Yesterday I was doing a bit of wandering in the Rock Bay area of Victoria (one of my favourite spots for exploring) and I came across these nicely arranged abandoned shoes. Now, this is not the first time I’ve come across left-behind shoes in this area, and it always makes me wonder: is there someone out there that’s walking about barefoot, having forgotten where they left their shoes? Surplus baggage, placed there temporarily while some other mission was attended to? On offer to anyone in need of foot-ware (though in this case, the single shoe may prove inadequate)? Certainly a story that intrigues…
There is something a little uncanny about empty pairs of shoes or boots. It’s a bit like that phrase used in ancient stories, “in media res” (“in the middle of things”) – the footwear is a marker of someone’s story, but what the heck is that story? Not all empty boots are those of the Wicked Witch of the West! 😉