In one splendid blue jacket that belonged to a boy named Mickey, strange things were happening. Whenever the cold wind blew outside and Mickey wanted to zip up his jacket, the zipper would get stuck. Mickey pulled and tried, but nothing worked. He had no idea that a great "tooth war" was taking place right on his jacket.
On the left side of the zipper lived the teeth called Lefties, and on the right side lived the Righties. And they truly didn't like each other.
"We are straighter!" shouted the Lefties. "That's not true! We shine more!" snapped back the Righties. "Without us, the zipper would be incomplete!" fumed the Lefties. "And without us too!" stomped the Righties.
They argued so loudly that they pushed away from each other and didn't even want to see one another.
Down at the very beginning of the zipper sat a small silver slider named Rider. Whenever Mickey's fingers grabbed him and pulled upward, Rider tried to connect the teeth. But they stubbornly pulled away.
"Brrr," Mickey shivered from the cold. The wind blew right through to his sweater. "Oh, this new jacket... Why won't it zip up?"
Rider sighed sadly. He heard Mickey's shivering voice and felt sorry for him. "This must stop," he whispered to himself determinedly. "I will end this war."
He took advantage of a moment when Mickey let go of the zipper and called out along the entire length of the jacket: "Hey, teeth! Listen to me!"
Some quieted down, others continued grumbling.
"Stop arguing and look at yourselves!" continued Rider. He slowly moved to the first tooth on the left. "Hello. What's your name?" "I'm Lefty the First," muttered the tooth. "Fine, Lefty. Look at your neighbor across from you."
Rider moved to the first tooth on the right. "And who are you?" "Righty the Most Beautiful," declared the tooth proudly.
"Alright, Lefty and Righty," said Rider patiently. "Have you ever noticed how different, yet interesting, you are? You, Lefty, have a small groove on your side. And you, Righty, have a small protrusion in exactly the same place."
Both teeth looked at each other in surprise. Indeed. They had never noticed this before.
Rider smiled. "You're not enemies! You're like two puzzle pieces. Righty's protrusion is made exactly to fit into Lefty's groove. You're not here to argue, but to connect."
All the teeth on the zipper fell silent and listened. This was news to them.
"And me?" continued Rider, gently swaying. "I'm not just an ordinary slider. My inside is like a small wedge-shaped tunnel. When Mickey pulls me up, I gently push you toward each other. Exactly so that you fit together nicely. Click! And hold together."
The teeth began whispering among themselves. "He's right," whispered one Lefty. "Look, I really do have a groove!" "And I have a protrusion!" called out a Righty across from him. "It would fit perfectly into yours!"
Suddenly they were no longer scowling. Instead, they were curiously leaning toward each other. They understood that their shapes weren't random.
"When you're alone, even the smallest breeze can blow you away," explained Rider. "But when you connect... You create a strong and impenetrable wall that will protect Mickey from the cold. Your strength isn't in who is more beautiful or straighter. Your strength is in cooperation."
"So... we need each other?" asked Lefty the First cautiously. "Yes," nodded Righty the Most Beautiful, who was no longer so proud, but rather curious. "And I need you."
Just then Mickey touched Rider again. "I'll try this one last time."
"Now!" called Rider to the teeth. "Let's show him how it works!"
Mickey pulled. Rider moved upward with joy. And this time magic happened. The first Lefty and first Righty willingly approached each other. Rider gently guided them and... CLICK! They connected so perfectly, as if they were one whole piece. Rider continued higher. CLICK! Second pair. CLICK! Third pair.
It went smoothly and quickly. The teeth joyfully connected one after another, creating a firm, neat line. They no longer argued. Instead, they whispered contentedly: "We're holding! We're together!"
In a few seconds, Rider was all the way up, right under Mickey's chin. The zipper was zipped.
"Hooray!" Mickey rejoiced. Suddenly he was warm and comfortable. The blowing wind could no longer reach him. He stroked his blue jacket and was glad to have it.
And the teeth on the zipper? They were the happiest of all. They discovered that arguing was pointless and that they felt best when they stuck together. From that day on, no tooth war ever took place on Mickey's jacket again.
And what about that zipper on your jacket or hoodie? Try to look. Surely its teeth also know that the greatest strength lies in friendship and cooperation.