| The Slippers -- by Sheela Chari |
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Not everyone thinks this story is true, but if you go up north, people there will tell you differently. They’ll tell you about a girl who disappeared for good, who learned the hard way that nature has its own rules for who it saves, and who it doesn’t. Once there was a girl named Ruby, who lived near a creek that ran all the way to the great Snake River of Washington. Ruby had never seen the river, but she loved the creek. She knew every rock, every pebble, every tree that lined the banks. Don’t go in the creek, her mother warned. But no matter what anyone said, nothing stopped Ruby from going in, from scooping up tadpoles, and searching for crawdads and minnows swimming below the surface. The creek was where she felt at home, where her spirit mingled deep with the pungent smell of water, rock, and algae. Then one summer, something happened that changed everything forever. Olivia, who lived next door, was nice enough, but she hated the creek. She didn’t like the muddy slime, or the dragonflies darting around, or the salty smell that made her skin itch. Olivia’s father worked at the university, teaching Important Things, which meant sometimes he traveled to Important Places. On one of these travels, he brought back a pair of oriental slippers made from red silk, covered in loopy embroidery and tiny mirror-work. Slippers fit for a queen, he said. That might be, but they didn’t fit Olivia. “Here,” she said to Ruby one day. “I don’t like them much, anyway.” That was the way Olivia was: slightly nice, and slightly horrible. Ruby stared at Olivia’s offering. What would a girl who was always standing knee-deep in the creek, do with a pair of silk slippers? But Ruby took them anyway. The truth was they were the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. She waited to try the slippers on at home, so Olivia wouldn’t see how much they mattered to Ruby, or else Olivia might want them back. They fit Ruby’s feet perfectly, curving in all the right places, as if they were made for her. Where could she wear them? She looked out the window, at the dark water lapping the muddy bank – the one place she could not. But there would be time later for the creek. On her way outside, her mother was the first to notice them. “Such pretty shoes,” she said, “but how will you ever keep them clean?” Next was Olivia’s family. “Ruby and her ruby slippers,” they said. In Olivia’s eyes, Ruby saw a flash of envy, but it was too late for her to take them back, and everyone knew it. In town, everywhere Ruby went, people stopped to look at them: Mrs. Schuyler at the drugstore, Mr. Tate at the barber shop, the kids in front of the ice cream store. Zachariah leaned over so closely, the end of his snow-cone dripped on the edge of her slippers. And that’s when Ruby saw something strange. Where the drop of ice water fell, the slipper sizzled, creating a spiral of red steam. She stared hard. Had she seen what she thought she’d seen? She went home. Inside the kitchen it happened again, her mother’s wet hands from washing cucumbers, dripped on the floor and on Ruby’s slippers. Sizzle sizzle! A puff of red smoke. But when Ruby looked up, her mother continued washing the cucumbers, as if nothing had happened. In the bathroom, Ruby sprinkled handfuls of water. More sizzle, more steam, and an ominous bang that sent her reeling back. But the embroidered silk and the tiny mirrors continued to shine like new. She ran past the kitchen, past her mother who had still heard nothing. What were they, a magic pair of shoes? And just how big could the magic be? Outside, the creek was eerily silent. Ruby had a last glimpse of home, of her mother framed inside the kitchen window, before she turned to the creek she had visited ever since she could walk, despite all her mother’s warnings. It was a place that couldn’t fail her now. She took a deep breath and jumped. The stones and pebbles in the creek quaked, the water became a geyser of red steam, and the explosion that rang through the air reached Ruby’s house, and this time, her mother’s ears. She dropped the cucumber and ran. “Ruby!” The name was on her mother’s lips before she even reached the creek. There, Ruby’s mother saw the water turn red, then brown, then dark and murky, as if all the contents of the creek had been upturned and forced to the top. On the ground she found something glittering: a piece of mirror-work. She frowned. But her worries were only beginning. Days went by. A team of dogs were brought to search the creek. Everyone was questioned, from Mrs. Schuyler to Mr. Tate, to Zachariah and Olivia. But no one knew where Ruby had gone. Her parents grew sick with worry. They waited for the unbearable news to reach them. Then word came that a girl had been found where the creek joined Snake River, a place of rushing water and drooping trees. Her leg had been caught in a floating branch. “It was like the creek saved her from being swept away down the river,” said the police officer, who brought her home. After that, Ruby never went in the creek again. She had no memory of what happened, except for the split-second when her slippers hit the water and she thought her life was over. As for the slippers, they had traveled past Ruby’s house, and lay bobbing near the house next door. Ruby never saw them, but someone else did. With a stick, Olivia fished them out, holding her nose with two fingers (because the briny smell was putrid to her as always). Slippers fit for a queen. She kicked off her sandals, not knowing the ways of the creek, or the terrible thing she was about to do, as she slid her foot into the slippery red silk resting in the shallow water.
