Paul Mathieson had led a very privileged life. Everything he ever wanted was handed to him on a plate. His parents were wealthy, so as a child he wanted for nothing, a sizeable trust fund was set up so he never had to worry about cash in his young adulthood. Yet with all these advantages, Paul had no work ethic. He seemed to just coast through life, not wanting to work for anything. He figured the world owed him a living and that his mere existence should be rewarded with money. It is probably that reason why Paul was stuck in a dead end position in spite of all life has given him. Paul was getting close to forty now, and had been in the same position for ten years. It wasn’t as if there was no room for growth, several people had passed through working similar roles to Paul in his company, but he never put in any effort, never went the extra mile, always did the bare minimum. It’s this attitude which was probably why he disliked Judy.

Judy was in her early twenties and was the diametric opposite to Paul. Nothing was handed to her, she had to scrap for every last penny. It was through sheer hard work and working 3 jobs which sent her to her degree, her role in the company was her first in the adult world, and she was tipped for greatness. She was really going places, and Paul didn’t like it. As he pulled his Porsche into the parking lot, he caught sight of Judy getting out of her beat up Jetta. He sneered at her from in his car, such a piece of junk shouldn’t be allowed in the same lot as his pride and joy. He watched as Judy walked into the office, her black hair bouncing with every step. Paul had to admit she was very attractive, but her attitude annoyed him. Always so eager to please, who was she kidding. Life was easy, she made it look like such a chore. Judy was in a lilac blouse, navy pants and a pair of simple black flats. Paul grimaced at this, Judy was always slipping her shoes off and stinking up the office. Paul always took it upon himself to let her know this was happening.

Today would be a good day, they were announcing the employee award, and with it the recipient of a week’s vacation to California. Paul knew he couldn’t lose, he had his boss wrapped around his finger, with the promise of a big personal contribution to his retirement fund. Paul walked into the office and sat at his desk. Behind him, Judy was sat at hers, already at work on her projects. He scoffed at her, why was she such a try hard?

As the day drove on, Paul began to smell something pungent, yet familiar. He turned around to Judy to confirm his suspicions. Yep, she had her feet out of her shoes again. She was always doing it, no matter how many times he told her how sick it made everyone feel. How could she be so selfish, granted he was the only one who complained, but that must surely be because the others were just too shy to say. They should be thankful to Paul for keeping them safe from toxic foot odour.

“Judy, Chemical weapons are illegal, please stick your feet back in your shoes!” Paul smirked to himself at his joke. Sheepishly, Judy slipped her shoes back on and mumbled an apology. Paul caught sight of a co-worker rolling his eyes at him, as if he wasn’t thinking it.

Hours passed in the workday without event until Mitchell Sanderson, the managing director entered the office to announce the winner of the ‘top employee’ award. Paul sat back in his chair, expectant. He knew he was going to win and all it took was buying Sanderson membership of an elite golf club. This ‘work’ stuff was easy.

“Gather round” Sanderson called “Now as you all know the employee award can only be given to someone who has done exceptional work”

“Yeah, for his social status” Paul heard someone mutter. They were just jealous

“So I’m delighted to give Paul Harris the award and weeks’ vacation to San Diego!” A reluctant round of applause ambled out through the office. There were a few eye rolls and tuts, but everyone knew how the office really worked. Except Judy, being relatively new, the corruption was new to her. Paul savoured her look of injustice before going back to work… or playing solitaire to be more accurate.

The day carried on as normal, Paul sent a few e-mails delaying any work he had to do to the next day... or at least the next day he takes a vacation. Paul went home that night satisfied he'd done what he did best; the bare minimum. After a productive evening of watching TV and drinking it was time for him to get a good night's sleep. He drew the curtains, but as he did, he thought he saw a dark figure out on his lawn. He immediately opened the curtains again, scanning the dimly lit scene. There was no one. Paul lived in a well to do neighbourhood, so crime wasn't common, but just to be sure he checked his alarms were active. Safe that he was now intruder-proof, Paul slipped into bed and drifted off.

Paul woke up sat at a desk in a white room. The room looked like a normal office, but everything inside was just white. From the filing cabinet to the clock, even the hands of the clock were white. Paul wondered to the window, but there was no glass, just an opaque white sheet. Paul was trying to recall how he got there when a man entered the office. He too was in all white, wearing a smart business suit and a trilby hat. He had a handsome face with jet back hair. His eyes seems weird though, his iris's seemed to be pure white making his eyes seem small.

"Mr Mathieson" He said in a subtle British accent "Glad to make your acquaintance" The mystery man offered his hand, Paul took it nervously

"What is this?" Paul asked.

"This is my office" The man explained "I am the spirit of true justice, and you are of particular interest to us Paul"

"Spirit of true justice" He asked "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, it'd probably take too long to describe properly. Let's just say I give people what they deserve"

"And what do you want with me?"

"Well Paul, it seems to me you do an awful lot and never get what's coming to you. I want to offer you something. A job"

"What kind of job?"

"Your perfect job. A job where if you do it, you'll never have to worry about money again. It has the appearance of hard work whereas in reality you don't actually have to do anything. Plus it's always nice and warm. What do you say? Doesn't that sound perfect for you?"

"This is a dream, isn't it?" Paul said, finally verbalising a suspicion that had long been building

"Sort of" The spirit conceded

"Then why can't I wake up. I want to wake up"

"That's why I said 'sort of'. This isn't a dream, but you are in a dream state. Difference being that you have no control here. I do"

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, I've already told you what's going to happen. You're going to wake up and be in your new job"

"is that it? I wake up tomorrow and I have a new job. How will I know where to go, what to do"

"Trust me that won't be a problem" The whiteness of the room started to increase, until it was blinding "So long, Mr Mathieson, we will meet again" And that was the last thing Paul head before he snapped back to reality.

