The Curious Case of the Slippers on the Corner

So, this pair of slippers mysteriously appeared on the corner near my house.

I first saw them early one morning when setting out for my slow and painful pre-dawn run. What? I looked around, wondering if the person who belonged in them might be nearby and in need of help. Thank goodness, not.

The carefully arranged slippers sat there for days. They weren’t fancy; you could probably get them at Boscov’s for $12, but I found it troubling that someone was without them. Nobody likes to loose things, even a pair of cheap slippers. I have several theories about how they got there:

1. They fell off a moving car. It’s not uncommon for people to put stuff on the trunk or roof of a car and drive off. Someone may have found the slippers on the side of the road and placed them where the owner could spot them.
2. Mischievous teenagers swiped them from someone’s front stoop and artfully displayed their booty for all to see. Oh, those mischievous teenagers — what will they do next?
3. The owner was whisked off the face of this earth, literally sucked right out of his slippers and into a flying saucer.

We may never know.

It’s just a pair of slippers, but as I grow older, little things that keep me warm and comfortable are the source of great comfort. A well-worn flannel shirt, a blanket we curl up with in front of the fire. My lovely wife. Those dogs. And your old pair of slippers.