Ten Socks to Freedom

An Axis Powers Hetalia Oneshot

A Twizardck Production

There is a stocking from back when I was a baby. It has no match. It is alone. It is a rich stocking. It is white, and it has lace rimming it. There is only the slightest tear, right where my big toe would have been. I never wanted to mend it, even though he had always offered. That is my first sock.

There is a stocking from back when I was a toddler. Its partner is long gone. It is alone. It is another rich stocking. It is gray, but it too is lacy. There is no tear, but dirt crusts the heel. I never wanted to clean it, even though he had always offered. That is my second sock.

There is a stocking from back when I was five. It has a partner, but it too has long been lost. It is alone. It is slightly less rich, but not by much. There is no more lace. It is not torn, it is not dirty, but I cut it down to where it would reach only my ankle. I never wanted to fix it, even though he had always offered. That is my third sock.

There is a sock from back when I was eight. I remember throwing its pair into the river. It is alone. It is white, made of badly spun silk. It is torn and dirty. I always wanted to lose it, to forget those times, but he never let me. That is my fourth sock.

There is a sock from back when I was ten. I remember its match being torn from me by a beggar in the street. It is made out of scratchy wool, and in terrible shape. It is missing most of its parts, held together my stubborn strings. I kept it, even though he always wanted me to lose it, thinking I was holding grudges. That is my fifth sock.

There is a sock from back when I was twelve. Its match is buried in some drawer, but it is not important. This sock chooses to be alone. It is solitary. It is a regular sock, finer wool in the basic outline of a foot. I keep it with me, even though he always says that it isn't worth anything. That is my sixth sock.

There is a sock from back when I was fourteen. I lost its partner during some skirmish. Its wool is courser, harsh. But other than that it is not anything special. There is no particular reason why I hold onto it, and he makes it clear that he thinks I am stupid for keeping it. That is my seventh sock.

There is a sock from back when I was sixteen. I threw out its pair because I could not even touch it or it would crumble. It can hardly be called a sock, for it is so short, coming up only to my heel. It is covered in dirt and blood. There are deep cuts in it. I will protect this sock, though I know that he wants it gone. Now he won't even look at it. That is my eighth sock.

There is a sock from back when I was eighteen. It isn't anything special, it and its pair, as I do have both. They are wool again, but fine and gentle. It is well worn. This sock is a harsh memory for me, but I keep it around. He shows no care about this one. That is my ninth sock.

I wear a sock now, at nineteen. It is bought from Walmart, it and its pair. They are cotton and fit my feet, coming up the middle of my thighs so I can wear boots. It is the sock I wear today. That is my tenth sock.

He thinks that I am crazy, but these socks are memories from my past. They are my ten socks to who I am today, those ten to freedom. For I am America.

O.o.O

Author's Note: "He" is England, if you haven't guessed. I know that I should have been working on "The Rise of the Fallen Land" or "Not That Crazy" or "My Name is Alice," but a friend of mine inspired me to do this. She is the friend that I believes acts like America, and she said that she keeps some of her old socks because they reminder of who she has been.

Now, I'm not going to tell you exactly what I was thinking when I wrote these different ones, but I'll tell you the basic thing that happened then.

The First Sock – America as a baby, found by England

The Second Sock – America of two colonies, Massachusetts and Virginia

The Third Sock – America when the taxes begin to rise

The Fourth Sock – America as the taxes continue to rise

The Fifth Sock – America during the Boston Tea Party and Boston Massacre

The Sixth Sock – America when more of his people start to think about independence

The Seventh Sock – America when fighting breaks out between the Loyalists and the Patriots

The Eighth Sock – Revolutionary War America

The Ninth Sock – Civil War America

The Tenth Sock – America of today

Now I'm not sure exactly what ages America was during each of these events, but I ball parked it. I know that it isn't perfect, and that some of the time period descriptions are off, but what really matters is the emotion. Review please?