It was odd coming back to consciousness for Paul. He could swear he never opened his eyes but he could see that he was under his covers. He tried moving out of them, but his body didn't respond. He wasn't sure he could feel his legs... or his arms... or even his torso. He could feel his head, but it didn't feel like his head, the hair he could usually feel at the top of his body was replaced by what felt like sensitive protrusions. His face also felt flat, though his body contorted slightly. There was a grey area where his sense of feeling just faded out. It was if he was incomplete, like there was a part of him where he felt nothing.

He struggled to get his head around his predicament, his thoughts interrupted by a shrill electronic drone. It was an alarm clock, but not one he knew of. Was he even in his house? The drone stopped then he heard a feminine yawn, given he lived alone, this definitely wasn't his house. Suddenly his body moved involuntarily, he felt himself stretch, the protrusions atop his body straightening out. Then the world started to move... no he was being moved. Some unseen force was pushing him along the sheets. His vision started to blur as he was being moved so quick, however he saw himself being thrust into a navy blue wall fast. Paul tried to brace himself for impact, but his lack of mobility prevented ness. As a force from behind him pushed him into the wall, he felt himself being squeezed and bent as he was pressed further. The wall was soft, not that it helped him, his vision being blacked out as the force pressed hard. It was painful, but not in the way he expected, he was expecting a broken nose, but no matter how hard he was pressed, he couldn't feel his nose.

He also didn't feel like anything was straining against the pressure, it was as if he was built to handle such force being exerted onto him. Coarse pieces of dirt that clung to the wall now attached themselves to him. It wasn't long before Paul felt his body bend, then lift up in the air. He couldn't get a focus on what was around him as he was being moved too fast. It wasn't long before he was being thrown into the wall again, but this was a different part of the wall. Again and again, he was lifted then pushed back into the wall, he almost didn't notice when the wall changed from soft and fuzzy to smooth and cold. It was on this new wall that he was pressed into the wall then stayed for several minutes. He realised that his face wasn't fully flat, his face was warped slightly as he could see light out of one of the sides of his body. He couldn't make much out though, his entire world view was so weird.

Finally Paul was moved again, once again returning to the soft wall to be pounded into. After a brief rearrangement, he finally stopped being moved and instead of being pressed against a wall, he was in the middle of a huge room. The room looked like an average living room, but everything seemed much bigger. His body was resting on a large wooden surface, Paul scanned around for clues to his situation. Paul was shocked as he noticed through a nearby window that Judy was there, nonchalant. She was eating cereal with her feet on a coffee table, not looking at all at the window where Paul was suffering so.

Then the penny dropped. Paul wasn't looking through a window, he was looking at a mirror. Everything that had happened to him this morning suddenly made sense. Paul wasn't bound and pushed into a wall at all, they weren't even walls. They were floors. He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but the evidence of what he saw before him was incontrovertible. Paul was now one of Judy's feet, just a body part of another human being. There was nothing Paul could do except scream.

Paul searched for some sign of humanity in the sole he knew to be his body, but whatever way he looked it at it just looked like an ordinary foot. He glanced at Judy, who paid him no heed and continued with her breakfast. She must have had something to do with this! That bitch! Somehow he’d get back at her, but right now he was struggling to get his head around his new situation. For some reason, he found himself the foot of a co-worker. He tried to rationalise that this was a dream, things like this didn’t happen in real life, but no matter how hard he willed, he continued to be just a foot of a small woman. Everything felt so real, he felt the bottom of the body… the hell of the foot, rest against the coffee table he was propped up on, he could taste the lint from the carpet he was smashed into, he could smell the faintly stale foot odour emanating from himself. There was no way a dream could be this real, but this whole thing was impossible.

All while Paul tried to get things in order in his head, Judy continued with her breakfast. Part of her didn’t want to go into work that day, Paul was a real pain in the ass. She wished she could tell him where to go, but he seemed quite close to the higher ups and she didn’t want to sabotage her attempts at promotion by blowing up at some asshole who was just looking for a reaction. Her other co-workers had told her that Paul was always an asshole and had been stuck in the same role for years. She guessed he was just bitter. As Judy finished up her cereal, she decided it was time to get dressed, she got up off her couch and walked into the kitchen.

Paul‘s thoughts were interrupted by Judy standing, sending him hurtling back into the floor. Now he knew what was going on, it was worse for him, every step a new nightmare. He hated being this helpless, so out of control, his new body ignored all of his demands, he was slave to Judy’s whims. As his body bent with each step, Paul groaned. This was really happening and he didn’t know what to do. He felt himself being pushed forward strangely, there was heavy pressure to the top of his body, as the bottom lifted in the air. Just was standing on her toes as she washed her bowl. The whole experience was dazing.

Judy finished up and headed back into her bedroom to get ready for work. She’d show Paul, she decided to wear her boots, Paul couldn’t complain about her feet if they were in boots she rationalised. She got the rest of her clothes out and started to put them on. Paul felt a little weird as Judy adjusted her balance several times getting ready, it was really weird for him as she lifted him up in the air and pushed him through a pants leg. It was like going through a strange tunnel. Judy then reached into a draw and pulled out a pair of long black socks. Paul felt the world above him change again as Judy sat on the bed.

She lifted one leg up and slid her foot into a sock, now it was the other foot’s turn. The foot that was now embodied by Paul. She lifted him up in the air and he got a look around at his surroundings. He was now in a bedroom, had he known it would have been the last thing he’d see in a few hours he’d have probably taken a better look. Only too late did he spot the sock approaching him. He was terrified, he didn’t want to be stuck in a sock. It was only now that the true reality of his situation became evident to him.

He was a foot, he was going to be shoved into a shoe all day and be walked on, he would have no light, no space, he’s be crammed inside, probably sweating a lot knowing Judy. He tried his hardest to move, to resist, but he was powerless as his world became dark. The soft material brushed against his sensitive face, he felt the toes atop his body bind together somewhat as Judy made sure the sock was snug. Last Halloween, Paul had gone to a costume party as Spiderman, being in the sock was somewhat reminiscent, expect then he could still move and take off his mask, now he was motionless and helpless. The more he thought about it, the more the comparison seemed silly, but he had to relate what was going on with him now somewhat to experience.

