At Midnight

All was quiet in the house. The only sound was the ticking of the clock downstairs, and sometimes Jack barked in his sleep. The clock struck twelve.

In the room of the little girl, Mary, only the toys and objects were awake. Someone was opening the door of her bedroom.

It was a Needle that walked in. A long white Thread followed it. I do not know why they came, but they were there. It seemed they were quarreling.

The Needle with its one eye looked down at the Thread and said, “I am tired. Why must I take you and your sisters through holes?” “I do all the hard work; you just follow me.”

The Thread replied, “My sisters and I are not lazy. We have to hold things together. Some of my sisters are in Mary's dress, and it is not easy to stay there. You are in the work-basket and talk to the other Needles and Pins. You even talk to our enemy, the Scissors, who separated me from my sisters.”

The Needle turned away and ran out of the room. The thread quickly followed.