To an external viewer, they wouldn’t be able to gauge the mood in my apartment right now. To them, they’d just see a simple scene of a young boyfriend and girlfriend having an active conversation, they wouldn’t even think to cast an eye over to the corner by the door, to the pair of worn out brown leather penny loafers sitting idly by. How would they know that the right shoe of that set was currently screaming silently in terror and shock as his world came crashing down?

I couldn’t even focus enough to listen to what they were talking about, I was in full panic mode worrying something had gone wrong. Had the spell split me up somehow, leaving part of me in this shoe and the other part thinking the spell failed? Was auto-pilot mode different to what I thought? I thought back to my test run, when I looked back at my body it was as if I was asleep. Did my body “wake up” after it was left so long? All these possibilities went around my mind. I tried to calm down, it was still only half past four, I wasn’t due to change back for another ninety minutes, this was just an unexpected roadblock. But what a road block, it was so surreal seeing me, or my body at least talk and laugh with my girlfriend.

“Hey, do you mind if I take a shower” Erica asked “it’s been a hell of a day and I’m filthy”

“Go ahead!” my body said “Mi casa es su casa!”

As I watched Erica walk to the bathroom, I noticed my body also watching her. Seconds after she closed the door and the unmistakeable sound of the shower head was heard, my body ambled over to me. If he really was on auto-pilot mode, he was about to take a big sniff of me, it’s what I’d do in the situation. My hand picked me up, but rather than hold me up to his nose, he held me at arm’s length and smiled down at me.

“Hey buddy, how’s the weather down there?” He said, mockingly. He know, I don’t know how, but he knew!

“I bet you’re real confused, I was too until I found your laptop with the page open for your little spell. I’ll start from the top, I was Erica’s boyfriend before you came on the scene. Don’t worry we don’t overlap, she left me months before she met you. My name is, or at least it was Harry Foxton” I couldn’t believe what was happening, I had so many questions, but no way to express them.

“Unfortunately, Erica caught me in bed with another woman, I knew I was getting careless, I’d hidden it so well for months.” Harry boasted, “Erica was furious, especially when she found out that that woman wasn’t the only one. What can I say, I’m popular. Anyway, in her anger, she somehow changed me. Gone was the star of the college lacrosse team, now I was just a mangy old shoe” The anger in his voice was evident, he had to stop himself from shouting. I was taken aback by this revelation. Erica had always joked that she had magic powers, but I had never thought she was telling the truth.

“I was humiliated, every day I had to deal with her stinking foot on me, her grinding her toes inside of me, stamping down on me, the girl can hold a grudge. The first time I saw you, I had no idea you’d be my saviour. You see the first person you saw wasn’t her, it was me. From the moment I saw you gawping at me in the coffee shop, I knew you were a foot freak. I was always scared you’d jack off into me someday, I’m actually a little thankful all you did was sniff. She knew you did that by the way” If I still had cheeks, they’d have reddened in embarrassment

“She thought it was cute and she thought it would humiliate me more. Little did I know your frustration would eventually tick over and you’d do something like this” Harry gestured with my body. He then noticed the shower had stopped and I was dropped to the ground with a thud. Hastily, Harry placed me back next to the other shoe and moved back to where he had been sat before.

I couldn’t believe this, I’d been body-napped. This jerk who Erica had punished was now in my body and I was suffering his punishment. A refreshed Erica returned from her shower, looking brighter

“Boy, did I need that” She smiled then sat next to Harry. I tried to scream, to warn her that she was sat next to her cheating rat of an ex. Harry put on a movie and the pair both watched. It had been a favourite of mine, but I was paying it no attention, but rather I was focussed on my clock. When the clock struck six, my nightmare would surely be over. There’s no way Harry would have been able to change the time limit. The seconds ticked closer and the tension was unbearable. As the hour hit, I was still unchanged, maybe the clock was a little slow? 6:01, 6:02, 6:10, I was still a shoe. This couldn’t be happening, I couldn’t be stuck like this!? Maybe I got the timings wrong. I didn’t want to be a shoe forever!

Erica excused herself to use the bathroom, Harry moved over to me, but didn’t pick me up this time

“Didn’t take me long to figure out how to make this deal permanent. Just had to break those stupid sticks. Now I have a second chance. Trust me, it’s better this way, I could tell by your browsing history how much you loved feet, this is like heaven to you, right?” Harry’s words were like a sentence from a judge, condemning to a life of being a mere object, to a life of sucking on Erica’s foot until I wear out

“Don’t get used to seeing me, anyway. I know what she’s like, I’m gonna get the hell out of dodge, I just have to figure out how to do it without being turned into lefty and going back to square one” As he turned away, I watched my future disappear, my dreams of becoming a fully-fledged journalist were gone. Now all I had to look forward to was being stepped on. It wasn’t fair! I’d planned this so well, how could this have happened.