It was time now for the shoes, Judy grabbed her knee high leather boots from beside her bed and put them on. Paul felt like he was being put into a tomb, if his toes felt scrunched before, now the squeezed into him, he could now taste the little bits of grime in between them. His whole body was surrounded by hard walls that held him in a vice like grip. He guessed the shoes were a perfect fit, because he didn’t feel like he was being squeezed too hard, but he had no wriggle-room, not that he could wriggle though. He heard a zipper in the distance and he knew this was it. He was locked in the shoe. He felt Judy stand and he instantly knew he was inside a heeled boot, the shoe forcing his body forward. It was like when Judy was on her toes, but all the time.

Judy, now satisfied with the way she looked grabbed her keys and left her apartment heading for work. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something felt different about her today. She felt better, as if there was someone looking out for her. Inside the shoe however, things weren’t going well for Paul, he was being squeezed in and Judy’s walking was far worse for him now. She seemed to have gone up a gear once she left her apartment, he was being slammed into the ground with more ferocity, and the click of the heel that was holding him was starting to drive him mad. Paul wondered how much more he could put up with.

Judy walked into work, a little anxious, but she was relieved to see Paul’s desk unattended. The last thing she needed was a glib remark from him. She walked to her desk, set down her things and begun her workday. Inside the boot, Paul had been through hell. As if the walking wasn’t bad enough, as Judy drove in, he was being used for the gas. Judy must have been a timid driver as he was lifted the slammed back into the pedal repeatedly. Finally, he felt the pressure lift, he felt the leg supporting him swing over, and all he could do was hang in darkness as he was free from downward pressure. He gathered Judy must be at her desk now and she had crossed her legs. The next few hours for Paul were agonising, rather than being pounded into the ground, Paul was just left to merely exist. He had no indicator of time, the noises from the outside world were muffled heavily. He had no idea if he had been here for hours or just a few minutes. The only break to his monotony was when Judy would swing her leg. He was actually thankful when movement came and he was walked on again. The more it happened, the more the walking just became another part of what he had to put up with, being encased in the shoe was a help, as opposed to when Judy was barefoot that morning in the flat.

Now it was like he was on some kind of ride where he was pushed hard in the face, only there was no nose to be broken, the body was designed to put up with such punishment, so all pain was relative to him, he wasn’t even sure if it was pain at all, or just the simple sensation of being pressed up against the floor. This was not something Paul wanted to get used to, but anything to help him through this ordeal would be helpful. Paul began to wonder when this torment would end. She couldn’t keep him like this forever, could she? Paul just hoped this would be a one day only sort of thing and tomorrow he would wake up in his human body. If Judy thought she gave him a hard time before, just wait until he was back.

Judy meanwhile was having a great day, without Paul there to put her down, she found herself working with a new found lease. Previously, her job always seemed an uphill struggle, but today she found everything so much simpler. She even got a personal congratulations from Mr Sanderson for her work on her latest project. Not that it helped her get the employee award, but she had ambitions above where she was now, so worrying about a silly little prize was pointless to her. She felt like she had a spring in her step and just hoped the feeling would continue. It was the end of her work day and Judy was finishing up. She decided she’d had such a good day, she’d go to the gym, make the most of her positive energy. She logged off her computer and walked back to her car.

Paul was jolted back to consciousness by Judy’s sudden movement. He had spent the last few hours in a lull, a sleep-like state. The lack of stimulation of his senses had led him to it, being held firm by the boot was like being wrapped up snug in bed, only less comfortable. Still, while he was in that state it was easy to imagine he was still human, just wrapped up tight, not moving because he wished not to. Judy moving again brought reality back and the fact that he was a foot came crashing back to him. As there was a brief pause in Judy’s gait, she strummed her toes inside her boot. Even the movement of his body was beyond Paul, he was just a spectator, a passenger. He could feel everything the foot did, but he was not in control. This was hell to a control freak like Paul.

Judy finally got back to her apartment, she was looking forward to taking her cumbersome boots off. She only wore them because she didn’t want Paul on her case. Her feet were aching after a long day.  Paul struggled to notice the ache, it slowly built up over the day, though if he concentrated he could notice it. Movement above him became unfamiliar as he heard a zip loudly above him. It must be the end of the day, he thought, looking forward to escaping his prison. As just lifted Paul out of her boot, the effect of the day became apparent to him. The sock, which at the start of the day was dry, was now soaked. Paul had emitted so much sweat he had saturated the sock. The sock was peeled off him and light returned to his vision, it took his eyes, or whatever he had for eyes now, a while to adjust after being in darkness for so long.

Finally adjusting, Paul saw the bedroom from earlier in the day. Having a look around, he spied a clock on the wall signalling that it was 5PM. Given how early Judy usually got into work, he could conclude he’d been stuck as a foot for almost twelve hours. It felt like an eternity, but if this was just a one day thing, it was almost over. Paul found himself being planted back onto the ground again, his moist body picking up lint from the carpeted floor.

“Shit, is that the time?” He heard Judy say “I guess I’ll just shower after the gym”

Gym!? Shower!? In his hubris, Paul forgot to take into account what Judy would do after work. He had just hoped she’d just put her feet up and watch some trash TV, like he did. He didn’t anticipate she’d be a gym nut. And what would a shower be like as a body part!? These questions circled his mind as a new sock, this time white and athletic was pulled over his body.  Judy put the other sock on and grabbed her sneakers. They were a few years old now and falling apart, she kept them on her balcony as the smell was bad, but they were lucky to her. Grabbing them, she slipped them on.

