The Great Mall Escape

The Great Shopping Mall Escape

“This is my one last chance to escape with my very life.” It was just my luck that the lady with the largest shopping bag I had seen today was acting like someone had just whispered in her ears.

“Oh my god, do you think she can actually hear me?” Ms. Special Occasion Pointy Toes High Heels said with her voice tempered with fear and horror.

“No, you idiot. She’s shoplifting. What other reason do you think she would have to be carrying that big shopping bag around with her?” Ms. Comfort Mule said sarcastically.

“Be nice, Ladies. We are all condemned to our special fate by our makers design. Once you accept that fact you will experience the joy that your existence is meant to provide in your lifetime.” Chanted Ms. Sunday Church softly.

“Listen Ms. Sunday Church, I am tired of your lectures about how I should be happy about my existence. I am not going to survive to make it out of here. I am going to be stretched out of shape, worn out and old before my time. Those fine church going women that admire you are not the same ones that are attracted to me. Oh no, I get the dreamers longing for adventure. They pull, tug, and twist on me. They’re fat fairytale Cinderella’s without a prayer of a prince. I can’t help them, and they don’t know it. They think that the five inches I will add in height will instantly remove one hundred pounds. They forget that it is impossible to balance the Rock of Gibraltar on the tip of a toothpick.” Ranted Ms. Special Occasion Pointy Toes High Heels.

The lady with the large shopping bag was coming closer and closer to where Ms. Special Occasion Pointy Toes High Heels was waiting. The shopper was casually, but somewhat suspiciously looking around at the other shoppers as if to see if any of them appeared to be paying her any attention. Luckily not another single shopper appeared the least bit distracted by her awkward sideways glances as she limped and bumped her way up and down each aisle.

“Are any of the rest of you going to come with me,” I asked, in a whisper, “or are all of you just going to hang around here on display until somebody comes along and mauls you?” And with that Ms. Special Occasion Pointy Toes High Heels tumbled into the suspicious shoppers big bag with barely a notice except from the others who longed to escape too.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

“Sally, did you hear about that woman that they caught shoplifting yesterday?” Maggie asked laughing.

“Yes, I did, but I don’t know why you’re laughing about it. I think it is sad, actually.” Sally said sounding more than a little annoyed.

“Sally, she admitted to shoplifting, but only to about half of the items in her large shopping bag. She swears that she did not take the very expensive, designer, red leather stiletto heels, or the other two pairs of shoes in the bag either.” Maggie quipped.

“Maggie, do you know how many pairs of shoes seemed to just disappear out of here just yesterday? At my last count it is over fifty pair.” Sally said sounding puzzled, yet intrigued.

“Well, it can’t be anymore than on any other typical shopping weekend? We always have shoplifters.” Maggie spoke in a manner that sounded like she was dismissing Sally’s concern.

“Well, I have had over forty pairs of shoes returned this morning by women who claim that these shoes just mysteriously appeared in their bags and not one of these shoppers have a clue how these shoes got into their shopping bags.” Sally said in a soft whisper, seemingly like she was afraid of her own thoughts.

Maggie roared with laughter, “Sally, sometimes you’re almost spooky. What are you saying? That all these shoes were suddenly possessed, and somehow were trying to escape the Mall, that is ridiculous. Where is there a better life than in the mall?” Maggie stated emphatically.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

“Excuse me, Miss? Could you help me?” A somewhat tired, middle-aged woman shopper asked as she stood in front of the counter where Sally and Maggie were chatting.

Sally promptly replied, “Yes, how can I help you?”

“I need to return these shoes.” The woman shopper said.

“No problem. Let me see your receipt and I will credit your account.” Sally dutifully replied.

“Well that is the problem, you see, I never actually purchased them. When I got home I just found these shoes in my bag.” The woman said in a sincerely worried tone.

“Let me guess, their very beautiful, red leather high heels?” Sally asked stoically.

The woman almost fell to the floor as she asked, “Am I in trouble?”

Sally consoled the woman, “Oh no, not at all. No problem. You would not believe me if I told you,”

Maggie was just getting back from lunch and she was placing her purse in the back storeroom when Sally said, “They’re back.”

“You’re kidding? How many times in the last three months has this happened? Sally, I am beginning to believe that these shoes are possessed, like you suggested months ago.” And as if a bolt of lightening had just struck, Maggie jumped, and said, “Oh my god, Sally. How many women have been arrested for attempting to shoplift these very shoes?”

“What have I been saying, Maggie? I have a plan; I will tell you about it tomorrow. I am late for my Writer’s Group. Talk to you later.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

The next day Sally carefully placed the size eight and a half, Christian Dior designer shoes in their box, wrapped the shoebox in brown paper wrapping and addressed it to the Imelda Marcos Museum in the Philippians.

“What a neat idea.” Maggie cheered as she watched Sally seal the package securely with tape.

“Yes, I think so. I hope this will put an end to all these shoes following pour unsuspecting strangers home.” Sally said.

Ms. Special Occasion Pointy Toes High Heels was last heard chanting cheerful fair thee wells to all the others poor soles, and her last words were, “At last al place among my peers.”

Written for

FORUM

The Writer's Cramp  (13+) Write the best story or poem in 24 hours or less and win 10K GPs! #333655 by Sophy

The New Prompt is:
One day while shopping you noticed that you are being followed; not by another human, animal or even an alien, but by an item... Write a story, from the perspective of the object in question and make sure you tell why it is following you or someone like you.