The Curious Case of the Missing Socks

It all began on an ordinary Tuesday, or at least, it was supposed to be. By 8:00 AM, Greg had already had his usual two cups of coffee and was getting ready for work. But when he went to his bedroom to grab his socks, he noticed something odd: one sock was missing. The other lay there, almost mocking him.

“Not again,” he muttered. This wasn’t the first time his socks had mysteriously disappeared. Greg had long suspected that his laundry basket was a portal to another world where socks vanished. He wasn’t alone in this theory. His roommate, James, had also been losing socks, though he accused Greg of secretly hoarding them. “It’s either socks or pretzels,” he’d joked last week. “I’m starting to think you’ve got a sock obsession.”

Greg rolled his eyes, but today, the missing sock felt important. He couldn’t afford to be late for work again, especially after his boss had criticized his “lack of work ethic” during yesterday’s meeting. “You need to be more reliable, Greg,” she’d said, tapping her pen like it held magical powers. “Show up on time. Prove that you’re serious about this job.”

Greg sighed and began searching. He pulled back the bed covers—nothing. He checked the drawers—nada. He even looked in the bathroom, where socks had vanished before. Still no sock. His pulse quickened. This wasn’t just any sock; it was the perfect sock—the one that fit just right and didn’t twist.

He decided to think strategically. Where would he hide his socks if he were the one to disappear? Under the couch? Too obvious. The kitchen? Unlikely, unless the sock liked pasta. As he stared out the window, a thought struck him—his neighbor, Alice.

Alice had lived next door for two years, and despite their polite exchanges, Greg didn’t fully trust her. She wore shoes that seemed too shiny for a librarian, and her cat had an unnatural obsession with socks. It was possible that Alice, out of boredom or madness, had become the sock thief.

Without hesitation, Greg grabbed his jacket, keys, and left the apartment. His mind raced with thoughts of confrontation: Should he knock and accuse her of stealing? Or sneak into her apartment and conduct his own sock investigation?

He reached her door and paused. He knocked twice. The door creaked open. Alice stood there, surprised.

“Can I help you, Greg?” she asked, her voice casual, almost amused.

Greg, with determination, blurted, “Where are my socks, Alice?”

She blinked. “Your socks?”

“Yes, my socks! You’ve been stealing them, haven’t you?”

Alice paused, then said, “I think I saw some socks in the laundry room. Maybe you left them there?”

Greg stared, then glanced down at her feet. There, right on her feet, were his socks—the perfect pair.

Without a word, he turned and left, defeated by the absurdity. He had been so wrapped up in the missing socks drama that he didn’t realize they were right in front of him.

EN

Common sentences:

1. "His laundry basket was a portal to another dimension."

   • Meaning: This is a humorous metaphor. It suggests that socks are mysteriously disappearing as though the laundry basket leads to a magical or unknown place, where items vanish for no reason.

2. “She tapped her pen on the table like it was some sort of mysterious instrument of power.”

   • Meaning: This is a playful exaggeration. It implies that Alice’s boss was using her pen in a dramatic way, making it seem like she had some hidden authority or power, even though it was just a pen.

3. “Greg could feel his pulse quicken; this wasn’t just any sock.”

   • Meaning: This phrase emphasizes how much Greg cares about the missing sock. His heart rate increases because the sock seems unusually important to him, even though it’s just a sock.

4. “The solution is right in front of you.”

   • Meaning: This is an idiomatic expression that means the answer or solution to a problem is obvious, but sometimes it takes a moment for someone to realize it.

5. “He couldn’t help but laugh at himself.”

   • Meaning: This phrase shows self-awareness and humility. Greg finds the situation so absurd that he can’t help but laugh at how seriously he had been taking the sock mystery, even though it was all just a misunderstanding.