If Paul thought Judy’s feet in flats smelled bad, he was not prepared for the sneakers, as the stench overwhelmed him, he must now be unable to faint, as if he were still human, he would be out like a light. Just tied the laces of the sneakers, entrapping Paul in this new prison and went to her car to go to the gym.

Paul had a new definition of stink inside the old battered sneaker. Years of accumulated sweat and grime made the inside noxious. What was wrong with Judy? Did she not wash? The thin white sock surrounding him was his only shield from the filth of the shoe, he wondered how long it would hold out. Judy was heading to the gym, he was sure to begin sweating as a result. The sock would get just as wet as the boot sock got, probably more so. Judy’s stops were cushioned more in the soft sneakers, but this wasn’t an improvement for Paul as with each step he was squashed into the disgusting insole.

Judy thought she’d get a couple hours of cardio in, make the most of her good mood, she drove to her gym, found a free space and got out of the car. For Paul the worst thing that could have happened was the brief break as Judy was driving. Her first step out of the car squashed him right into the sole again, he even heard a small squelch. It dawned at him that he didn’t even know what Judy would do at the gym. He hoped for his sake it would be something with her arms. This wasn’t Paul’s day it seemed as Judy set herself up at a treadmill. Setting the machine for a good jogging pace, she set an alarm on her watch for 90 minutes and put in her earphones and set off.

This was the first time Paul had been jogged on and it was in no way preferable to walking. The steps were harder and came thick and fast. There was no let up for him, one second being crushed into the sole, the next being lifted up in the air. It was constant, no time for a pause. AT least when she walked, it was slower and she’s stop occasionally. Pau stopped counting the steps at the 250 mark, it was hard to concentrate on anything as he was repeatedly squashed into the dirty insole, then lifted into the air. It felt like days for Paul, with no end in sight, each step making him moister and exacerbating the stench coming from him. He felt a gentle ache starting to build within him, the joints where the toes joined his body became sore, as his body flexed and stretched within the constant rhythm of Judy’s running.

The ninety minutes came by quite quick for Judy, it was like running on air, she felt like she could run for longer, but she didn’t have the time. As Paul felt Judy slow down and thanked whatever deity he last begged for it to stop. As Judy stood gathering her things, Paul just stewed in her sneaker, he felt hot and sticky, but there was no way of cooling himself down, he was forced to remain still emanating heat and sweat. The thin white sock encasing him was now firmly stuck to him with the sweat acting as a mild adhesive. As Judy started walking again, Paul hardly noticed as it was a simple experience after all the running.

Once Judy got home, she knew she needed a shower, she caught a whiff of herself as she was driving and it wasn’t pleasant. She kicked off her sneakers and got blasted with the stink from her socks. Paul felt the sneaker being removed from him as light re-entered his world, but it only provided a backlight as his vision was still blocked off by the sock. Judy walked into her bathroom and started to undress, removing her top and sweatpants before finally peeling off her socks. The feeling of the sock being peeled off him was a relief, as the rush of cold air to him was refreshing. He was then slammed down onto the tiled floor making an audible slap. As Judy started the shower, she leant forward on her tiptoes, stretching Paul forward. At this odd angle, he could see the impression of his body on the floor, left by his grime. A nearby toilet paper tube gave him some scale as to how small he actually was, as the imprint was barely longer than it.

Finally, Judy entered the shower, planting Paul at the base. He could feel cool water rushing on the back of his body, enjoying the sensation of the water getting between his toes. He stayed stationary for a while as Judy washed herself. Soon after, Judy lifted Paul into the air so she was facing him. For the first time since becoming a foot, he could see Judy eye to eye, he was expecting some kind of comment or at least a cocky look, but instead he was just met with the face of someone who looked like they were washing an inanimate object, knowing their not looking at a living thing. She’s a better actor than I thought, Paul thought to himself, she must be acting like she doesn’t know so he wouldn’t blame her. Like that would stop him.

Judy moved her foot under the shower to clean it, gently kneading it, giving it a massage. For Paul, this actually felt quite nice, her fingers were miracle workers as the gentle ache that had built up during the day seemed to subside. He felt her fingers move between his toes as he felt stretched out. Since becoming a foot, this was the first time Paul had felt anything close to comfort. It didn’t last long as he was plunged back to the shower base, as Judy lifted the other foot to clean that. This was a complete flip side as now all of Judy’s weight was pressed down on him. Judy didn’t feel overly stable either, as he was constantly adjusted as Judy swayed, unbalanced. The entire force of Judy was now pressing down on Paul, as the arch in his body pressed down. He didn’t feel like Judy spent all that long cleaning him, but this felt like an eternity. Finally there was some let up as the weight eased and Judy returned to two legs.

Judy finished up her shower and went and got dried. Being towelled off was a new one for Paul as Judy’s fingers did their job again and made him feel quite soft. For the first time in hours, Paul felt dry with the stench that had emitted from him subsided. Once Judy was dry, she got dressed and put on the slippers her boyfriend had bought her the other week. The slippers for Paul were the best shoe he had been placed in. Being new, there was no smell clinging to them yet, they were soft and he wasn’t crammed in. It was only a sort while before Judy sat down on her couch to watch the TV, curling into a ball. From the relative light of being in the slipper, Paul was now back to darkness, as Judy hugged her knees into herself. Paul was now still, smell-less and relatively comfortable, for the first time all day, he could just sit tight.

Judy had other ideas and decided it would be a good time to paint her toenails. Grabbing a bottle off the coffee table, she slipped her feet out of her slippers and rested them against the table. Paul was moved from his dark area to being pressed against the table edge, his body bent slightly around it, he was pinned just under where his vision was lying, allowing him to look around. Taking advantage, he looked for the mirror he had spied that morning. He saw Judy opening a bottle of nail polish she then grabbed a hold of Paul, gently squeezing him between her fingers. She started to paint the nails on Paul’s body, which for him was a strange sensation. The nails weren’t as sensitive as the rest of his body, but he could still feel the cold paint being applied to him. The smell was quite overpowering, it was almost clinical. It almost made him miss the natural smell that would emanate from him as Judy walked.

