By the time Wilson and Byron returned from the village, weighed down with supplies for their Sockorations™® venture, Nërp had opened the crate – only to reveal another crate nestling inside. Whatever the eventual contents, it is very well packed!
The boys crowded round, watching Nërp remove the inner box.
Finally he lifted the lid to reveal… a robot sitting inside – much smaller than Nërp – grasping what appeared to be a tiny plush toy robot.
'Allow me to introduce my niece,' Nerp announced 'Her name is Jīqìrén.'
'Jī-qì-rén' we all repeated slowly, trying to get our tongues round the unfamiliar but exotically alluring name…
Wilson and Byron popped into the village early this morning to buy plastic baggies and glittery paper shapes for their Sockorations™® project.
Having spent quite a long time this morning sticking little paper decorations onto my socks, I privately think that Sockorations™® is a doomed concept, but at least it is far less expensive than some of Wilson's previous brainwaves and get-rich-quick schemes.
Anyway, while the boys were out a flat-back truck arrived bearing a large wooden crate – Wilson is constantly receiving mysterious shipments like this, so I went out to speak to the driver.
Unusually – uniquely, even – the delivery was for Nërp, so I called into the house to let him know a large package had arrived for him.
He hurried outside to sign for it and supervise the unloading – showing every sign of having been expecting this colossal consignment…
Not wishing to embarrass Wilson with my tawdry dress sense, as soon as I woke this morning I selected two non-matching ODDSIES! and tore open my packet of 'Sockorations'.
They immediately spilled all over the floor, but once I had retrieved them I proceeded to apply a few to my socks and went downstairs to breakfast.
Wilson met me at the foot of the stairs, glanced at my feet and said, 'Looking good, New Dad, looking good!'
Examining me more closely, he asked, 'So how many Sockorations Stickers did you use?'
'Oh, around eight I suppose,' I replied, 'four per sock.'
Wilson frowned and turned to Byron, saying, 'He only used about eight – between both feet. At that rate a packet will last for months!'
'Perhaps we could add a Suggested Minimum Quantity to the instructions?' Byron said.
'We could do that,' Wilson agreed, 'Or we could drastically reduce the number of stickers in each packet.'
They both nodded in unison – a marketing decision had been made.
'Shall I let Marketing manager Antony know that we're reducing the Pack Count?' Byron inquired.
'If you'd be so kind!' W replied…