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Hits: 6262 Comments (125)Subscribe to this comment's feedIt's my poem
Sizzle sizzle! BANG! BOOM!
The mighty branch saved her from doom The ruby slippers can be cruel Beware!Beware, for the next wearer might be you! one more time
Oh queen Olivia, she should've known
But there was no way the trouble could be shown It was too late since she put her foot in, for mother nature would treat her like a bin! Nice...
Cool story..something is wrong with my computer because I can't see the ends of the sentences. What I don't understand is what the slippers did to her. Maybe it was explained at the end of the sentences...
Can anyone tell me? -Thanks guest_ghostee
I wasn't sure if I should be commenting here or not, being a ghost and all.
But I just had to say these are all such lovely comments. Thank you for stopping by and reading. It gave me a warm, unghosty, feeling inside. @Agent M - I love your poems!!! I don't think anyone has ever written a poem on my behalf before. Thank you! @I.M.Secret - I'm sorry you weren't able to read some of the words. I think it is a formatting issue. I'm afraid there is no further meaning hidden in those absent letters! Rather than answering your question directly, maybe you might go back to the beginning and figure out from there what happened to the girl. -sheela chari @Sheela_Chari
No,no, thank YOU Mrs.Sheela Chari. Your story is amazing and i'll be glad to write peoms for you anytime.
![]() ![]() Oh!
I can see the ends of the sentences now Ms.Sheela! I reread everything. I understand what the story's about now. But what was she trying to do at the part when it said "It was a place that couldn't fail her now."
Did she want to go to the river? I'm sorry if it's really obvious, my brain's just fogged up because most of my friends are gone and it's summer. Nothing to do. So...yeah. P.S. I like sandwiches. And ham. And cream puffs. guest_ghostee
@Agent M: I think my favorite line was mother nature treating her like a bin!
@IM Secret: I think the formatting got fixed. Am glad you can see everything now. As for your question - I think Ruby knew she had something with her, a kind of magic that was dangerous, and she went where she thought she was safe, in spite of her mother's warnings about the creek. Have a nice day everyone - and sorry IM Secret agent that I couldn't be a ghost chef, too. ![]() ![]() ...
At first I thought it'd be another one of those stories where the slippers wouldn't come off, but it turned out to be very interesting.
Wow!
Wow I really liked the story! Especially the ending when Olivia finds them! You're a really good writer. I hope you keep writing stories this good!
guest_ghostee
I think I love this web site.
![]() ![]() Thanks so much for your comments, everyone. They're wonderful to read! ...
I'm so bummed it had to end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that was an amazing story!! I hope you post another one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pbs name REALLY revealed over 10 websites agree to this; PB's name is RAPHAEL SIMON can you believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Note 2 PB
PB, Your books are the EPIC-EST even though that's not even a real word!!!!!!! Luv your work
![]() ![]() ![]() Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!!!!! ~Terces Society Member 2998567 TTYLZ ...
PB: i just re-read my favorite book of the series and finished. it was the 3rd book: This Book is Not Good For You and i read Chapter 36: A STUFFED LION CUB AND A PURPLE GIRAFFE STRAW and at the end of the chapter; page 364: it said "As he watched, the woman crumpled her kangaroo straw in half, and the man clenched the neck of his stuffed lion so tight that a seam burst in the poor lion's head. The boy burst into tears.
That's so cool!
That is soooo cool!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I wonder whatever happened to Olivia? Because maybe Mother Nature will save her with the creek? For PB
PB Im readig your last book, You have to stop this! Im in the part Daniel-not-Dannielle`s dad, Albert 3-D,thinks Cass, ME and Yo-Yoji stole the mummy! Gr8 book!
...
Dear pseudonymous bosch,
this letter is for your eyes only. what the max ernest is your real name? seriously, i've read to your fourth book already,and, i'll keep your name safe with me. sincerily,p.o.* *please write back. i'm not joking like the jester. terrific
i luv that story its spooky I'm neva gonna wear
ruby slippers agen![]() thnx for haring it with us i also like the poems that people wrote whats your name
pb please tell your biggest fan your name u should right more about bout cass m-e and yo-yoji ilove them
The Next Person To Give Out A Spolier is....
Please, if you are going to write information/spoliers on the books, please write "spoiler" on the top of your comment. All of those who have given information away, congratulations, you have spoiled the entire plot for those who have not finished the series! I hope you're happy with yourselves. Try to think about other people for a change.
Yours faithfully, Agent EN Another bother.
I also dislike lowercase "I"'s. By the way... good story. Doesn't everyone enjoy a good short story?
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ruby slippers agen










