By: Vanessa Cutts

Saul sat on the steps looking at his feet. He had been looking at his feet for nearly ten minutes wiggling his toes occasionally. Yesterday his pet rabbit had died. They had taken Bobby Bunny to the vets and his mum said that they would look after him there. Saul remembered crying for a long time. He was angry and confused. He wanted Bobby Bunny to be with him, to play but he wasn’t, he was gone.

Saul continued to stare at his feet. There was a big hole in the toe of the sock on his right foot. He made a mental note to cut his toe nails. His socks were getting old. This was new to Saul because he was only seven. Where had the hole come from? Saul felt sad and numb and then sad again. What happens to pairs of socks when one has a hole and the other doesn’t, he thought. If you throw the holey one away what happens to the one that’s left? Will it be lonely or are there millions of odd socks and gloves somewhere?

‘What are you staring at?’ asked Saul’s Mother.

‘There’s a hole in my sock,’ he replied.

‘We can darn it, let me have a look. It’s inside out silly. Where is it? Is it in the heel or sole? Oh it’s a very big hole and that’s your big toe.’ She pulled his toe but Saul didn’t laugh, it didn’t tickle.

‘We can buy you some new red socks later. Would you like me to darn the hole? Put some others on for now.’

Saul changed his socks while his Mum found a needle and some wool. When the sock was darned the hole disappeared. It was like a cut on his knee that healed. He knew the hole had been there. He could feel a thicker bit of wool rubbing on his toe where it was darned that irritated him when he walked. Gradually he forgot about the hole and with every step of his new socks he remembered Bobby Bunny. He kept the old socks in his drawer and didn’t throw them away. They were still together and he didn’t have to feel sad that they missed each other if one was left on its own.

Saul’s new rabbit was called Vivisection.