Julie woke up dizzy, she did not know where she was, and it was dawning. The ceiling and walls were white, 'too white,' thought Julie. As she tried to move she felt a discomfort in her neck, and felt as if her head was going to explode. Groping, she realized that her head was bandaged, "what the fuck is that ?!", she said softly.

As he looked to the side he saw a familiar figure, his mother dozing in the armchair on the side.

"Mom ..." There was no response, so she tried higher.

"MOM ..." Ms Carla, then woke up a little scared, but then broke into a smile as she saw her daughter awake.

"Mom, what happened? Why am I here, and why is there a huge bandage in my head?"

"The accident, daughter, you got a really hard blow. The doctors said you did not fracture anything. But you hit your head hard. Do not be alarmed by the bandage, I saw the nurse change it, and the bruise was very small, the bandage is just extra care. You probably won't have any scars. "

"Accident ... what an accident mom?"

"You were in a car crash. For what was reported a drunk guy tried to change lanes, and almost hit a car in front of you, in turn,to avoid the crash the driver in fornt of you stopped abruptly, but apparently you could not stop in time. It seems like my crazy girl has been innocent in this whole story, the drunk driver has been identified, and will take responsibility for the damage to you car. "

"When did this happen, mother?"

"That was yesterday, after college."

"My God, Me ... in a car accident?! Christ, I do not remember any of that"

 "That's normal, you took an hard blow to the head. But speaking about college, did you go well on the tests? "

"Tests?"

"Don't you remember the tests either ?! Thats fine, the doctor said that this could happen, your memory should return gradually, but yesterday you said that would take some important tests.

"My God, I thought those tests were only next week, I think i really took a hell of a hit."

Julie was discharged the same day, taking the small wound on her head, she was completely normal, yet the doctors gave her a week's rest. A week when ms Carla barely let her out of bed.

"I'm fine, Mom. " Was the phrase Julie most said during the week.

Julie just had to go to college to do one more test, and get the results from the others. Because of the accident, the teacher checked with Julie on the first day after the 7-day rest, and Julie was anxious, not only to be able to go to college, but to be able to get out of that prison of care.

On the appointed day Julie jumped up, took a shower, and began to pack herself. She chose a short skirt, as usual, and a cool blouse. Only the perfect shoes were missing to finish her look.

***

Shortly after arguing with Julie, Mark could finally see something other than fingers. But what he saw was his body being hurled toward the window, he went into despair, thinking Julie was going to throw him out the window of the car, but it was closed. He had little time to thank God for inventing the automotive window when he saw a light begin to appear on his other half.

In fractions of seconds he could see Julie's face lifting him. Then a noise of tires screaming, she looked ahead simultaneously dropping him on the floor of the car. He also saw those beautiful little feet of hers, which he had come to hate, do a desperate dance, taking turns to beat the brake pedal.

He tried to yell, 'I'm under the pedal, get me out of here.' But she was no longer touching him, and apparently even magic has it's rules. He heard the impact. From one half he could see Julie's still feet, from the other he only saw the moon light trough the window for a while, but after what seemed like days, he saw people staring out the window, and the glow of sirens.

He saw Julie's feet being pulled out, he could not see by whom, he was desperate, worried about her, worried about him. What would it be if any of those strangers looking out the window decides to get him too ?!

He heard the door being knocked, he heard the sirens pull away. He felt the car moving again, but he was still beside the pedals of the car, and there was no driver there. He saw the day lighten, and suddenly the car door opened. Julie was fine and had come looking for him to end this hell and get him back to normal. At least that's what he thought.

Ms Carla started to look inside the car, took Julie's purse, her notebooks, and her shoes.

Mark's natural impulse was to feel relief at seeing a familiar face. He naturally tried to say 'hello Dona Carla, it's me, Mark ...' and explain the whole situation. Then the truth struck him like a knife, Julie was the only one who could hear him, for Dona Carla, he was just one more of the absurdly high heels of his dazzling daughter.

He watched her carry him through the girl's room, which he had never seen before. She then set him down. He managed to notice the shelves above him, just before everything went dark. He could hear distant voices sometimes, but he could not identify who they were. After a long time in the dark, which was probably months in the shoe calendar, he finally saw a flash of light.

An almost torturous clarity, for him who stayed so long in the dark, with the sole exception of a shadow, a giant figure.

It was the first time Mark had seen Julie from this angle, not having his vision covered by feet. The girl's beautiful legs were towers, she was giant, an angelic monument. Almost a 10-story building of sheer beauty. She was a goddess, he thought at last. And it was a relief to know she was all right. She was not just good, she was great.

She looked at him smiling, what a beautiful smile. He could already forget everything she had made him go through. She had finally come home, come back to save him from this prison. She was happy, he could see, she was happy because she was going to save him.

***

Julie was glowing with joy, 'I'm finally going to get out of here, finally a little freedom again. 'She looked at the closet, saw her favorite shoes, and smiled. She hesitated a little, wondering if it was worth wearing such cute shoes to go to college. 'Who am I kidding? I love to dress well and who knows what I'm going to do after the test ?!'.

