One day, when out for a walk, Ozy and Millie came across a red-and-white-striped hat. "Now, this is a very unusual hat," said Ozy. "I wonder what's under a hat such as that," said Millie. "It could be a creature they call the Ga-Zat," said Ozy, "who balances things on his head 'cause it's flat." "Or a stripe-loving Pipester from Upper Mount Bat," said Millie, "or a sort of a, kind of a, hat-wearing..." "Cat!" they said together. As soon as Ozy and Millie said that, a cat popped out from under the hat. He had black fur (white on his face) and a red bow tie. The Cat in the Hat! "How did you know?" he asked. "Just a guess," said Millie. "I thought I might give you something," said the Cat, and he took a yellow book out of his hat. Millie read the title: "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?" by Dr. Seuss. "I should have guessed," she said. "I know someone who might like this," said Ozy. "Two someones, actually." As Ozy said this, Millie took his hat and the Cat's hat and placed Ozy's hat upside-down on the ground and the Cat's hat on top of it. Then she placed the hats back on their heads. "Well, I hope you like it," said the Cat, who hadn't noticed anything.
At Millie's house, Ozy read the book to Millie, showing her the pictures as he read. When he reached the Bee-Watcher, Millie said, "Hawtch-Hawtch? Isn't that just south of here?" "Yes, it is," said Ozy. "The bee-watching predicament has been solved by now. Why have to watch one bee when you could just bring a bunch of more bees to help the original?" "Who saved the town?" asked Millie. "I heard the name of whoever it was," said Ozy. "I think it was Sekoila Zarner or something like that." "Well," said Millie, "I'd like to hear the rest of the story." "Okay," said Ozy, and he continued reading. However, when he reached the Pants-Eating Plants, Millie got so scared she jumped out of her chair! "Pants-Eating Plants?!" she asked, surprised. "Do you want me to continue reading or not?" asked Ozy. "Sure," said Millie. "Go ahead." When Ozy finished reading, Millie got up and started to leave. "Where are you going?" asked Ozy. "I have to talk to the Cat," said Millie.
Millie found the Cat where he was earlier. "What's wrong?" asked the Cat. "I have a question," said Millie. "About Hawtch-Hawtch?" said the Cat. "No," said Millie. "About the Pants-Eating Plants. Where else can they be found besides France?" "Lots of places," said the Cat. "There's Dillydale, Nearburg, Acme Acres, Whoville, and I haven't even mentioned the Jungle of Nool." "Anywhere in or near Hawtch-Hawtch? This town is just north of there." "No," said the Cat, "not that I know of." "And what kinds of pants do they eat?" asked Millie. "All kinds," said the Cat. "Jeans, sweatpants, shorts, overalls, swim trunks, you get the idea."
The next morning, Millie woke up to find that her mom and Llewellyn were taking her and Ozy someplace special. "I wonder where it could be," wondered Millie. "You'll soon find out," said Llewellyn. The next thing Millie knew, she was on an airplane headed to Dillydale. "This is going to be interesting," said Ozy. "Dillydale is the capital of Misterland, the home of the Mr. Men and Little Misses. You do know about the Mr. Men and Little Misses, right?" "Yes," said Millie, "but what concerns me..." "I'm sure there are no Pants-Eating Plants there, Millie," said Ozy. "Don't worry."
When the plane landed, Millie was hesitant to get off. But then she saw an orange, round Little Miss with a green nose, red hair, blue and white sneakers, long arms and legs, a fox-eared headband, blue overalls, and a fox tail come by the plane. "Millie," said Ozy, "she looks kind of like you." "Welcome to Dillydale," said the Little Miss. "I'm Little Miss Knots, and I'll be taking you on a tour of our town!" "She sounds like you, too," said Ozy. Miss Knots showed Ozy and Millie to a forest. "This is the famous Dillydale Forest," said Miss Knots. "On the other side is Mystery Lane, where a friend of mine lives." "Do we have to go through the forest?" asked Millie. "Sure!" said Miss Knots. "Follow me!" Miss Knots went into the forest, followed by Ozy and Millie. Millie was hesitant to go, as she knew there were Pants-Eating Plants in Dillydale. When she did go, she soon noticed none of the plants were after her! But then Miss Knots stopped halfway into the forest. "We are entering a very dangerous area," she said. "This is the section of the Dillydale Forest where you can find Pants-Eating Plants!" "Pants-Eating Plants?!" said Millie, surprised. "I knew we should have gone around the forest." "To avoid them, this is what I do," said Miss Knots, and she stretched her legs up high so the plants could not get to her. "We can't do that," said Ozy. "And besides, I'm too smart for them!" "I'm not," said Millie. "Then climb on!" said Miss Knots, and she stretched her arms down so Millie could get on. Miss Knots lifted Millie up into the air. Halfway through the Pants-Eating Plants, Miss Knots accidentally dropped Millie, who landed on one of the Pants-Eating Plants! Millie closed her eyes, and Miss Knots made a beeping noise over and over.
Millie opened her eyes to see what was beeping. She looked around. She was in her room, and there was no sign of any Pants-Eating Plants! It was all just a dream! And the beeping noise was her alarm clock! "That was a close call," said Millie when she heard a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" she said. At the door was a package, which Millie took inside. Behind the house was Avery. "Won't she be surprised?" he said. Millie opened the package to find a Pants-Eating Plant inside!
A few minutes later, at Ozy's house, there was a knock on the door, and Ozy answered the door. At the door was Millie in a purple bathing suit. "You're lucky," she said, "you don't wear pants."
I was reading Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? when I came up with the idea for this story. I was wondering, "What would happen if Millie came across the Pants-Eating Plants?" And yes, Avery did send that package to Millie.