Judy finished up painting her toenails, then separated them with cotton wool. Keeping her feet propped up on the coffee table so they could dry, she continued watching TV. The forced separation of his toes made him feel stretched, but not in any way he was used to. Though now he could see the TV. For the first time since this calamity occurred, he could forget about the situation and just switch off, though he was jarred back to reality, every time Judy twitched her foot slightly, reminding him once again that he was not in control. He could feel the polish drying on his nails slowly, a strange part of him wondered what colour it was, but he snapped out of it. Who cares what colour it was? When he gets back to normal, he was never going to look at feet the same way again.

Judy sat for hours, watching TV, looking at her phone before she decided it was a good time to go to bed. She felt her toenails to verify that they were dry, then put her slippers back on, wandering into her room to go to bed. Paul’s rest was over as the slipper returned into his view, no longer able to pretend nothing was up, the reality of being a body part was now back with him. It wasn’t a long journey to the bed and as she got inside the sheets, Paul enjoyed the comfort as he could now take it easy, knowing he wouldn’t be stepped on for a good few hours. He could actually sense Judy drifting away, which made him tired too. He’s had a long day and it was finally over, as he fell into a state of sleep.

Paul was back in an office sitting at a desk. Looking down, he found he could move again, he had arms! Legs! A face! He recognised the office as the one from the dream the other night. He was back. That is if he ever stopped dreaming. What had happened to him was surely too bizarre to be real, right? But it all felt so real, the sensation of being nothing but a foot was still there, like an imprint on his memory. Paul suddenly recalled the man from his dreams. The spirit of the justice league, or whatever he called himself. Not wanting to meet him again, Paul headed for the door, but when he went through it, found only an exact copy of the room he’d just left. Paul tried many times to leave the office, but only found himself in the same office again and again.

There was no escape. Resigned, Paul slumped into the chair in front of the desk and awaited his host, who didn’t take long to make a reappearance. He walked confidently to the other chair and stared into Paul’s eyes.

“Had an enlightening day?” He asked

“Why?” was all Paul could get out. He had so many questions, but that was the only one to formulate in his mouth

“I should think the answer was obvious. I’m the spirit of True Justice, and I was dealing some out to you” Pal’s eyes narrowed

“Judy put you up to this, didn’t she?” he demanded

“I have never had any contact with anyone you know outside of yourself. I picked Judy as she is the one most affected by your actions”

“Bullshit! I don’t know how you did it, witchcraft, Nano-machines, whatever, but she thought it’d be funny to turn me into her foot and have some fruit in a white suit drug me and change me! Admit it”

“Did you learn anything at all from your experience, Mr Mathieson, or did you just bask in your own rage all day?”

“You can’t fool me. Do you think I’m stupid?”

“No Mr Mathieson, I think you’ve completely missed the point. I didn’t think it would need this, but I think you need to spend more time in your new perspective”

“No! You can’t do this to me again!”

“We will speak tomorrow night Mr Mathieson, I do hope you have seen reason by then”

“NOOO” Paul screamed as the office faded away. He once again found himself Judy’s foot, under the cover of her bedsheets. From the light he could see peaking in, it was morning. It barely felt like half an hour in that office now he would have to face another day of being walked on. Paul cursed the suited man and Judy. If it was the last thing he would ever do, he would get even with her.

Judy woke and rolled out of bed. She had a spring in her step from her good day yesterday and was looking forward to another one. Opening the curtains, she saw the weather matched her mood as brilliant sunshine and a cloudless sky met her. This was going to be a good day, she was sure of it. Down at the bottom of her body, her left foot was seething in anger, furious at the current situation he was stuck in.

Judy smiled at the pleasant picture painted for her by the pleasant weather. She loved dressing for summer and finally after weeks of dreary weather was an opportunity. She slipped on her slippers and walked to her kitchen for breakfast. No matter how often it happened, Paul could not get used to being quickly thrust towards a shoe. The freshness he had from last night had gone and the mustiness of the slipper was now more apparent, despite seeming clean the other night. The weight above pushed him right into the soft material, until once more all he could see was blackness. With every step, Paul got a fleeting glimpse of the environment and Judy lifted her heel up, but there was not enough time to take everything in.

Judy, glancing at her clock, noticed she was running a little late, she would have to get breakfast at work she decided and hurried to get dressed. Since it seemed to be a nice day, she decided on an airy summer dress and flip flops. She grabbed a pastel blue dress from her wardrobe and slipped it on. She then reached in and grabbed her old flip flops, a pair she’d had since she was a teenager. Paul was pulled from out of the slipper to find another type of footwear waiting for him on the floor. This was a beat up looking sandal, it looked as if it was originally cream coloured, but years of use had darkened it. On the sole was a dark imprint left by her foot and the straps looked warn. Judy slid her feet into the old flip flops, feeling her toes resting in the grooves.

For Paul the taste of 1,000 wears consumed him, these shoes tasted so stale. Years of accumulated grime and filth was now pressed right up against Paul’s body. He tried grasping for a positive; at least like this he was cocooned inside a boot. He felt he would be able to breathe a bit easier. Judy rushed out of her apartment and down to her car. Something Paul wasn’t prepared for was the difference in Judy’s gait from her being in her flat compared to being outside. She walked quicker and more urgently outside, always seemingly in a hurry, compared to the laid back way she sauntered around her place. With his increased visibility, Paul saw the world from a very low down position and it was moving quickly.

