第6章 The Rain

By Peter H.Reynolds

Sit back, relax and enjoy this modern fable about the elusive search for true love. It's a story with"sole".

Once upon a time, there was a Blue Shoe who had no partner shoe. The shoe set out on a journey looking high, looking low...trying to find her sole-mate.

One day she met a green boot. A beautiful Green Boot. He was very kind to the Blue Shoe...but he was not a blue shoe. He was green. He was a boot. He was not blue. He was not a shoe.

She set out on her way. Many days and nights passed.

Finally...She met a blue sneaker, perhaps he will do. The blue sneaker smiled at the blue shoe. Then he asked her to dance. His movements were very smooth and blue. She was very impressed.

"You're a very good dancer," she sighed.

"Thanks, yeah everybody tells me that. I must admit I'm very very good."

The Blue Sneaker began to tell the Blue Shoe all about himself. He talked and talked until it got dark. The Blue Shoe was very tired...very tired of the Blue Sneaker. She slipped away as fast as she could. The Blue Sneaker didn't seem to notice.

It was very late. It would be a very long time before she reached home. The Blue Shoe saw a house across the valley. She decided to stop and ask if she could rest there for the night. The door opened...It was the Green Boot."Yes, of course. Stay and rest."

The Blue Shoe smiled."Thank you."

The Green Boot made her some mint tea and showed her to her room. The Blue Shoe smiled,"This is more than I could ever hope for. Thank you." She said good night and fell into a deep and sweet sleep. The boot peeked in to see if the shoe was okay. He noticed that her sole had worn very thin. She must have been searching for a very long time.

The next morning the Blue Shoe awoke and looked out the window and stared at the pouring rain. She went downstairs and found the Green Boot..."Breakfast is ready." He said cheerfully.

"I'd love to stay but I have a long journey ahead of me."The truth was-she was hungry and would have enjoyed sharing a meal with the boot, but she was also hungry to be on her way.

"Goodbye, Green Boot."

"Goodbye, Blue Shoe."

She ran out into the storm. Into the thunder and the lightning. Boom! Flash! The rain poured and the wind grew stronger. The journey was becoming very difficult. The Blue Shoe carefully made her way through the muddy path. The ground was soft... and suddenly the Blue Shoe's heel sunk into the mud.

The rain kept coming. The Blue Shoe sunk deeper into the mud. And the rain kept coming. And although the Blue Shoe's sole had worn thin she was brave and held out hope. She closed her eyes and rested. And she heard a noise. A sloshing. A sloshing. It was the Green Boot! Her heart leapt with joy! Not because she was being rescued-for she had survived many storms in her life, but because, in this moment, she realized that the Green Boot...was her soul mate.

The rain stopped. The Green Boot and the Blue Shoe shared a pot of very green mint tea under a very blue sky...The Beginning.