The Missing Slippers

by A. Hayward

About the Author: A. Hayward is the author of a trilogy of speculative fiction novels, the Children of the Panther series, released by Edge Press. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in Canadian and international periodicals including Daily Science Fiction and On Spec. In 2011, she wrote a flash fiction piece each day for a year. She is one of the owners of the Black Cat Guest Ranch near Jasper, Alberta and teaches writing workshops there and in the nearby community of Hinton.

Excerpt

Larry felt worse than usual when he woke. It wasn’t just his aching back and knees and shoulders; his brain seemed muzzy. Going back to sleep was an attractive prospect, but he looked at his bedside clock. It was already past seven. This was amazing, unprecedented. Without fail, he woke each morning just before six. He sat up slowly and swung his feet over the side of the bed, then paused. Something was wrong.

His slippers were missing.

He shuffled down the hall to the bathroom but they weren’t there. He was a man of habit; he sat on the edge of the bed each night, removed his feet from the slippers one at a time, eased his upper body down onto the pillows, followed by swinging his legs up and pulling the comforter to his chin. The slippers stayed on the bedside rug, ready for morning. He didn’t get up in the night, not since he started taking the sleeping pills.

After washing and shaving, he returned to the bedroom and crouched, knees popping, and peered beneath the bed. The slippers weren’t there. Nor had he broken his routine last night and put them in the closet. Why would he? He was 81, his body was falling apart but his mind was still good. And yet, the slippers were missing.

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