The Lost Shoe
There once was a fiddler and his wife who lived in a small house upon a hill. They had been married many years and did not get out to socialize very frequently. One day the wife decided they needed a night on the town to liven up their marriage and their boring routine life. She called up her friends and a dance was organized! She got all fancied up in a beautiful black ball gown and gorgeous pink high heels. He put on his best suit and tie and grabbed his newest fiddle so he could play at the dance. Once they were ready, they got in the carriage to head to the dance.
The road to town had just suffered weeks of intense rain. The dirt roads were quickly giving way under the heavy wheels of the carriage making for a bumpy ride. As the wife was thrown around the back of the carriage the strap on the heel of her show slid down her foot causing it to fly off and out the carriage. She screamed for her husband to stop and go back but he could not hear her over the noise of the horses and the carriage slamming and shaking on the bumpy road.
Upon their arrived she was very distraught at the loss of her shoes but her loving husband assured her she could still dance with just one shoe, her dress was long enough no one would even notice. They entered the dance, greeted by many of their old friends. He went off to play his fiddle with the other gentlemen and she went to off to have some drinks and chat with the ladies. The husband soon realized he could not find his fiddle stick. He search high and low, all over that ball room until finally he thought to check the carriage. He looked all over the carriage eventually finding its hiding spot under the carriage seat. He quickly returned to the dance so he could show his skill on this fine instrument.
By the end of the night his arms were tired from playing his fiddle and his wife was a bit funny, like when a person has one too many drinks. So he gently loads her into the carriage and she sleeps the whole bumpy way home. Once he carries her in and is tucking her in for bed, she asks him where her shoe is. He replies well one fell out of the carriage and you were wearing the other. He then looks around noticing there was no second shoe in the room. It is then they realize she must have removed the shoe at the party, therefore losing both of the beautiful pink high heels that night. As sad as she was, she was happy to have spent a wonderful night with her loving husband and he was happy to have gotten to play his fiddle.
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| Pink High Heel |
Author's Note: In the original nursery rhyme there is a dame who loses her shoe and wants to dance and a fiddler who loses his fiddling stick. The fiddler ends up finding his stick so the dame can dance but she never finds her shoe. When reading this story is made me think of an old time ball gown and horse drawn carriage era so that became my setting for the story. Also women losing shoes seems to happen when they are under the influence of alcohol so that became my next inspiration for the plot of the story.
Bibliography: This rhyme is from the book The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang (1987) on page 192.
I enjoyed reading your story! I liked all the imagery that you put into describing the characters and the scenes in the story. These kinds of stories make me wish that I was back in those times when the main event was to go to a dance where the men played their musical talent of choice and the women danced to it with pure joy. Alcohol always has a way of making parties livelier until it gets to be too much! Much like today!
ReplyDeleteYour story was a funny one! I also agree with the fact that the original rhyme makes me think of an older era with carriages. I liked how you incorporated her being funny (drunk) when she loses her shoe. I think we all become a little forgetful when we've had one too many. I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future!
ReplyDeleteHey Ally, I really liked this story and thought there were a lot of different elements that were cool to read.I particularly liked how upset the wife was at losing her shoe, I would have jumped out of the carriage for sure! I wonder what would have happened if she had jumped! But I also liked at the end that they were just happy to have spent a wonderful evening together. I do wonder though what would have happened at the dance while the ladies were talking? I think it would be cool to hear what problems they were having in their time or what the local gossip was! I also wondered if the shoes the wife were wearing were new or special somehow? I love shoes and spend way too much of my time shopping for more, so I could definitely see wanting to show of some new shoes at a dance! Overall, I loved the story and can't wait to see what else you write!
ReplyDeleteI really liked all of the details you added in your version of the story! It reminded me a little of Cinderella when she lost her shoe and a carriage was involved. I’m not going to lie but I would be really upset if I lost some of my favorite shoes too! I wonder if she’ll end up trying to look for them the next day? I’ve lost things before and took the time to go back to where I left them and I’ve almost always gotten my stuff back! I agree with you though and I think a lot of girls and even guys lose things when they’re under the influence. I thought it was cute how you added that she wasn’t too upset with losing her shoes because she had such a great night with her husband. I feel like we can concentrate too much on the negative things that happen to us rather than the positives!
ReplyDeleteThis story was pretty cool. Although there were quite a few things going on, it didn't get too busy or too confusing. It was quite surprising to find out in the end that she lost the other shoe somehow. You did a very good job of describing what was happening with your words, such as describing how loud it was in the carriage going through the muddy road, and the color of her shoes. At first I thought that when the husband went out to the carriage to look for his bow, he would find the other shoe stuck somehow to the carriage and that it was not lost. I wonder if he is going to buy a new pair of shoes for her since she lost these, maybe as an anniversary gift or birthday gift. If the husband had to play the fiddle on night, did that mean they didn't get to dance with each other?
ReplyDelete