Bradford Woods Narrative

By: M.V.
Bradford Woods Narrative
Perspective of M.’s Shoes when wading in the creek



“Ouch! Thorns!” Cried M.’s new green sketchers. “What a painful hike! There’s rocks, thorns, sticks ,and worst of all, poison ivy. Why can’t this long 6 mile hike just have nice soft moss covering the trails? I mean it really should, especially on a beautiful day like this.” The shoes complained all the way there until we finally reached the creek.

“I’m going to have to go in here and live with the fish for at least an hour? Why don’t they let you go barefoot? I can’t go in the creek! I’m brand new! I’ll get ruined!”

A second later, M. told Chris, [the instructor of the trail group] that he forgot to change into his old pair of sneakers. Chris manifestly said that M. could go get his other pair because I (the shoes) started heading back through the bushes. M. reached his backpack and pulled out his old dirty pair to use for wading in the water. He threw me to the ground. That was the end of me for a while.

“I finally get worn? After 3 whole years? Yippee!!” The old sneakers shouted with joy. “Where are we going? Please go to someplace cool like a trail made of rocks.” SLOOOSH!!! The shoes landed in the creek unexpectedly. “Ooooooh! Water! I just love water. Hey look! A fishy! Go closer! Go closer! Awww it swam away.”

The shoes “swam” with joy until it was time to keep on hiking. We walked back to the area where we left our backpacks and M. picked up the not-so-new green sketchers. He slipped them on and shoved the old shoes into his backpack. The old shoes were lucky. They didn’t have to face the long hike back to camp like the green shoes did. And so for the next 45 minutes or so, the green shoes complained until M. got in bed and went to sleep.