The Raven's Shoes

    Once there were a pair of shoes. A gorgeous pair of shoes. Pristine ballet flats, made from the finest and brightest silk. An exterior black as a Raven, its insides crimson as blood. Silk so soft it felt like walking on clouds. Despite their shape, they were incredibly comfortable. One could walk for miles in them without blisters, or do perfect toe pointes without bleeding. A perfect pair of shoes one might think.

But the shoes held a dark secret.

There was once a boy, a boy who could never seem to find a pair of comfy shoes. He had found many pairs, but they were all too thin, too painful, or too rough. He continued to walk in hopes of finding the shoes that would ease his blisters and bleeding, and allow him to dance gracefully and with ease.

The boy would walk for miles, never paying attention to his surrounding, only keeping an eye out for shoes, and shoes alone. 

He never noticed the darkened void that he unknowingly entered. Never noticed the rougher or smoother terrain he walked across.

Until he heard a sound.

A lovely sound; wind whistling like a waltz, echoing through thin dead trees, and the sound of silky fabric pitter-pattering and brushing on smooth floors.

The boy looked up finally, and saw that a mere few steps ahead, were a pair of shoes. They were dancing by themselves in the dead tree-covered dark field, the black exterior somehow glowing in the darkness, with the crimson interior appearing in short intervals.

The boy stared in marvel at the shoes, their mesmerizing dancing happening all on their own.

"These shoes carry the colour of malice, but they look so gorgeous, so soft, so comfy, I must try them if even for a second!"

The boy approached the shoes eagerly, anticipation clawing at his flesh. When he was right at the foot of the shoes, they swiftly stopped, falling to the ground, as if they never were dancing mere moments ago.

The boy snatched up the shoes and immediately put them on, not even bothering to lace them up. Instantly, his bloody and bruised feet felt relief for the first time in forever. He felt like he was standing on a soft, smooth blanket, his whole body warmed up, feeling content. He had never felt anything like it before, and had hoped the moment would last forever.

STRITCH-STRATCH.

The boy felt a sudden sharp pain along his ankles and thighs. He quickly looked down and saw the shoe's laces had tied themselves, wrapping tightly along his legs, they were so tangled and wrinkled they appeared like branches from the trees around him. The boy cried out in agony as the laces continued to tighten. He could feel the blood slowly beginning to pool out. His legs began to go numb, but stiffened as if going into rigor mortis. He couldn't even fall over to try crawling away, he was stuck there in the blackened void, screaming, causing his own ears to ring, all while the laces still continued to tighten.

His screaming continued until he heard a booming laugh, causing the boy to go deathly quiet.

The boy frantically looked all around him, trying to find where the noise had come from. He no longer felt able to scream despite the laces not ceasing their tightening.

The laughter boomed again like a crack of thunder, shaking the invisible terrain all around the boy.

The boy look up at the sky and finally saw it. A Raven's face filled up the sky, its feathers falling all around the void.

"Foolish boy." The Raven finally spoke.

The boy turned pale. Appearing as white as the full moon, almost illuminating the void.

"Wear my shoes you may, but a price you'll pay"

"Price you'll pay?!" The boy echoed.

The Raven only laughed again. The reverberating sounds of it made the boy's head spin, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

He suddenly felt his feet lift. He looked down and saw he was on the tip of his toes. 'What? How?! This can't be!!' The boy thought.

His body began to dance. Echoes of melancholic music seemed to float into the air, as if to aid. His movements were smooth and fluid, graceful, almost like a swan. He felt more tears well up, of which would flow out in perfect unison to his movements. The Raven continued to laugh.

"You enter my nest and try to take my shoes," the Raven bellowed. "You thought you could have comfort and peace, but instead you'll only get pain and grief."

The boy's dancing grew more stiff and rigid, a stark contrast to the graceful dancing he was unwillingly doing mere moments ago. More blood ran down the boy's legs. The laces so tight the skin touched the bone, appearing like twigs. The boy cried out in agony at his stiff, jointed movements. The shoes were no longer comfortable, and neither was the dancing.

"DANCE MY LITTLE MARRIONETTE, DANCE!" The Raven screamed.

The boy looked up and could see the Raven's wings flapping in the emptiness, each one causing another distorted movement through his body.

The boy danced for 12 days and 12 nights. Each day more agonizing than the last. The boy would slowly cry and scream less and less, all he would do is simply dance and dance.

On the 12 night, the boy couldn't even speak, his vocal chords were shredded from all his screaming and crying. His legs were purple and his feet swollen. The crimson blood that once streaked down his legs now blackened. Yet the shoes somehow remained clean and pristine.

The Raven let out one final shriek of laughter.

"BWAHAHAHA, you were fun little one. But now my little game is over, but don't worry, you'll still go lower."

The Raven scooped his beak down and swiftly gobbled up the boy, leaving only the crimson stained shoes.