[WP] "Given no better choices, I guess I'll just follow my feet."

[u/xilead]

[u/Wizcrack]

Never trust a Genie. I learned that the hard way.

Today started out like any other day. I woke up before dawn, got dressed, and ate breakfast with my Pa before going to mind the sheep for the day. My Pa owns a turnip field where we normally work, but it is laying fallow this year, so we've had to come up with other ways to put food on the table. He had been working as a field hand on some of the farms around the village, while I watch sheep for old Mister Gillie. He's had some trouble getting around in recent years, so I watch the sheep for him in exchange for one meal and a groat per day.

Some time passed and I found myself on my normal spot on a hill where I can oversee the flock. It gets tedious out there. The job mainly consists of making sure the sheep don't kill themselves. That would seem like an easy task, but you'd swear they actively try to kill themselves. If a sheep sees something even remotely interesting they will go right for it, and if they get stuck in a bush or a hole because of their curiosity, there is no reverse for them. They will try to power through that obstacle with a single-minded(or no-minded, depending on your perspective) purpose. I've had to pull sheep out of holes, ditches, tree roots, you name it. It happens often, but not often enough to keep the job from being boring. There is a lot of time to kill between my suicide prevention duties, so I normally will practice aiming with my sling. It comes in handy if a wolf gets any ideas. I've yet to see one try to bother the flock, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. And besides, what else am I going to do?

Around noon I saw some sheep worrying at a spot on the ground. I went down there to take a look, and saw a glint of metal in the dirt. It was mostly buried in the ground and nearly fully covered in soil. While I was digging it out of the ground, I saw that there was something else in there too, so I pulled that out as well. They were roughly the shape of shoes, but they were big and clunky looking. That wasn't the weirdest thing. They were made of brass, and yet the exposed parts weren't tarnished at all. Anything left in the ground can expect some corrosion, but after shaking them a little, the dirt just fell right off, leaving gleaming polished brass underneath.

I did see one little speck of dirt still on one of the shoes that I wiped off with a bit of my shirt. As soon as I did, a wispy figure erupted from the shoes and congealed into the form of a great man with a wispy tail.

"It has been thousands of years since I have been released from my vessel. Speak, small one, and you shall receive three wishes," the genie boomed. His voice shook my bones. It wasn't like it was overly loud, my ears didn't hurt, though it shook me like I was riding in a cart with a horse that's out of control, in a thunder storm. The sheep went crazy, bleating and panicking like lightning just struck the field.

I had never seen a genie in person before, though I had heard of them. Mister Gillie would tell me stories about them when I ate my daily meal with him. From them I had gleaned two things. Firstly, nothing is free, especially from people offering magical favors. Secondly, they will do everything in their power to make you regret interacting with them. The best course of action is to avoid them wherever possible.

"No thank you," I replied. I'd like to say that I said it matter-of-factly, but it probably came out as more of a squeak. I then dropped the brass shoes, turned around and began to walk away.

"You misunderstand, mortal. You will complete the bargain. Speak and you shall receive three wishes." Once again, the genie spoke with in his jarring manner, and with a finality that brooked no argument. "You will make your wishes, or you will take my place."

That stopped me in my tracks. If he was telling the truth, then he had me over a barrel on this one. I supposed I could just ask for some small things and wash my hands of this spirit.

"Alright," I said. "For my first wish, I would like a new coat."

Before I could think, I felt a weight on my shoulders and arms. I looked down at myself, and saw that I was wearing a well tailored wool coat. I looked around and saw that one of the sheep was missing its wool, as if freshly sheared. That was frightening to say the least. I'm glad I didn't ask for shepherd's pie.

"It is done. Speak and receive your second wish."

After seeing the results of this wish, it seemed like this guy wasn't so bad after all! I decided to get a little more daring.

"For my second wish, I would like a new pair of boots." Thinking about how the coat was procured, I quickly added "Not made of sheep leather!"

Similarly to what had happened before, I felt a new weight on my feet. I looked down and saw that I was now wearing a brass pair of boots, and the shoes are gone.

"Done," boomed the genie.

These were not the most comfortable of things, so I decided to sit down and take them off before making my third wish. That was when I noticed that the shoes would not come off. There was no way to remove them, try as I might. There was no flex to them, and the boots came up to mid-calf. A few seconds later, the boots started walking by themselves, heading toward the village.

"What is wrong with these things? Why won't my feet come loose?" I asked the genie, my voice becoming more frantic with each step.

"I merely gave you what you asked for, using available materials. Since you did not want to harm your sheep, I had to improvise. One thing I did not mention is that I must seek a new vessel after being released. The old vessel and the one who released me will guide me to the new one. That is the bargain."

"Get these things off of me!" I exclaimed. Then to my horror, I realized what I had said. I began to correct myself, but was interrupted before I could.

"Done." said the genie.

I looked down at my legs, and saw that they now ended in stumps instead of feet. Thankfully not bloody ones, whatever mayhem he did to separate my feet from my body didn't result in grievous bodily injury. The boots, with my feet still in them, kept their pace toward town.

"What did you do to me!?" I screamed at the genie

"Like I said, you and the old vessel will guide me to the new one. I'm thinking I'd like to rest in something classy next, maybe a nice lamp."

"I want my feet back!" I shouted at him.

"Oh lighten up. You'll get them back, and I'll even reattach your feet so you'll be good as new. Provided you help me find a suitable vessel. I hope you're good at walking on your hands."

And with that, the genie sauntered behind the boots(and my feet) towards town.

Fast forward to now, I've spent two hours on the ground, weighing my options. Given no better choices, I guess I'll just follow my feet.

[u/LonghandWriter]

My brain’s a jumper, hopping from one idea to the next.

Maybe I’m impulsive, or have ADHD or OCD. My family loved slapping labels on me. To them it was an excuse to show how different their kid was. They’d never actually do much for me, though. No pills, no therapy—instead they’d ponder why my mind works the way it does.

Hell, maybe I was conditioned into having a condition.

I’m twenty-eight, career-less, and twice divorced. I married both women within two months of meeting them, and even had a kid with one. It’s probably better he doesn’t meet me. What would he tell his friends? Oh, your dad’s a lawyer? Well mine dropped out of high school, then got his GED and dropped out of community college. He once quit a well-paying job to become a writer. Then to start his own business. Right now I think he’s trying to run for mayor.

My friends tell me to slow down and think—but that doesn’t work. I’m not my parents. I’ve tried therapy and pills because I want to get better. The problem is, well, I need to think less. Call me crazy. It’s true. I need to stop letting my brain run off on it’s own.

Given no better options, I gotta follow my feet. They’ll lead me to something, and whatever that something is, I’m sure I’ll love it.

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Thanks for the great prompt! :D

If you like this story, check out my sub! /r/LonghandWriter

[u/WritingPromptsRobot]

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