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I reckon i'll give it a shot. Count me in!
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Jun 24, 2015 13:56
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 04:31 |
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Didn't even try to make it video game related this time, maybe next. Sole Ascension, 1158 words There I stood, completely dumbfounded. My necessity for a new pair of shoes had lead me to a display behind a familiar glass window, showcasing a plethora of shapes and styles. I was never one to dabble in fashion, thus it had become a routine at this point - get in, browse meagerly for a period of time neither too long, nor too short, and give ‘em the ol’ “switcheroo”. I casually stroll out with a new pair of boots, or clogs, or whatever tickled my fancy on the occasion, and the monkeys working the floors would be none the wiser. No bullshit. Perhaps, not quite so easy this time… A quick glance at the contents of the display was a simple formality as I made my way into the store front, but I found myself unable to stick to protocol. Just a quick glance, and my complete attention was diverted towards something wonderous - an absolute anomaly compared to the standard cluster. I could see my facial features with perfect detail, reflected in ripples on the surface of the most magnificent pair of leather loafers I had ever laid my eyes on. An apex predator, a beast among beasts. Or was the animal that previously wore the skin that was masterfully crafted into this pair of shoes even born of this world? For a solid moment, doubts and concerns reverberated throughout my habitually stoic mind, and I was lost in a completely new world of marvel and appreciation for what was once so mundane. It hit me that I had never even considered I actually had choices on my previous heists. I had already began to picture myself walking nonchalantly about town, now a man of style, socializing with the other men and women of refined taste, and the envy of the boring and the bored. I would soon pull the greatest heist of my career, and have the prize to end all prizes. That’s when the shock ran over me, and left me dazed. I was completely overwhelmed. Everything had changed. Never once had I considered a pair of shoes, or any other article of clothing for that matter, as an object of value - they are just footwear, a societal essential. I need shoes. It wasn’t worth the thought nor the effort to concern myself with something that was a “prerequisite” for existing within civilization, I reassured myself, with my uniquely arrogant sense of logic. This was an important part of rationalizing what I was about to do. I shook it off, and proceeded into the store. This time was different. I was no longer walking into my own personal closet, grabbing a pair of shoes without a second thought, and marching off to some other place as per routine - no, this time I was on a mission. I needed them. I had began to take note of people and things I had normally completely ignored - the workers stationed at the registers in the front, the line of patrons twisting around the corner of the show floor, and the burly security guard standing proudly at the head of the store that I had just passed on my way in, now intimidating and fearsome as if through some change in the climate. He nodded politely as the customers left the store with their recent purchases with a glint of confidence in his eyes that felt as if he had the ability to pierce their innermost thoughts, and immediately identify any ill-intent. He was the ultimate obstacle to my mission, and the supreme guardian of the store. No problem, I had gotten away with it what must have been a dozen or more times in the past. Besides, what I was doing wasn’t even wrong. Was it? I tried to avoid second guessing myself, and made my way through the store frantically, half distracted from the task at hand. Although my head was clouded, I managed to find the shelf displaying the loafers I was after with minimal effort, guided by a dark desire welling inside of me. I had been overcome by a strange kind of excitement as I began to unbox the loafers in anticipation. Pure cocaine. Here they are. The only pair of shoes that could possibly fit on these feet. I gazed upon them in awe, gently stroking the smooth, polished surface affectionately. My fingertips snagged on a patch of roughness as they reached the end of the surface. I pulled them up to my face for a closer look. What I saw reflected in the leather was a far cry from the display case in the front. Close examination had distorted my reflection into a twisted aberration of lopsided constructs. I sighed softly. It was then that I had realized for the first time, vanity had gotten the best of me. I had much fondness and appreciation for the bastion of craftsmanship that laid in my hands, easily the finest pair of shoes I would ever hold. However, the novelty wore off sharply, like a pain killer fading from my system abruptly. What my eyes saw a reflection of my physical self, my conscience saw as a reflection of the inner me, and deemed it truthfully so in that exact moment. A pair of shoes really is nothing to fuss over, I thought to myself as I reboxed the loafers and placed them back on the shelf, but I now had recognized the err in my logic as a first hand experience. Nothing to fuss over, but valuable nonetheless. I grabbed a pair of plain, black work boots in my size and marched triumphantly to the register, ignoring the line, and slamming them down proudly on the counter. “Uhm, ok,” the cashier girl acknowledged, as she rang me up. “Your total comes to-.. $22.13”, she said with a smile. I paid her as fast as I could, and picked up my box. “Can I wear them out?”, I chimed in enthusiastically, to which I was given a nod. “Of course! Thank you for shopping with us.” I took a seat on one of the benches at the front of the store, and stepped into my new shoes. They were rather lackluster in appearance relative to the common shoe, let alone the luscious loafers I had been holding just moments ago, but they did have a certain fresh, new charm. The appearance of the shoes did not matter, this was a turning point. A moral revelation. As I walked towards the exit of the store, I didn’t notice the security guard standing, giving me a thorough look-over. “Hey buddy!”, he grabbed me sternly by the arm. I froze up for a moment, not entirely understanding what was happening. He looked over my face carefully for couple of seconds, then down at my feet, then back up before giving the thumbs up. “I see you made the right choice!”
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Jun 28, 2015 21:36
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J.A.B.C. posted:May the defendants please rise. Was mine so bad that you didn't even read it? 
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Jun 29, 2015 18:50
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I'd go in again, but i'm gone from home for the next week and 1/2 starting tomorrow and I don't think i'll have the time. I'll definitely participate again in the future, though.
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Jul 1, 2015 00:00
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