I fretted to myself futilely for the rest of the night, raging against my fate, terrified of being a shoe forever. I couldn’t even communicate, I was trapped, forced to experience everything. Everything through the day started to make sense, my hearing was the way it was because Erica wanted Harry to hear what he was missing, she was so hard on me because she was still mad with Harry. But now she wouldn’t be punishing him, she’d be punishing me. My only crime was indulging my fantasies too much. I wanted to cry, to scream out to have some way to express my pent up fury and fear.

As Erica slipped her foot back into me, it was like a new prisoner hearing the doors lock of the first night. My sentence was starting, but I had no parole. I could only hope Erica would forgive Harry and change me into his old body. It wouldn’t be perfect, all my plans would still be ruined, but I would have a body that could move, talk and breath. Or even if she would just give me the ability to communicate with her, I could explain everything and she could sort out this mess. That eventuality seemed pretty far away as I was kicked off again this time in her dorm room. Erica undressed in front of me as she prepared for bed. She shot me a dark look before turning out the light, leaving me to stew in blackness, reflecting on my new life.

***

A week or so had passed and I’d given up hope of returning to normal. I was now experiencing a different side to Erica, her cruel vindictive side. She never spoke to me directly, but when certain items of conversation came up, she’d make sure I knew, either by stamping, scratching or flexing inside of me. I was thankful she showered as often as I never realised how sweaty she got when working. To say I was used to the sensation would be exaggerating, I was used to being a little penny loafer, sure but every time I was put on it was like a nightmare starting all over again.

It was an odd day as Erica kicked me off and to my surprise got another pair of shoes out of her closet. I wasn’t even aware she owned another pair. I was glad I’d have a pair to share the load with as she placed them down in front of me. They were a pair of dark purple peep toe heels. I wish I’d have known about them, because in my old life, I’d have loved to have seen her in them. She looked like she was getting dressed up for something. She put on a dress which matched the shoes and spent a good hour fixing her make-up and hair. She looked fabulous, the dress suited her perfectly and it was finished off with a beautiful pair of dark sheer nylon stockings. Finally, she placed on the shoes and walked out of the dorm, not even flashing me one of her now customary scowls.

It was an odd sensation being alone in Erica’s dorm room in daylight. She only ever really took me off when she slept, even one time sleeping in me, which was an experience I’d hoped never to have again. Time whittled by slowly as I had nothing to focus on. Erica hadn’t been in work today, in fact she’d had a pretty laid back time of it, so she hadn’t worked up much of a funk around her feet. Still there was a lingering smell still attached to me, which I was now accustomed to. Spending hours at night with it hanging around will to that to you.

Eventually, Erica returned, looking distraught. Her make-up had ran down her face and she was holding her shoes in her hand. She looked distraught. She sat on her bed, dropped the shoes to the floor and wept. Even now, after a week of hell underneath her, I wanted to comfort her. I still loved her, no matter what she’d put me through and she was my best hope of becoming human again.

After a few minutes she shot me another dark look, looking angrier than I’d ever seen her.

“I bet you’re loving this” she spat at me “seeing me this upset over a break-up”

He’d done it! He’d split with her, I was furious at the impostor currently wearing my body. I looked down at the shoes Erica had dropped. Was one of them now sentient? I secretly wished so, I didn’t want Harry to escape his punishment.

“You wanna know why I didn’t do anything to him” She said, crushing my wish for schadenfreude “Because he respected me enough to do it to my face, to take me out and let me down gently. He didn’t go behind my back and start sleeping around. That’s why he has a future and you’re going to be a worthless stinky little shoe forever”

She walked over to me and picked me up, she looked at me with genuine hatred “So have your big laugh tonight, lap it up. I don’t think I’ll shower tomorrow, or the next day or for the next week. Leave it nice and crisp for you. Here’s a sneak preview” She reached down and removed one of her stockings, scrunched it up and stuffed it inside of me. Now it was like she had her foot in me, the odour was pungent. It would be eye watering, if I still had eyes.

She dropped me to the floor and I landed upside down. I was left with a dirty stocking inside of me in the dark, now knowing there was no hope. I’d be like this forever; that look in her eyes, I knew she’d never forgive Harry and now I was suffering for it.

If anyone can hear me, please switch with me. Don’t mind my comments about the smell or the pressure, I’m sure there’s someone out there who’d love this. So please if you can hear me, find that swap spell and switch with me. Free me from this life. Please, I don’t want to be a shoe.