She took the shoes, set them at the foot of the bed and sat down.

***

Mark was anxious to get back to normal, but now, being so happy to see that Julie was well, getting back to normal was not enough. He remembered what their last conversation had been like. He had been a jerk to her. He did not want to lose his friend, he was not going to let anything else in their away. If their friendship survived this crazy day, nothing else could get in the way.

Mark thought about what he was going to say, how to apologize, how to explain how sorry he was for the things he said.

He then braced himself and waited for her to reverse the magic and turn him back. He was going to grab her, hug her, apologize, beg her to forgive him.

Then he saw one of her feet approaching him, and touching his face. Then the other. She had worn him. She rose and then the pain of the crushing came back really hard. Not that he had gotten used to it that day, but all the time he stayed in the dark, it served to make that horrible sensation look like an old nightmare.

What was she doing? Why was she doing this to him? Julie was probably still angry about that argument. That was not fair, he had been like this for god knows how long. But it did not matter, if she was still in mad, he would take the initiative and apologize to her. He was going to take the chance that now they were again touching and would say 'Julie, I'm really sorry ...' That's right, I must apologize to her before anything else.

"Julie, I ..."

These were respectively the ninth and tenth words that Mark addressed to Julie after the last spell. And so were his last words to anyone else.

***


Julie was ready. After putting on her shoes she looked at the mirror to check if she looked good, made 3 different poses, and came to the conclusion that yes, ahe looked great. She took one last look at herself and ...

"Julie, I"

She looked around, frightened, there was no one. She looked out the window, no one, either. She had hit her head really hard a week ago, maybe it was normal to hear voices, maybe not, but it was best not to ask her mother, or she would not leave the house today. Julie simply accepted that it was her imagination, and left.

She arrived in college, and was soon greeted by the few colleagues who were not yet on vacation, and who wanted to know how she was doing after the accident. She searched for Mark, called him, but to no avail. He probably should have gone on vacation while she was away, and did not want to be bothered. Next semester she would catch up with him.

She went to do the last test of her semester. The test was very easy, the teacher must have felt sorry for her, due to the accident. Well, what mattered was to be passed with or without the help of the teacher's pity.

Julie had been approved in the two matters whose results had been released. The third, to which Julie considered the most difficult matter, Macroeconomics, she would only know the result at night, or at most the next morning, by e-mail.

Well, all that was left was to celebrate, after having gone through almost everything. Julie had been invited by some friends to a rock concert. And nothing better to celebrate than jumping all night to the sound of rock.

***

Julie woke up with a heavy hangover at her friend Jenifer's house. She was stinking, and sticky. She was lying on the floor of the room, her feet black and aching. When an extremely sour smell struck his nose, it came from her left side, where she saw one of her shoes. Wow, they stink. She stood up slowly, her head spinning, until she finally stood up.

Jenifer had already gone to work. How could anyone work after that night?!. Julie had never jumped so much in her life. She thought about taking a shower before leaving Jenifer's house but she had not brought any clothes, and her filthy foot would not make the sour shoe much worse.

While she was still dizzy, she put on the shoe, she saw her feet and remembered that she took off her shoes in the middle of the night. As she finished putting on the second shoe, she wondered. 'Why the hell did I stand barefoot in that filthy place?'

Before getting up, she picked up her cell phone to see the time, and saw the e-mail notification. She opened the e-mail and there was the list of Macroeconomics grades.

Julieta Martins: 9,0 – Approved.

She then got up and jumped. Falling ass on the floor soon after hearing a big crack coming from below.

"Damn, that's why I was barefoot." Julie remembered that at the end of the show she started to feel the shoe a bit weird, and looking at him closely, she saw huge cracks along each heel, and she had taken it to avoid further damage. Well now it was too late.

But what was a simple pair of shoes compared to being approved in Macroeconomics ?! Besides, Julie could easily have her shoes repaired. She finished tearing off the broken heels, tossed them into a bin, snapped her fingers, and the broken heels were now a brand-new flats, much more appropriate to walk home with sore feet like that.


Epilogue:

Mark was reported missing four years ago, Julie was very sad to hear of his friend missing. She even paid tribute to him at her graduation ceremony, he always helped her to study for the exams.

He is the only one who knows of his current whereabouts. He has been almost all kinds of heels, flats and sneakers imaginable. Since starting to live alone, Julie does not buy any more shoes, she only uses the same pair, her favorite one, transforming it according to necessity.

Even after 4 years in this 'life', Mark 'cries' at dawn when the cycle resumes. He did not get used to the smell, he did not get used to the weight, he did not get used to the taste.

Every day when she puts him on, he tries to shout 'Julie, for God's sake, I'm here.' But it seems she was so angry at him that she decided to leave him like this.

Julie currently has a permanent job, and she does post-graduation at night, staying all day with the same shoes. One can say that Mark and Julie are closer than ever, he is now the involuntary companion of almost every hour of Julie's life...



...She just does not know that ...