Dadcrossing Stories

  Chapter Three: The Kingdom in Peril Ariel felt like she was falling through a dream. The wind rushed past her ears, her hair flying upward like golden ribbons. Colors streaked past—blues, pinks, purples, sparkles of gold—like sliding down the inside of a magical rainbow. She wasn’t scared. Not really. Just... breathless. Beside her, Boo spun through the tunnel in a puff of fur and indignant yowls. Her yellow eyes were wide as saucers, and her paws flailed like she was trying to claw her way back up. “I hate this!” Boo screeched. Ariel could only laugh. It was wild, dizzying, and completely unbelievable—but somehow, she felt okay. Like she belonged here, even if she didn’t understand why yet. Then, as suddenly as the fall began, it stopped. They didn’t hit the ground with a thud. Instead, they floated . For just a second, Ariel hovered in the air, like time forgot about her. Then the air shimmered around her, and she gently landed on something soft. Grass. But not like any grass ...

  Chapter Two: The Rabbit and the Keyhole Ariel’s fingers tightened around the glowing key as she stared out the back window. The shimmer she had seen was gone now, but she knew it had been real. Her heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and nerves. She was about to step outside—into what, she didn’t know—but she wasn’t about to do it barefoot. She looked down at her toes wiggling against the cool floor and winced. If she was going on some kind of adventure, she wasn’t about to do it without shoes. Just as she spun on her heel to head back to her room, she heard a faint creak and a soft rustling sound coming from her parents' bedroom. She froze. Her eyes widened as she stared toward their door, her heart thudding in her ears. For a moment, she held her breath, worried she'd been too loud. When no footsteps followed, she let out a small sigh of relief and tiptoed more carefully. "Good job, noise machine," Boo muttered. "Maybe try not waking the entire ho...

  Chapter One: The Whispering Key Ariel jolted awake, her heart pounding. The room was dark except for the slivers of moonlight slipping through her curtains. Something had woken her, but what? She held her breath, listening. The house was quiet, the only sound the distant chirping of crickets outside and her brother snoring across the hall... how could he snore that loud and still sleep she wondered.   Then, there it was—a whisper. Not loud, not even clear, but enough to send a shiver down her spine. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Maybe she had imagined it. Maybe it was just a dream. Boo, her cat, was curled at the foot of her bed, a shadowy lump of black fur. One yellow eye cracked open, glinting in the dim light. "What now?" Boo grumbled, her voice rough with sleep. "You woke me up. This better be important." Ariel froze. Boo just… talked. "You—you spoke," she whispered, scooting back against her pillows and retracting her legs into a hug. Boo l...

  Chapter Seven: Back Through the Dryer Ariel stood in the midst of the joyous celebration, the excitement of the parade surrounding her. Socks bounced and cheered, bands of mismatched musicians played joyfully, and lint confetti drifted softly through the air like tiny cotton snowflakes. Yet, deep down, Ariel knew it was time to go home. As amazing as Sockopolis had been, she missed her family. "Sir Argyle," Ariel said softly, tugging at the sock's knitted sleeve. "I think it's time for me to get back home." Sir Argyle nodded wisely, adjusting his yarn mustache thoughtfully. "Aye, lass, I thought you might be saying that. You've got your sock back, and your family's surely missing you." Captain Threadbare and Pinky approached Ariel, smiles wide and eyes bright with emotion. "We'll miss you terribly!" Pinky sniffled, her fluffy eyes glistening with tiny, woolly tears. "Sockopolis won't be the same without you,...

  Chapter Six: The Wild Ride To Sockopolis! "Quick! We need to free those socks!" Ariel shouted, charging toward Fabric Falls with determination. Sir Argyle and the Forgotten Socks raced close behind, each shouting encouraging words and battle cries. Captain Threadbare brandished his knitted shoelace sword, waving it grandly. "Freedom for all socks! Charge!" As they reached the kidnapped socks, Ariel quickly untied the yarn ropes holding them captive. Small socks, big socks, socks with silly patterns and mismatched colors—all bounced joyously, chanting Ariel’s name as they were released. "You're our hero, Ariel!" cheered a tiny purple ankle sock, hopping gleefully. "We thought we’d never see Sockopolis again!" Just then, a loud shout drew Ariel’s attention. "Look! Dust bunnies incoming!" Sir Argyle raised his safety-pin sword dramatically. "Defend yourselves, lads and lasses! Remember, they bite like loose threads on old ...

  Chapter Five: The Great Sock Rescue "Givvveee meee my sock!" Ariel shouted, charging toward Fabric Falls. Her sneakers slipped and skidded on the soft, fuzzy ground, sending clouds of lint flying everywhere. Behind her, the Forgotten Socks cheered enthusiastically. Pinky bounced along, shouting, "Go, Ariel, go!" Sir Argyle ran after them, shaking his head dramatically. "Ohhh boy... don't forget about the dust bunnies!" Almost as if on cue, tiny puffs of fluff began hopping out from the shadows, their little eyes glowing mischievously. "Look out!" Argyle yelled. Ariel jumped sideways, narrowly avoiding a swarm of hopping dust bunnies. "They’re everywhere!" Captain Threadbare exclaimed, swatting them away with a knitted sword made from old shoelaces. Stitch yelped, scrambling onto Argyle’s shoulder. "Help! Dust bunny attack!" Argyle chuckled despite himself, waving his safety pin weapon at the fluffy creatures. "Get b...

  Chapter Four: The Lint Land Mystery Ariel's heart was beating faster than a sneaker in a dryer. She stared into the darkness, gripping tightly to Sir Argyle’s fabric sleeve. More pairs of glowing button eyes appeared, each pair flickering in the shadows like eerie fireflies. "You don't belong here," the voice hissed again, echoing around them. "W-who's there?" Ariel squeaked, trying to sound brave and failing miserably. Suddenly, from the shadows stepped several socks—frayed, dusty, and patched up with mismatched threads. At the front stood a stern-looking sock with stripes so faded you could barely tell they'd once been red and white. "We're the Forgotten Socks," the striped sock announced dramatically, folding his knitted arms. "I'm Captain Threadbare." "The Forgotten Socks?" Ariel whispered to Sir Argyle. "Aye, socks lost for so long everyone forgot they even existed," Sir Argyle explained i...

  Chapter Three: The Socknappers’ Secret Ariel stood frozen as the press conference continued in front of the Mayor’s office. But as soon as the socks in the crowd noticed her, a ripple of gasps spread through the gathering. Some socks nearly unraveled in shock, while others whispered frantically to each other. "A human? Here?!" "I thought they were just a myth!" "Is she here to steal socks or return them?!" One particularly dramatic sock clutched its heel and fainted straight into a laundry basket beside Deputy McStockings.  Sock reporters were shouting questions, Deputy Socksy McStockings was still sprawled in a laundry basket after fainting, and the Mayor was adjusting his safety pin brooch with a look of concern. Sir Argyle leaned toward Ariel. "Looks like we came at an interesting time, eh?" "Interesting?" Ariel whispered back. "They're talking about socknappers! Like, actual sock thieves?!" "Aye, and that mean...