Fikus (closed)
Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 10:14 am
"Now rot."
These words came as he hunched over, joining the golden clasp of the shoe around her ankle. She bent forward in admiration of the shoe, a spartan affair of gold chain that bound her to a leather sole. Unsure if the source of the words came from within or without, she pursed her lips, hesitating before letting the words fade away.
"It's a lovely fit, isn't it?"
"Yes, like they were fashioned with you in mind."
"Hmmmmmm..."
She looked out the window, admiring the setting sun reflecting off the building across the street. The orange light shaved everyone who walked along the street into silhouettes of black scurrying from the glare, each with a finite destination. The man remained hunched, fastening the other shoe. One of the figures stopped in the window, staring in with hesitation before briskly turning back towards his original path. She shook her foot, the gold chains ringing with a deadened weight. She could feel the man smile.
"You always expect gold to sound lighter, more vibrant."
"Yes, and the plated ones do, cores of steel and copper. That sound carries the weight of authenticity."
He stood with a fluid motion that brushed the wrinkles from his pants and buttoned his suit. He gave a single empathetic clap as he smiled down at her feet. She stood, tottering briefly due to the awkward closeness between the man and her. Stabilizing her with a soft grip, he steered her to the closest mirror to admire the simplicity and grace of the shoe's grasp upon her.
"A fit worthy of a queen."
She smiled. She wasn't sure why she smiled.
"Will you be taking these home with you, miss?"
"Naturally, place them on my line of credit."
"Of course, miss, and your old shoes?"
"Please dispose of them."
He nodded with grace as she exited the storefront, joining the teeming multitudes of blackened figures pressing their ways downtown. A bubble of space surrounded her, the others like an impure haze incapable of touching her. She could see the city unfold beneath her, an endless grid of branches and avenue gilded in an afternoon sun that seemed to sink with her every step. The wind picked up around her ankles, her shoes ringing with a dull empathy. The sun blinked, but none seemed to mind.
These words came as he hunched over, joining the golden clasp of the shoe around her ankle. She bent forward in admiration of the shoe, a spartan affair of gold chain that bound her to a leather sole. Unsure if the source of the words came from within or without, she pursed her lips, hesitating before letting the words fade away.
"It's a lovely fit, isn't it?"
"Yes, like they were fashioned with you in mind."
"Hmmmmmm..."
She looked out the window, admiring the setting sun reflecting off the building across the street. The orange light shaved everyone who walked along the street into silhouettes of black scurrying from the glare, each with a finite destination. The man remained hunched, fastening the other shoe. One of the figures stopped in the window, staring in with hesitation before briskly turning back towards his original path. She shook her foot, the gold chains ringing with a deadened weight. She could feel the man smile.
"You always expect gold to sound lighter, more vibrant."
"Yes, and the plated ones do, cores of steel and copper. That sound carries the weight of authenticity."
He stood with a fluid motion that brushed the wrinkles from his pants and buttoned his suit. He gave a single empathetic clap as he smiled down at her feet. She stood, tottering briefly due to the awkward closeness between the man and her. Stabilizing her with a soft grip, he steered her to the closest mirror to admire the simplicity and grace of the shoe's grasp upon her.
"A fit worthy of a queen."
She smiled. She wasn't sure why she smiled.
"Will you be taking these home with you, miss?"
"Naturally, place them on my line of credit."
"Of course, miss, and your old shoes?"
"Please dispose of them."
He nodded with grace as she exited the storefront, joining the teeming multitudes of blackened figures pressing their ways downtown. A bubble of space surrounded her, the others like an impure haze incapable of touching her. She could see the city unfold beneath her, an endless grid of branches and avenue gilded in an afternoon sun that seemed to sink with her every step. The wind picked up around her ankles, her shoes ringing with a dull empathy. The sun blinked, but none seemed to mind.