Boot Print

I returned to town where I had left Megan, inhaling deeply to steady my racing thoughts. It was merely a man, albeit an exceptionally attractive detective, advising me to drop the case. There was nothing significant to worry about, just the most stunning guy I had ever encountered, and it had been months since I had been laid. 

I parked at the back of the restaurant and caught sight of Megan walking into a store that said it sold potions and ingredients. I followed her into the store and saw her holding brown wicker basket and and perusing the shelves with a couple of dark glass bottles full of liquid and small white labels.

"The stores around here are something else, aren't they? They go all out for tourism. So what are you here for?" I said.

"My friend Terra asked me to pick up a couple of things for her, so I'm going to stop by her place after I'm done shopping," said Megan.

"Where in town can I find the a place that sells boots, sturdy ones with nice tread?"

"Want to do a bit of hiking?"

"I want to explore around Ravenwood and I noticed from the map that there are a lot of sightseeing locations outside of downtown."

"Makes sense, I suggest the hot springs, but don't go after nightfall and stay away from the bog, and the hill, there was a crime that was committed recently and it's under investigation. Apparently, a detective is in town."

"When did you hear all that?"

"I hear things," said Megan.

"So what's wrong with the hot spring after nightfall?" 

"Some of the locals aren't exactly pleasant to out-of-towners. "Actually, you know what, go ahead and borrow this for now, as long as you give it back to me before you leave." Megan handed me a silver bracelet in the center was a circle with what looked like two brooms in the shape of an x.

"What's it for?"

"This is a sign of my club, it'll make the locals more friendly to you, just be sure to not lose it, I'm not supposed to hand it out to nonmembers," said Megan.

I went to hand it back to her, "It's not going to get you into trouble, is it?"

"It shouldn't, just put it on your wrist and don't show it to anyone unless some trouble with the locals comes up."

"What kind of trouble?"

"You'll know if it happens," said Megan.

I shrugged my shoulders and put the bracelet on, then pulled my sleeve down covering it up. 

"There are three shops in town that sell boots, Shoe Express, Boot Bargains, and Transcendent Treasures. They're down the next three streets if you want to shop for shoes I can catch up with you in a little while."

"Alright, I'll see you in a little while."

I strolled along the street, glancing at my small paper map, and soon spotted Shoe Express. It was just like any other shoe store, filled with rows of footwear and a few pairs showcased along the walls. Behind the counter sat a young saleswoman, engrossed in a video on her phone, occasionally laughing to herself. The ceiling was adorned with long, slightly flickering lights, and colorful posters depicted cheerful customers with their new shoes, all framed by large windows. The woman at the desk was casually chewing bubblegum and popping bubbles, her hair styled in playful space buns brown with a couple of hot pink highlights. 

I walked up to the front desk. "Do you know if you have any boots with this kind of tread?" I said holding up the picture on my phone.

She glanced up from her phone, a hint of irritation crossing her features, as if to say that work had no right to interrupt her precious video time. With a swift motion, she blew a massive bubble that burst loudly right by my ear. The air was instantly filled with the sweet scent of artificial strawberry, mingling with the rich aroma of caramel coffee. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she examined the picture, tucking a hefty piece of gum into her cheek. "I've never seen tread like that before; I'd definitely remember if we had dope boots like those. Do you think they sell them in town? If you come across them, let me know. I'm totally getting a pair!"

"That's my assumption. Thanks for your help."

"I'm not supposed to gas them, but I'd check out Transcendent Treasures if I were you, they have the most drippin' shoes around."

"Drippin' is good?"

"Yeah, they're totally dope, you can catch some serious rizz, they're fire."

"Alright then, thanks for the advice."

I left the shoe store feeling a bit out of touch and unsure, but I gathered that the main point was that Transcendent Treasures has some unique shoes available, and I might discover the boots that match this tread.

I glanced at the small map and spotted the location of Transcendent Treasures. Following its directions, I arrived at a striking black and maroon building with a flat roof and maroon columns adorning the entrance. It felt like something out of a fantasy horror movie, a bit extravagant for my taste. Inside, maroon curtains framed the windows, and as I pushed the door open, a large black cat with mesmerizing green eyes greeted me, perched right by the entrance. The door chimed loudly, announcing my arrival. The shop was dimly lit by an array of pendant lamps in various shapes, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of an alien spacecraft. Along the walls, black lights illuminated the white shoes, making them appear to glow eerily. The air smells like autumn, like spiced apple cider on a chilly afternoon. Sitting at the desk was the woman I'd seen wearing a dark purple cap sleep dress with her parasol leaning against her desk. 

She looked up, striking green eyes framed by black hair, reminding me of her cat. She gracefully set her book aside and smiled with her lips closed. "What may I do for you?"

Upon closer inspection, her skin was awfully pale and her nails were painted black, quite pointy, kind of like razors. Something about her made me feel uncomfortable being around her, even though she appeared to be perfectly pleasant. I felt almost reluctant to show her my phone, I didn't really want to get that close to her, but there was no logical reason why I shouldn't show her the picture, so I unlocked my screen again and held out my phone to her. "Have you seen boots that have this tread before, I was told that I might be able to find them here."

"This is a limited release for a select few of our customers, not available to the general public. I'm not sure who told you that we carry this shoe. Then her eyes flicked down and up to my face again and she smiled widely. "Right this way, we have three more of the pairs of this boot in stock. It you like what you see, we have a seventy-five percent discount for members."

"For members of what," I said.

She chuckled. "Of what indeed."

She walked to the back of the store and used a keycard to swipe open a lock. In the back, there was another room this one had clean shelves with a large crystal chandelier and an ornate black cushioned loveseat. Her two-inch heels clacked on the black and golden marble floor while she walked over to a glass display case that showed a thin black boot with a slightly pointy toe, it had long ribbon laces that went all the way to the knee and came in different colors and the tread was exactly like in my picture with the stars and moon. "Normally this is a two-hundred dollar boot for people on the list, but for you, it would cost fifty."

I looked at the boot, there was no way I could mistake that unless there were other boots that looked similar. "Is there anything else that's similar, has the same tread, but a different style?"

"Unfortunately not, similar tread, with stars but not this exact style. I do have some other styles with interesting tread if that's what you're interested in."

"Can I look at your other stock, perhaps a shorter boot without the pointed toe?" If she wants to give me a seventy-five percent discount on limited edition boots, who am I to say no?

"Absolutely." 

I walked away with a stylish pair of short black boots featuring playful Asian-inspired cloud clasp buckles and straps. They had a modest half-inch heel and a tread design that resembled tiny stars amidst swirling clouds. Crafted from thick yet incredibly soft leather, the interior was pure bliss. Even with a generous seventy-five percent discount, they set me back a hundred dollars, but they were worth every penny. Slipping them on as I exited the store, I realized I had never experienced such comfort in footwear before. I needed a new pair of boots anyway and now I know exactly what the boots I'm looking for look like.