With each step, Judy’s foot arched into the air, then he got struck in the face by the filthy insole with an audible slap, which to Judy was distant, but was quite loud to Paul. Also the thinness of the insole was apparent to him now with Paul very conscious only an inch or so of material separated his soft body from the rough ground below. Judy reached her car and got in, from down in his position, Paul could see up close how dirty everything was. Previously disgusted by the flip flop, he now saw it as his only protection from the dangers of the outside world. Being more free also meant he felt the vibrations from the car more too. The flip flop wasn’t particularly tight around his body, so he jiggled a little as he was stationary, though being pressed into the surface of the shoe as Judy used the pedal he was assigned to. Judy arrived at work and walked briskly towards the building, leaving Paul disorientated as the world flashed so quickly by him. Between the rapid fire glimpses of a blurry world and getting hit in the face by the shoe, Paul became very dizzy, something he never got when stuck in the boot, he felt safer there, he never thought he’d miss that experience.

Judy arrived into her office space and sat at her desk, noting that once again Paul’s desk was unoccupied. Paul was lazy, but it was unlike him to miss work, she thought. She figured he centred his life around his work, despite not putting much effort in. She sat at her chair and crossed her legs, letting one of her flip flops drop from her foot.

Paul was now free of the dirty shoe prison and found himself dangling over a familiar carpet; it was the office carpet. Judy was rocking her ankle, meaning Paul couldn’t get a proper look, but it was strangely comforting to know he was somewhere familiar, particularly after the ordeal he had during Judy’s morning commute.

“You’re in early” Alice, one of the office girls said to Judy. Judy shifted her position so she was now sitting on one of her legs, her foot poking out under her. This allowed Paul to view the office in full, which amazed him as his perspective was so much different than before. Here he saw his desk with all his knick-knacks, undisturbed from the day he left them.

“Yeah, been trying to get some headway on this Project” Judy replied “Though I’m not usually the first in, I usually have to put up with some snide remark from Paul” If Paul could have rolled his eyes he would have. It wasn’t his fault her feet stank. Even now, as one of then he knew she could do so much more to combat the smell.

“He hasn’t called in sick or anything” Alice mused, “If he keeps this up tomorrow, I’m going to have to contact him to see what’s up”

It hit Paul like a ton of bricks, Judy couldn’t keep Paul like this! Her weird friend in the white suit would have to change him back eventually, people would start to notice his disappearance. Smugly, he thought of the ways he could get Judy back for this humiliation she had put him through. After all it had to be her who did this, who else would have the motivation to turn him into one of her appendages!? He did realise though that he would have to put up as a foot for the rest of the day, but now he knew there was light at the end of the tunnel. As Judy got on with her work, she shifted position again, crossing her other leg and pressing the other down to the ground. Paul was getting a face-full of carpet, he could feel dried gum pressing against him, if only he could gag, he would. 

Time passed slowly for Paul, even slower than yesterday. Then it seemed not knowing the time was making life hell, but it was a blessing, as Paul could sense the time moving and the unending monotony of not being able to move aside from hen Judy flexed him was driving him to madness. It was to his relief when finally, Judy rose for lunch, putting her flip flops back on, she headed out of the office and to a near-by deli. The day had only gotten hotter, as just being outside was causing Judy to sweat. Fanning herself with her hand, she ran across to the deli and got herself a sandwich.

The smell of fresh tuna started to cut through the smell of the rancid sole for Paul, reminding him of what he was missing. He realised he had not eaten for the day and a half he had been a foot and remarked how he didn’t feel hungry at all. Granted he didn’t have a stomach, but the thought was an uncomfortable one.

Judy decided to eat outside, she found a free park bench and sat down. She propped her feet up along the bench, flicking off her sandals, allowing her feet to take in the heat a little. It was instant for Paul as he felt the intense heat beating down on him. He felt his body involuntary tart to leak. The smell he hated so much was coming from him and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He started to sweat so much the pleasant smell of Judy’s lunch became lost underneath the vinegary stench emanating from him. This only angered him more, impatiently waiting for his chance to see that berk in the suit, get his body back and plan his revenge.

Lunch was over and it was time for Judy to get back to work. She slipped her thong sandals back on and duly walked back to the office. The day was so warm she could feel herself sweating. The A/C in the office wasn’t great either, she thanked God she had a desk fan. She noted a quiet slap as she walked and smiled, she always liked that sound. For Paul that sound wasn’t so quiet. As the body of the shoe hit him it felt deafening, as she pressed him down into the ground, he heard a disgusting squelch and as his body peeled away from the shoe there was a distinctive ‘SCHLORP’. The worst part was it was his body that was causing this. Well it wasn’t really his body, just the part of Judy he possessed.

Judy got back in the office, glad of the shade the building provided. It was a good lunch and she felt motivated to carry on with the report. After an hour or so, the fan had cooled her down, but the heat from her computer was still warming her lower half. Improvising, she grabbed her fan and placed it below her desk. It felt so good as she held her feet up to it, cooling them off. Paul’s feelings were mixed, his body was hot and it was good to be cooled down, but he could feel the sweat drying on his sole.

Judy finished up at work and headed out, knowing she was due to meet Aiden, her boyfriend after work. He’d been away with work for a while, so she was excited to see him. There was a skip in her step as she left work and went into her car, something Paul noticed, as her movement seemed to sway more. It didn’t help as the constant shift in his vision between total blackness as Judy stepped down on him and seeing the worked in terrifying motion as she lifted him was so disconcerting.

Judy parked up and headed out to her local bar where she was due to meet Aiden. As she saw him get out of a cab far down the street, she couldn’t contain herself and sprinted towards him. The sprint was terrible, as bad as the treadmill was yesterday, through this time, Paul could see the world move. He tried to cling to the flip flop’s strap by clenching the big and second toe on his body, but he knew he had no control. He just hoped the only thing protecting him from the rough ground would dislodge as Judy ran. As Judy reached Aiden she embraced him in a big hug, he lifted her off the ground; a huge relief to Paul, gave him a chance to recover from that run.

Judy and Aiden walked and talked arm in arm as they went to the bar for an evening of fun, Paul just lay there, unknown to either, fuming in his motionless shell as his body ached from the run. This wasn’t fair, this wasn’t right. He was a man, Judy had no right to do this to him, make him feel like an object. Worse than an object; an object is independent, he was attached to Judy, he couldn’t get a moment alone.

