Order in the Court (Chamber)

The gavel slammed down so hard, the sound reverberated throughout the tight chamber. Judge Pastel screamed, ORDER!

The room quieted.

The defendant made his case, “You have no idea what I’m going through, Your Honor. I can NOT stand it anymore, and I refuse to foot the bill for what is undoubtedly a stinky operation.”

Toots Argyle, a prominent attorney who dressed contemporarily, but whose name lent itself to some smirks, leaned into the defendant stand, and rested her elbow on the ledge. Beoseon Silk backed up.

“So you’re telling me, Mr. Silk, that you abandoned your partner because you couldn’t stand the smell?”

Spectators looked appalled.

“Oh, you don’t understand. It was a nightmare! Yes, that is exactly what I’m telling you!”

The chamber went silent. Partners were disappearing so frequently lately, newscasters were broadcasting the disappearances with alarming frequency. Comedians joked about it.

Something reeked.

In the last decade, more partners went missing than ever before. Beoseon Silk wasn’t the only perpetrator, and though Toots was aware of that fact, she felt she was pointing her toe in the right direction.

“You’re a member of the Cashmere ancestry, aren’t you, Beoseon Silk?” Toots Argyle pressed.

“You make me sound like I’m an abandoner.”

Toots caught a whiff of fear escaping from Beoseon Silk’s sole. “YOU ARE, Mr. Silk!”

Judge Pastel stared at Toots. The stench in the room was becoming palpable. “I’m the judge, Ms. Argyle. And I’ll decide whether or not Mr. Silk abandoned his partner. What the Cashmeres did or did not do is of no consequence to this hearing or to me.”

“Sorry, Your Honor.”

Judge Pastel looked around the room and remarked, “Perhaps we should clear the chamber. My instincts tells me that once we’ve cleared out, the partner may appear.”

The Chamber emptied, but still the partner was afoot.

When they reconvened, Judge Pastel observed that his instincts stunk. He announced, “I have determined that this is and always will be the eternal mystery.”

And that was the last time the Missing Sock Committee convened.