It constituted all the pieces of her sole! (Inkwell Prompt #50)
Ink Well Prompt #50: Shoes, Mood, Adventure.
Design and wording created in Canva by me, using a free template
Phyllis sat in a kind of void which seemed to belong to neither time nor space; it was dark, it was forgotten, it was, to be quite clear, the cupboard under the stairs. Small slits of light would sometimes slide through the gaps in the door, but there was never any reprieve from the solitude and disregard of the rest of the family.
It would be easy, in her own mind, to think of herself as Prisoner 24601 (a fitting allusion to Les Miserables given her state of mind). Her mood remaining optimistic, she dreamed of escaping her cramped confines. To go hiking through rugged treks, to trample the rocks on her way up peaks, to navigate the muddy paths through the old rainforest. It was a simple dream, and she cherished it – for it constituted all the pieces of her sole!
In a state of anticipation, as was her usual mindset, Phyllis was woken early last Saturday morning. She could hear the family that kept her trapped bustling about upstairs, and moving quickly up and down the stairs above her, and just outside her door. Something was going on, and the time felt right that this might be the moment she would earn her freedom – perhaps we might call it her raison d’etre coming to pass.
Phyllis could see the day’s adventure playing out now, walking quickly to the door, running to the car, pressing down hard on the accelerator – getting as far away from her dungeon as she could imagine. She imagined the world, not how it really was, but in a kind of technicolour; beautiful and inviting. It was, to be quite clear, a simple dream for anyone who was trapped in the cupboard under the stairs, and quite the contrast to their usual existence.
The seconds kept ticking by, then minutes, and Phyllis’ excitement was spurred on by the drumming of the families’ feet, which continued to pound the floorboards by her door. The footsteps, one by one, ultimately echoing out into silence. Phyllis was left all alone, no one had even opened her door to check in on her. They’d left without her again, to wherever it was their days took them.
And so what’s the one conclusion I could bring this story to? Quite simply, always making sensible and appropriate footwear decisions in the shop. You see, Phyllis was a pair of shoes. A flimsy pair of pink hiking boots which Emily demanded her mother buy her. She never wore them once; she had promised she would go hiking with the family, but she never did. She made excuses about them hurting her feet, ‘The Blisters!’ she would wail, as she went on her way in a strappy sandal. Phyllis, of course, would remain waiting, always hopeful, always dreaming, of adventure, of escape.
And for those of you who chuckled at the end of paragraph two, regarding my spelling of sole, thinking me the fool, I hope you now reflect back, and enjoy the play on words. The phrase is borrowed from TS Eliot’s ‘Preludes’, “You dozed, and watched the night revealing/ The thousand sordid images / Of which your soul was constituted”. You can see Phyllis is not the modernist at heart! Thanks for joining me this #theinkwell prompt.
You creatively built Phyllis's character, the setting of her solitude in the cupboard, and gave her a "sole".
Hopefully Emily would take her on a hiking trip soon!
Thank you for sharing this interesting and creative story in The Ink Well. We also appreciate that you support other writers by engaging with them.
I certainly thought something was off when I read the title, but then you made me smile. Haha
I loved this story, creatively told from a shoe's POV with a "sole".
Emily really needs to take her out sometime 😁
Certainly makes you wonder though, how many shoes end up absolutely neglected? I think my wife has several pairs of Phyllises in her wardrobe - she sees a $5 sign on a pair of shoes and can't resist a bargain - the shoes, never to see the light again. :) Thanks @yaziris
Haha, yup. Those poor "soles" get neglected far too often, all women should read about Phyllis. 😁
I do blame those who make the Phyllises too!
My pleasure man, I loved your story.
What a delightful story, @lordtimoty. Phyllis was not meant to reside in a closet. She was meant to move... to "put one foot in front of the other," as they say! She has the heart and sole of an adventurer. :-)
Absolutely! The prompt was most helpful on this one, with the twist hiding in plain sight. Thanks for reading, appreciate the audience!
clever use of sole...clever indeed. Reminds me of a paper I wrote about a baby bottle. I may have to dig that one up...
hallo. interesting writing. greetings and greetings literacy
When I saw "sole" i didn't laugh or chuckle because I felt there was a reason for it and I was right. I have never thought of capturing an object's POV, but this was brilliant. Thanks for such a lovely story although it made me feel a little Melancholic but that's the point of stories right? To feel and move with the characters? Which is why I'll always prefer a book to a any movie. I think imma go wear my forgotten pairs now. 🤧
Oh my word, this is such a story that would linger in my mind for a long time. Phyllis' world came around her as she stayed put.
I could just stop reading..... Very creative and what a story should look or sound like.
Well done.
Wow! I like your story. Please keep it up
Look at me think Phyllis was a sad girl or something, really creative story.
Wow! This was an amazing read. So innovative!
Congratulations, @lordtimoty! Your story has been featured in our weekly highlights magazine.
Thank you for being a part of The Ink Well!
Ghad, that was something... never thought about a story from the perspective of a shoe. It was a really awesome read.
Thank you nice to see your story here :)
What a bittersweet story and I loved the twist at the end!
Poor Phyllis having to forever dream her freedom and adventures.
Maybe one day the family will clean out their closets and storage spaces and donate Phyllis to an opshop where she will be found by her solemate!
That got me, I thought the story would be dark. Though in a way, it is, for Phyllis.
Hey, I am *ehem* Droplet from the VYB curation project!
I want to say sorry first for being late. (was doing my banner 🤣 I am new at the project) then say thank you for using our tag proofofbrain (POB, VYB are also our tags).
Was doing going around the stories on the Ink Well and happened to check your post.I remember you from the Hive Book Club, unsure if you remember me though.
I am amazed by your story and writing! (Although, I am an amateur fiction writer but still I can appreciate a good post when I see one).
Submitted your post for an upvote from our tribe and was approved!
Note: Your upvoted using VYB and POB thus may not see it. You can check your post using Proofofbrain.blog to check other tribe tokens you were curated with (there are probably better ways but this is the only one I know as of now)
Thank you!
Hey @khoola - thanks for your message. I had actually been thinking about your encouragement in the hive book club recently - I am nearly through another two books (one physical, one audiobook) and had been thinking about how to go about writing them up.
I am glad you were delighted by the story, although I have a confession. I am an English Literature teacher, and I teach High School. I would say I don't do creative writing - yet, having found a few creative writing communities on Hive, I feel like it's been good to push and stretch some of my own boundaries.
It's been a month sine I've joined PeakD; it's hard finding all the curation tags, and front ends for different sites. I really need to start a notepad next to my laptop to remind myself.
Tim
Here is a Discord link for The Terminal just in case you got lost and have questions about Hive. They are dedicated to help out people whom are new. I am also there 😁, as a newbie though 🤣.
I do know your a Literature teacher I read your first post at the Hive Book Club. I am a sailor and engineering base, not even a native English speaker. Quite challenging for me to actually write fiction. Funny thing, the Ink Well is my home community I started here. I have been writing fiction here for 4 months I think.
I am glad you found your way here in the Ink Well... Hope to see your next story. I am really bad with sci fi... but I'll find a way.
Thanks again and goodluck!