The evening wore on for Judy and Aiden as they caught up and generally had a great time. As Judy had more to drink, Paul felt a mild affect too, messing with his concentration, though that had taken a pounding anyway, from the day’s events. Judy was feeling flirty, which she expressed as she rubbed her foot along Aiden’s leg beneath the table. Paul envied the other foot as he spied it, just lying there under the table as he was forced to brush a stranger’s leg, his leg hair itching him somewhat.

Aiden and Judy exchanged a look and they knew what was to happen next. Paying the bill, they left the bar and set off for Judy’s place. They were barely through the door before they embraced and started making out. They stumbled, still making out to the bedroom, where they collapsed onto the bed together and got things started. Aiden was a master at this and Judy had been looking forward to it since he left a week previous. After clothes had been removed they got to work, and it wasn’t too long before Judy approached climax. Paul knew something was coming, he was already disgusted by what he was forced to be a part of. He may have been stuck at the bottom of Judy’s leg, but he knew exactly what was going on and as Judy got closer she scrunched him right up.

When it came it was heaven for both Judy and Paul. He had never experienced anything like that before. In the throw of such pleasure, Paul was momentarily glad he was stuck like this as what he was feeling was bliss. That feeling lasted less than a second before he snapped himself out of it. The waves kept coming, but he had calmed down since the crescendo. He couldn’t let it distract him from what he needed to do. Soon he would be sent again to see the man in white and this time, he would force him to make him a man again. Then he’d get his payback. Somehow, he’d get retribution.

As Judy and Aiden drifted to sleep in post-coital embrace, Paul steeled himself for another encounter with the man in white. His view of a man’s leg, all Paul could see since Judy fell asleep stroking him against Aiden, faded and he once more found himself sat in an immaculate white office. He was made to wait, but he didn’t mind so much. Just being back in a body he had some control over was great. He was in the middle of scratching his nose, something that seemed inconsequential, but was like a dream for Paul, when the spirit entered the room.

“Ah, Mr Mathieson. I hope you’re in a more agreeable mood this evening” He smiled and took a seat at his desk in front of Paul.

“Oh yes” Paul said, his eyes narrowing “Much more agreeable. You see I realised something today”

“I hope it was an epiphany”

“You could say this it is. I realised that you can’t keep me like this. People would notice I was no longer around”

The spirit laughed “Yes, well they’re not going to look inside your so-workers socks for you, are they”

“That wasn’t my point” Paul said smugly. He knew he had him. “There are people who’d be greatly affected by my disappearance. My Sister, my Father, my cousins. They’re innocent in all of this. How can you punish them for something you perceive I have done?”

“Of all the insolent…” The spirit shouted, looking angry for the first time “All you need to do is show some empathy then you’ll be back to normal. Just realise how your behaviour affects people like poor Judy-”

“Poor Judy” Paul spat across the Spirit “That bitch is a fraud. Why should I feel sorry for her?”

“You’ve spent the last two days as a part of her. Exactly how is she fraudulent?”

Paul had no answer, so decided to get back to his main argument “My point is, you’re gonna have to turn me back sooner or later or you’ll violate your whole ‘true justice’ mantra”

The spirit glared at Paul “it’s clear to me that anything I try and teach you will not penetrate your thick skull. I think it’s best if we end our relationship here. But don’t worry Mr Mathieson. I’ll see that ‘true justice’ is done”

The office faded out of existence leaving Paul in darkness once more. As an alarm blared out breaking any silence, Paul knew that he was still Judy’s foot. The spirit was trying to scare him, but it was no matter. Paul knew he was rattled, he knew the spirit couldn’t keep him here for long. He’d only have to endure a day or two more of this then he’d be back to being human. And when he was there’d be hell to pay.

Judy awoke slowly, rising next to Aiden, who was still fast asleep. He could sleep through a tornado, she mused as she slid out of bed. It wasn’t like he was due anywhere, he had the next week off after his business trip. Judy slid her feet into her slippers and put on her dressing gown and went to make herself breakfast.

Paul had experienced two days of this hell, but the first step was always the most unpleasant. It’s as if he’d been away from the floor for so long that being pushed back into it was an unwelcome good morning. At least he was back in the soft slippers which cushioned him somewhat. When she stepped on him with no protection it was like getting a close up on her gross carpet. My sight was mostly black, but as I was raised as Judy walked, I got glimpses of light. It mostly just put into definition what I was being pressed into. The original white colour had become darkened to Paul’s outline… Judy’s foot’s outline. He was not a foot… well he wouldn’t be for much longer. As the pounding finally ceased, Judy flexed her foot, allowing Paul to see where he was. He didn’t like being flexed, his whole body strained, but it allowed him to get some light. From an upside down perspective, he saw he was in Judy’s kitchen again. Her schedule was very consistent and mundane. He’s go mad if he had to stay like this for much longer…

Judy grabbed the toast out of the toaster and went to butter it. As she did her mind began to wander. For the last few days she’d noticed something quite odd. One of her feet felt quite funny. Not bad funny, but funny in a good way. Usually after a workout, she ached all over, but after her treadmill session the other day, only one foot ached. The other was fine and actually felt pretty good. Curious, she lifted the affected foot out of her slipper and inspected it, bending her knee so she could see the sole.

