ran back out to the kitchen and hopped up onto the windowsill next to Lily. “This is a sock,” I explained, depositing the sock right next to her bowl. “See how it’s kind of small and flat, and I can change what it looks like just by touching it?” I poked it with my paw, trying to show how it would scrunch up a little, but instead it just fell into a pot of dirty water in the sink. Oops.
“Now I’ll go get you a shoe,” I promised. I went to the front door, where the family stored their shoes. Abigail’s shoes would be the easiest to carry all the way out to the kitchen, because they were the smallest. But Abigail was already wearing her shoes because she was outside, so I settled for one of Mom’s sneakers instead. I grabbed the laces with my teeth and dragged the shoe across the floor until I reached the kitchen.
Now, how on earth am I going to get it all the way up there? I wondered, eying the counter from my spot on the floor. Jumping is very difficult when you’re holding something that’s almost half your own size.
There was a chair not too far from the counter, that I’d probably be able to get to with the shoe in my mouth. I took a running start, making sure the laces were still clamped securely between my teeth, and jumped. Yes! I made it to the chair. From there, I was able to get up onto the counter and over to Lily. “This is a shoe,” I told her.
I’d forgotten that I was still holding the laces in my mouth. As soon as I spoke, the shoe dropped from my mouth and landed with a splash in the same pot of dirty water the sock had gone into.
“Oh!” Lily crowed excitedly. “Now I get it! I see the difference between a shoe and a sock! Shoes make a big splash, and socks make hardly any splash at all!” She swished around excitedly, sending reflections of her beautiful colors all throughout her bowl and up onto the ceiling. “Thank you, Tiger! You’re such a good teacher.”
The windowsill soon became my favorite place in the house to sit. I even liked it better than the sunny spots and the soft armchair. I was happy because I got to be with Lily, and teach her everything there was to know about the world.
“What are they doing out there?” Lily asked me one day, as we sat and watched Abigail and the neighbor boy kick a white and black ball around the backyard.
“They’re playing sock,” I explained. I was pretty sure that was what the game was called. Sometimes Dad liked to watch it on TV.
“Sock? I thought that was the thing people wore on their feet.” Lily was confused.
“It is. That’s why they call the game sock, because they kick the ball with their feet.”
“But I thought you said the things they wear on their feet while outside are called shoes.”
I thought about this for a moment. I had only ever seen the family wear socks to cover their feet when they were inside. But I had only ever seen them play the game with the black and white ball when they were outside. “Maybe I got the name wrong?” I admitted, embarrassed. “Maybe it’s actually called Shoe. Although I thought for sure they said sock.”
“What’s the difference between a sock and a shoe, anyway?” asked Lily.
I stared at her incredulously. “You don’t know what the difference is?”
“They both kind of look the same from here,” she said, peering through the glass of her bowl.
“Socks are very different from shoes. Socks are soft and floppy, and easy to pick up with your teeth. You can also bat them around and throw them in the air and hide them behind furniture. Shoes are a lot harder and heavier.”
“What do you mean, harder?” Lily asked.
“Harder. You know, like –” I tapped a paw against the glass of her bowl. “Your bowl is hard. But something like…” I looked around for a good example and saw one a few feet away on the counter. “Those brownies are soft.”
“I still don’t understand,” Lily complained. “Are you talking about color? Is soft another word for dark?”
“No…” Of course Lily wouldn’t have a good understanding of the difference between hard and soft. Everything around her was water!
I got an idea of how to show her the difference. “Lily,” I said, jumping down from the windowsill to the counter. “See how I’m standing on the counter?”
“Yes,” said Lily.
I moved over. “See what the counter looks like now? It looks exactly the same as it did before I stood on it.”
“Yes?” Lily didn’t yet understand what I was going to show her.
“Okay. Now look at those brownies. You can see what they look like right now, right? All smooth and flat?”
“Yes. I can see that. What are you getting at, Tiger?”
“Watch.” I walked over to the brownies, then, ever so carefully, climbed into the brownie pan. It was difficult fitting all four paws in there at once, and to be honest, it was a little toasty--it hadn’t been very long since the brownies had come out of the oven.
I stayed in the brownie pan for a few seconds, making sure to tread up and down a little for full effect. When I stepped out, there were four perfect indentations in the brownies. “See?” I said to Lily. “See how you can still see where my paws were, even though they’re not there anymore? That’s because brownies are soft.”
“Oh! I think I understand soft and hard.”
I thought about Lily in her bowl. There was so much of the world that she couldn’t explore, while in her bowl. Then I had an idea. “I’ll show you a sock and a shoe, up close,” I told her. “You’ll be able to see the difference then.”
I jumped down and ran into Abigail’s room. Abigail had the best socks. Mom’s and Dad’s socks were all the same color - plain, boring white. Abigail had all kinds of colors, and some of them had fun patterns on them, like stripes and polka-dots.
I spotted a bright pink sock lying on her floor, and quickly picked it up with my mouth. I ran back out to the kitchen and hopped up onto the windowsill next to Lily. “This is a sock,” I explained, depositing the sock right next to her bowl. “See how it’s kind of small and flat, and I can change what it looks like just by touching it?” I poked it with my paw, trying to show how it would scrunch up a little, but instead it just fell into a pot of dirty water in the sink. Oops.
“Now I’ll go get you a shoe,” I promised. I went to the front door, where the family stored their shoes. Abigail’s shoes would be the easiest to carry all the way out to the kitchen, because they were the smallest. But Abigail was already wearing her shoes because she was outside, so I settled for one of Mom’s sneakers instead. I grabbed the laces with my teeth and dragged the shoe across the floor until I reached the kitchen.
Now, how on earth am I going to get it all the way up there? I wondered, eying the counter from my spot on the floor. Jumping is very difficult when you’re holding something that’s almost half your own size.
There was a chair not too far from the counter, that I’d probably be able to get to with the shoe in my mouth. I took a running start, making sure the laces were still clamped securely between my teeth, and jumped. Yes! I made it to the chair. From there, I was able to get up onto the counter and over to Lily. “This is a shoe,” I told her.
I’d forgotten that I was still holding the laces in my mouth. As soon as I spoke, the shoe dropped from my mouth and landed with a splash in the same pot of dirty water the sock had gone into.
“Oh!” Lily crowed excitedly. “Now I get it! I see the difference between a shoe and a sock! Shoes make a big splash, and socks make hardly any splash at all!” She swished around excitedly, sending reflections of her beautiful colors all throughout her bowl and up onto the ceiling. “Thank you, Tiger! You’re such a good teacher.”
