Home > Fiction > FF – Stay Vigilant

FF – Stay Vigilant

Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Roger Bultot.

According to MS Word, “This language may be offensive to your reader.” You have been warned 😮

Copyright Roger Bultot

Shoes. Comfortable. Keep your feet warm. Take you where you need to go.

But what if they don’t? Occasionally, you get a well dodgy pair. They pull you into a pub, a gambling shop. They force you to kick some poor unsuspecting mug in the nuts.

Some shoes can be right proper bastards.

And what do you do then? You hang them. Hang them by the laces until they be dead.

It may seem harsh, but it’s the only way.

Keep your wits about you. Are any of your shoes right proper bastards? If so, act now.

Stay vigilant. Stay safe.

  1. March 30, 2022 at 3:29 pm

    Who’s the poor little fellow hanging on to those shoes on the left? What did he do to upset you?

    Liked by 1 person

  2. March 30, 2022 at 3:58 pm

    I’ll have to retrain my trainers before they get me into trouble.

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 2:27 pm

      The retraining of trainers is not an easy prospect.

      Like

  3. March 30, 2022 at 4:08 pm

    Absolutely lovely, this whimsy

    Like

  4. Michael Humphris
    March 30, 2022 at 4:13 pm

    I right enjoyed reading this, great story telling

    Like

  5. March 30, 2022 at 4:16 pm

    My shoes gave me blisters. I reckon I’ve got some proper bastards!

    Like

  6. March 30, 2022 at 4:17 pm

    Ah! So the shoes DO make the man (or person).
    In that case, I much prefer HANGING onto shoes that make me a bastard 😁

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 2:32 pm

      It’s much more fun that way 🙂

      Like

  7. March 30, 2022 at 4:18 pm

    Very educational. And now I can now blame my shoes for the extravagant shopping spree! 🙂

    Like

  8. March 31, 2022 at 1:44 am

    They can be dangerous to your health.

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 2:33 pm

      Barefoot’s the safest way to go.

      Like

  9. March 31, 2022 at 9:28 am

    Yep, I have a pair like that. They take me into shops and I am forced to buy completely useless items. Hell my trousers are worse! Fun read.

    Like

  10. March 31, 2022 at 11:26 am

    That’s a great story, Ali! Loved it. You’re getting better and better.

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 2:38 pm

      Thanks 🙂 This one wrote itself as soon as I saw the hanging shoes 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. March 31, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    Dear Ali,

    Sure. Sure. Blame the shoes. Love the style and construct of this story. Bravo!

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 2:54 pm

      Dear Rochelle,
      Yeah, guv, it were the shoes, honest!
      I’m glad you liked it 🙂
      Ali

      Like

  12. March 31, 2022 at 12:30 pm

    The driver is going to have to raise their plow really high to clear out that gallows of rotten shoes….

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 3:00 pm

      Yes, but it has to be done. Once they’ve hung there a few days as a warning to other errant shoes…

      Like

  13. March 31, 2022 at 1:51 pm

    Oh, dear. Now how should I handle my flip-flops? Flip them by their flops?

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 3:00 pm

      In my experience flip-flops are pretty well-behaved 🙂

      Like

  14. March 31, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    Even my furry slippers can be nasty, you won’t believe what they did the other day!

    Like

    • March 31, 2022 at 3:01 pm

      I’m not sure I want to know 😮 Furry slippers are notorious for going “off mission”.

      Like

  15. March 31, 2022 at 4:08 pm

    I told the judge it was the fault of the shoes. He did not believe me. Nicely done.

    Like

  16. March 31, 2022 at 4:59 pm

    like they say, if the shoes fit… great story. 🙂

    Like

  17. March 31, 2022 at 6:11 pm

    This brilliant story reminds me of Anthony Burgess and his “Clockwork Orange” and the last (censored and excised in the US) last chapter. Well done!

    Like

  18. April 1, 2022 at 4:20 am

    Good prose poem, with some rhythms!

    Like

  19. April 1, 2022 at 12:35 pm

    Hm. I’ve had some bastard shoes like that. Recently though, it’s bastard mouses that drag me to online shops and make me buy useless stuff… maybe time to hang them, too.
    Brilliant story, love it.

    Like

    • April 3, 2022 at 5:53 am

      That’s true – mouses are the new shoes! And they come ready-equipped with a hanging cord.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. April 2, 2022 at 4:41 am

    The shoes made me do it! Killed a man — shoes made me do it. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Lyn
    April 2, 2022 at 7:16 am

    And not just dragging to into the pub, but they team up with little pebbles (the sharper the better) to torture you when you least expect it and aren’t in the position to take off your shoe and remove the little b….r.

    Like

  22. April 3, 2022 at 7:11 am

    I’m glad it’s only the occasional pair that are dodgy. I’ve always suspected mine of reproducing all by themselves. My shoe cupboard always seems to be chockablock and I have no idea where all those shoes come from. Truly.

    Like

    • April 3, 2022 at 4:27 pm

      See! See! While you’re asleep your shoes are taking you shoe shopping! Building the army!

      Liked by 1 person

  23. April 4, 2022 at 3:10 pm

    Oh, if only I could blame my shoes for all my evil inclinations!

    Like

  24. April 4, 2022 at 4:27 pm

    Brilliant advice. Thanks.

    Like

  25. April 4, 2022 at 8:35 pm

    Most of my shoes are right bastards, with very big teeth. Flip flops are best ‘cos they daren’t bite my toes while I’m watching.

    Like

    • April 6, 2022 at 5:57 am

      Flip flops are known to be amongst the least aggressive of their species.

      Like

  26. April 6, 2022 at 1:55 am

    It’s good to know the shoes are fault, not me, and how to correct the mischievous bastards. This is a very helpful and informative piece.

    Like

  27. April 6, 2022 at 7:42 am

    MOL…thank Cat I only have paws…MOL…Here’s some Pawkisses to proof it🐾😽💞

    Like

    • April 8, 2022 at 12:27 pm

      Phew. Watch out for paw mittens though 🙂

      Like

  1. April 5, 2022 at 5:49 am

Leave a reply to draliman Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.