Paul couldn’t believe it, he was face to face with Judy for the first time since he’d become a foot. She was staring right at him, she must know something! She must see him as part of her foot, but all Judy could see was her regular old wrinkled sole. Nothing unusual about it at all. Judy massaged the foot gently with her thumb, hoping to find what was making that foot feel so weirdly good, but found nothing. The massage made Paul feel good, which made him more annoyed. He didn’t want to feel good like this. His mind recalled last night, when Judy orgasmed and waves of pleasure coursed through him. He’d never felt anything so pleasurable… He snapped himself out of it. No, the cons outweigh any pros of this situation. As if there were any pros…

As Paul internally argued with himself, Judy slipped the foot back into her slipper and finished buttering her toast. If anything, she hoped that the other foot would follow suit and take on the eerie comfortableness as the affected one had. She finished her breakfast and glancing at the clock, realised it was time to get ready for work. Going back to her bedroom, where Aiden was still lost to the world, and picked out a blouse and leggings for the day. It was warm out still, so she didn’t want to wear anything too thick. After she had put on her clothes, she grabbed her reliable old black flats from under the bed then set them in front of her.

As Judy lifted him up, Paul wanted to scream at the sight in front of him. Getting closer to him were the disgusting old flat shoes that Judy wore most often. They were black leather and had a lace bow above the toe section. Paul could see the beige insole was stained black where he was going to be in a matter of seconds. His face slid across the disgusting surface, the toes, which Paul was still not used to having as part of him, sat snugly inside. The walls of the shoe sealed against him entombing his face inside this toxic prison. The smell was repugnant, the mustiness of age mixed with recent sweat. Paul recalled being disgusted by the relatively tame smell back when he was human. What he wouldn’t give to be back in that situation.

Judy finished putting her shoes on and after a few rolls of the ankle, inspecting them was happy. She didn’t really care anymore about snide remarks from certain co-workers about them, Judy loved these shoes, she loved how pretty they made her feet look, from the cute bow to the hint of toe cleavage they were perfect for her. With almost a skip, she kissed the sleeping Aiden on the cheek and left her apartment heading to her car.

Being inside them when walking was even worse. The grime build up was awful and to make it worse, enough light was able to get in from Judy’s arch that it wasn’t just blackness he could see detail and it disgusted him. Unlike with the flip flop, he wasn’t dizzied by the outside world’s motion, everything was in focus for him. This was like the worst combination of attributes from all the other shoes he had been placed in. Plus, the sole of this shoe was so thin, he was hardly being cushioned at all from being pounded into the ground. He actually longed for the thick insole of the sneaker. Yes it stank, but at least it didn’t hurt him so much when he was pounded into the ground. Paul was relieved as he felt the world vibrate and realised Judy was now in her car.

The drive to work was uneventful for Judy, who was still musing about the weirdly good feeling in her foot. Unconsciously she flexed her toes inside her flats, making Paul feel stretched then squashed. Unknown to Judy, the action was actually collecting grime from the shoe and squeezing it into Paul’s body. Arriving at work, Judy grabbed her bag and left the car, walking to her desk. After some early morning chat with her colleagues, being relieved that Paul once again seemed absent, she settled at her desk and started work. She crossed her legs and started dangling her shoe absent-mindedly.

Paul was now staring down at the office carpet. The shoe he was trapped in for the morning was now hanging of the toes of his body. Paul tried to muster some will power, some control over his body to make the toes drop the offending shoe, but he was just a prisoner in this body. He had no say in how it operated. Judy then started to rock her ankle, swinging the shoe off her toes. Paul saw the horrible slimy insole creep closer to him as it swung freely. As Judy rocked her foot harder, the shoe smacked into Paul several times, each impact transferring more dirt from the shoe onto Paul. It didn’t do anything for the smell either, as the swinging shoe’s aroma caught the air and surrounded Paul. At that moment he didn’t know if it wasn’t himself that was producing the smell.

Judy switched positions as she tried to work out how to conclude her report. Placing both feet back on the ground, she plucked her feet out of the shoes and rested them against the floor. Paul could now see the desk that was rightfully his, if Judy hadn’t trapped him. Angry, he reminded himself he just had to bide his time. A set of man’s legs blocked Paul’s view, Judy turned to see who had come up behind her.

“Paul” She sighed “Sorry I’ll-“

“No I’m sorry” The man she recognised as Paul said “You might have noticed I’ve not been around for the last couple of days. I’ve been doing a bit of soul searching and I realised that I’ve been a jerk, especially to you Judy.”

“Er… this is a bit unexpected. It’s okay though”

“No it’s not okay. I wanted to think of some way to apologise, so I’m giving you the week’s holiday in California. You deserve more than I do anyway. I’m going to speak to Sanderson and get it all sorted out”

“Paul, thank you. I don’t know what to say”

“You don’t need to say anything Judy. I’m sorry” He smiled and returned to his desk. Judy couldn’t believe it. How had he had such a change of heart? Was he visited by three ghosts or something? She smiled and returned to work. It was a pleasant turn of events to an already good week. Now she had a holiday to look forward to.

Paul couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Who was this imposter! He was Paul and he would never give Judy the weeks’ vacation! How could nobody see that this fraud wasn’t him. He silently raged, still able to see his desk as the imposter sat down at it. The man calling himself Paul then turned and look directly at Paul and winked. He knew. It was at that moment that Paul knew he had lost. He would be a foot forever. He wanted to scream, but his now permanent home lacked the facility to convey his dismay. His world had ended. As Judy replaced him into the shoe, she raged against his fate. He returned to blackness once more.

Epilogue

The new Paul was a vast improvement on the old one. He was hard working, friendly and eventually got a promotion. He had become good friends with Judy since their heart to heart and even earned himself an invite to her wedding, following Aiden’s proposal during that magical week in California. On the big day Paul, with his plus one, a new girlfriend, beamed as Judy tearfully read her vows to Aiden. A strange thought came to her as she did so, she thought back to her foot, which had started to feel so good all those months ago. She realised that since that happened, everything started to go right for her in life.

Inside her shoe, her foot was repeating a mantra ‘keep her upright, look pretty inside her shoe, this is her big day”. It was unusual for a foot to have a mantra, however this foot wasn’t usual. It had long since lost it’s identity, it was now just a foot, a special foot, but nothing more than a part of Judy.

Somewhere outside of normal existence in a white office, with white furniture a man dressed in all white smiled. “Justice” He mused to himself.