Boot

I had no idea what could happen at the carnival that had arrived in town.  I went alone, wanting desperately to catch the cute magician's show I had seen advertised.  I bought tickets for his show and was mesmerized by the tricks I had seen.  I remember going backstage alone to meet the great man.  I vaguely recall him laughing at me and the next thing was waking up to find myself on the pavement on the exhibition grounds!  I was terrified!  All around me were feet…shoes, sandals, sneakers, and boots, stepping and stomping…everywhere!  I finally got up enough courage to make a run for it.  I thought the coast looked clear but was just narrowly missed by a guy's sandal and another guy's sneaker.  Suddenly, another sandal appeared out of nowhere and clipped me on the side.  I went tumbling on to the ground, totally disoriented and in pain.  After about ten seconds I got my wind back and began to get up.  Then, I noticed that I was in the shade…I looked up to see a large object hovering above me…Oh my God, it was the sole of a huge cowboy boot!

 I froze…"Why did ya' stop?"  I heard from way above me.  "Just saw a huge, fuckin' bug on the ground.  Never seen anything like it before."  The other guy snickered when he saw his buddy's boot perched directly over the "bug"!  Then, "Well, crush the fuckin' thing and let's go meet the girls" Never before had I been so scared to hear those words…my heart was pounding.  I saw the boot sole begin to come down!

Looking up into the dirty sole, I watched as it got closer and closer.  I noticed everything on the guy's boot sole…the worn surface from lots of walking around, the dirt from everything he had walked on and the black marks from the lit cigarettes he had ground out.  Would I soon be just that as well?  I quickly woke up from my thoughts of doom when I felt the leather sole touch the top of my head.  I knew I couldn't make a run for it anymore so I lay down on my stomach to prolong my last few seconds.

What a humiliating way to go, I thought.  Nothing more than something for another guy to step on.  The last thing I heard was the announcement for the magician's next show and the two guys above me laugh at what they were about to do.  I quickly turned over onto my back as the hot leather sole pressed down on me, pushing the air from my lungs.  I made a feeble attempt to ward off the huge foot with my hands.  The pressure forced my arms to the ground.  My face was now being squashed and with my last breath I smelled the combination of boot leather, cigarettes, and greasy food from the nearby vendors.  I was thankful that the guy hadn't recently visited the horse stables on the other side of the grounds!

 The loud crunching sound as the guy pressed down with the ball of his foot caused laughter from above.  'OH, GROSS MAN…how big was that thing?" the guy smirked as his buddy twisted his boot a few times into the pavement.

 

Lifting up his boot, he grinned at what he saw.  The unfortunate "bug" was history, smeared all over the sole of his hot cowboy boot.  Both he and his friend began walking again…not caring at all about the flattened mess beneath his foot.

END