Dirty Socks

Something to bring the soldiers home safe.

"Why are there dirty socks hanging from the chair?"
"To give me something to do when I make it back home."
"I hope you come home safe but I am going to move them."

A Task Unfinished

It seems strange not just to people outside of Bral but to the non-military families within it that some people just leave dirty socks hanging or laying around the house. To the military members - and, more importantly, their families - it is the most normal thing in the skies.
It is a simple superstition that has filled homes with dirty, smelly, socks; if a soldier leaves a task unfinished, they must return home safely so that they can complete the task. It is considered very bad luck to wash these socks - it may even get someone killed - until the soldier gets home and washes the pair themselves.

But Why Dirty Socks?

The entire tradition originated centuries ago when one low-ranked military man said he never leaves a task unfinished and that he left a pair of dirty socks to wash when he got back home from the front. The man did make it home unharmed and everyone who served with him bought into the superstition. In the present, it is incredibly widespread within the military.

Stub Article

This article is just a stub for now and will be expanded upon later.

Old Article

This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.

In-Progress Article

This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on.

Small Steps

There are many tasks that a service member may have to do when returning home. Helping on the farm or returning to the business, caring for the children or blessing their unions, so why dirty socks?
Military service is a difficult task and most people do not return home the same, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Cleaning socks is a simple task that they will be able to do upon their return.

About one-in-ten people of this nation have served in the military. Nine in ten of them leave dirty socks when they leave for duty.

— Ruya, The First National Census

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Bral Military