The Tales and Chronicles of Magic: New Beginnings

We Buy Some Shoes (Which Were Free) and Meet Our Friends

"SIZE THIRTEEN?" I could not believe it.

Mars looked very disappointed. "You know that's an unlucky number."

I looked at the clerk. "How much is this, sir?"

"That would be a hundred and fifteen dollars."

"Shoot. I've only got seventy-five."

Mars looked at me with wide eyes. "You've got seventy-five bucks for your pocket money?"

The clerk suddenly looked very excited—I hoped it had anything to do with my seventy-five dollars. "Oh, I can take care of that!" He then went to the back room of the store. 

"Where's he going?" Mars wondered.

"To the back room," I replied.

"Oh man, we're going to be late for school."

The clerk came back a few seconds later. He is carrying a sneaker box, I noticed, not a boot box.

The clerk set the box on the counter and blew the dust. Mars looked suspended as the clerk was about to open the box. And inside . . . was a pair of sneakers.

"Sir," Mars said, "these are sneakers, not boots."

The clerk grinned. "But it will definitely feel like one! Any season—winter, summer, fall, spring—you won't feel any different! And it costs nothing!"

I excused Mars and I from the clerk. When we were out of earshot, I said, "Mars, what do you think?"

Mars seemed pretty chill. "It just looks like an ordinary pair of sneakers."

"I know, but why does it cost nothing if it is that good? This is very suspicious. Almost as if the guys wants us to get them no matter what."

Mars shrugged. "You know what, man? We are really going to be late for school. Might as well just take them."

"Alright, man. But still, this makes me very uncomfortable."

We headed back to the counter. The clerk rested his chin on his palm with his elbow on the counter and just grinned evilly at us.

"Alright, sir," I said, "we'll take the pair."

The clerk clapped his hands. "Great!" He looked at Marshall. "You are going to love it!"

Until the arrival to our school, Marshall's new shoes didn't act up, freeze, or slip. It was just like a normal pair of sneakers . . . that was too normal.

Our friends Elissa Huntsman and Jacob Smith were waiting for us. Elissa was in her pink winter hoodie and a purple scarf—same as mine. She wore mittens, but she didn't wear any beanies (apparently her hair doesn't freeze unlike the girls in our school), so her long blonde hair would string out like the Russell Falls. I understood why all the guys in Boston College High School liked her. 

Jacob is an African American guy you would want to hang out with. He wore a green winter hoodie, with oversized boots, blue beanie, and white mittens. He was apparently the warmest-looking person in our group. He and Elissa smiled and waved at us.

The first thing that was said was Jacob saying, "Marshall, why are you not wearing boots? Don't you slip and fall?"

Mars grinned. "I am special."

Elissa snorted. "What happened? Why were you guys late?"

I explained about our fast trip to Bodega and Mars getting a very strange pair of shoes.

Just as I finished, the school bell rang. 

Elissa sighed. "Alright, guess we gotta go to physics class. And don't forget, Mars, the race is today. Maybe you could compete with your new shoes."

Mars smacked his forehead. "Of course—I forgot about the race! Man, I hope these shoes would be okay."

I had also forgotten about Mars' marathon. I hoped that the new pair would do good on the track. 

After that, we all headed inside . . . to learn Sir Isaac Newton's third law.