*This is the second chapter in the story of Fredo and the Invention of Shoes. If you missed the first chapter, you'll want to read that post first. You can find it here: runbarefooteurope.blogspot.com/2010/10/invention-of-shoes-by-bulbus-buggins.html
It had been just a month since Fredo's friend, Nudley, and Nudley's father, Nikeloss, had introduced foot coverings to the Habbits of Piddle Searth. And what a month it had been.
After unveiling foot covers to the world, Nikeloss was caught up in overwhelming demand for these new accessories. Every Habbit wanted a pair. Nikeloss designed women's and kid's versions and launched full-scale manufacturing, employing thousands of Habbits. He and his foot coverings were the hottest topic on the Interknoob. Nikeloss was even forced to roll out a massive marketing campaign to advise Habbits against buying unofficial and competitive foot coverings offered by the upstart, Subtractidas.
For his part, Nudley became the Habbit's first child superstar. HBO (Habbit Broadcasting Overlords) showed up to do a story on how his ideas gave his father the inspiration for foot coverings. Nudley showcased a new version of the foot coverings weekly on his Interknoob start-up, Nudbook. And the creators of the hot new indoor sensation, Them, even asked Nudley to endorse their top-selling game, Dunk-A-Dong.
Nudley's mom, Twittlyn, was also enjoying celebrity status. At every Tuesday Frappudilfo-klatch, she was surrounded by adoring Habbit mothers who wanted her secret to family success. She would flash her new rock earrings and handbag with the now-ubiquitous Nikeloss logo and post pictures of herself and family all over the Interknoob. Twittlyn would explain to any Habbit who would listen how it was that her Sweet Carboroonies with Kream Frosting gave Nudley and Nikeloss the boundless energy to establish and build the family foot covering business.
And Fredo? Of all Habbits, Fredo alone chose not to wear the foot coverings. He worried that foot coverings would interfere with his foot's ability to balance his weight and make minute changes as he ran through the forest. He certainly thought his feet would hate being covered. And Fredo wouldn't admit it, but he liked the feeling of squishy mud in the rain, warm dirt paths through the meadow, and even running on gravel through the streets of town.
But Fredo was miserable.
All the young Habbits made fun of Fredo. "Look at Fredo....he has bare feet. His toes look like little grubs." Or they'd tease him about "stinky" bare feet, not realizing that their own foot coverings were perfect incubators for sweat-loving bacteria.
Even the coach of the high school Log Team gave him a hard time. "Fredo, everyone on the Log Team wears foot coverings. You can't play without them," Coach explained.
"But Coach," Fredo said, ready to defend himself, "we were playing without foot coverings only a month ago. Foot coverings are just making the team slower. Look at the way they run."
Coach looked and watched the other boys run. Most of them were heel-striking and bouncing up and down. Some were complaining of knee problems and shin splints. And Fredo could outrun them all. "Doesn't matter." said the coach. "Nikeloss agreed to build us a new Log stadium if we wear his foot coverings. You either wear the foot coverings, or you're off the team."
Dejected, Fredo walked home to tell his uncle, Bulbus, that he was quitting the Log team. He knocked at his uncle's door and let himself in. Bulbus was in the kitchen rattling pots and pans but came into the front room as Fredo closed the door. "Bulbus," Fredo exclaimed as he looked at his uncles feet, "you aren't wearing anything on your feet!"
"You're damn right I'm not. Nikeloss' invention is going to be the ruin of us Habbits. How will we stay in contact with the energies of Piddle Searth without the soles of our feet touching the ground? All these crazy Habbits keeping their feet covered are going to have weak, fragile feet in just a few months. They'll get lazy and stop walking and running places. Next thing you know, someone's going to invent something that carries us wherever we want to go so we don't HAVE to walk. That will be the end of us. You wait and see."
Just then, Fredo had a vision. He saw Piddle Searth as it might be years later. Habbits had stopped running and walking, and they had even stopped playing outside. Magical slides carried Habbits wherever they wanted to go. Most Habbits were overweight. And they were in danger...
"But uncle, what do we do?" asked Fredo.
"Not 'we', my boy, 'you'. You will have to convince the Habbits that foot coverings will lead to no good. I'm too old, and I won't be around much longer." Bulbus thought for a moment. "Yes, yes, I know what you have to do. You must journey to Mount Tarahumdoom and find Cross McDougmore, one of the sagest of the Habbits. He has endured much in his lifetime, and he'll know what to do about these foot coverings."
"But how will I get there?" asked Fredo.
"Meet me tomorrow at the Frolicking Frog in the town of Gouda. I have some friends who can help."
So Fredo went home to prepare. His Habbit heart was heavy and his shoulders drooped as he thought about the burden of saving Piddle Searth from foot coverings. But Fredo would not be enduring this treacherous journey alone....
(Posted at runbarefooteurope.blogspot.com as well)
It had been just a month since Fredo's friend, Nudley, and Nudley's father, Nikeloss, had introduced foot coverings to the Habbits of Piddle Searth. And what a month it had been.
After unveiling foot covers to the world, Nikeloss was caught up in overwhelming demand for these new accessories. Every Habbit wanted a pair. Nikeloss designed women's and kid's versions and launched full-scale manufacturing, employing thousands of Habbits. He and his foot coverings were the hottest topic on the Interknoob. Nikeloss was even forced to roll out a massive marketing campaign to advise Habbits against buying unofficial and competitive foot coverings offered by the upstart, Subtractidas.
For his part, Nudley became the Habbit's first child superstar. HBO (Habbit Broadcasting Overlords) showed up to do a story on how his ideas gave his father the inspiration for foot coverings. Nudley showcased a new version of the foot coverings weekly on his Interknoob start-up, Nudbook. And the creators of the hot new indoor sensation, Them, even asked Nudley to endorse their top-selling game, Dunk-A-Dong.
Nudley's mom, Twittlyn, was also enjoying celebrity status. At every Tuesday Frappudilfo-klatch, she was surrounded by adoring Habbit mothers who wanted her secret to family success. She would flash her new rock earrings and handbag with the now-ubiquitous Nikeloss logo and post pictures of herself and family all over the Interknoob. Twittlyn would explain to any Habbit who would listen how it was that her Sweet Carboroonies with Kream Frosting gave Nudley and Nikeloss the boundless energy to establish and build the family foot covering business.
And Fredo? Of all Habbits, Fredo alone chose not to wear the foot coverings. He worried that foot coverings would interfere with his foot's ability to balance his weight and make minute changes as he ran through the forest. He certainly thought his feet would hate being covered. And Fredo wouldn't admit it, but he liked the feeling of squishy mud in the rain, warm dirt paths through the meadow, and even running on gravel through the streets of town.
But Fredo was miserable.
All the young Habbits made fun of Fredo. "Look at Fredo....he has bare feet. His toes look like little grubs." Or they'd tease him about "stinky" bare feet, not realizing that their own foot coverings were perfect incubators for sweat-loving bacteria.
Even the coach of the high school Log Team gave him a hard time. "Fredo, everyone on the Log Team wears foot coverings. You can't play without them," Coach explained.
"But Coach," Fredo said, ready to defend himself, "we were playing without foot coverings only a month ago. Foot coverings are just making the team slower. Look at the way they run."
Coach looked and watched the other boys run. Most of them were heel-striking and bouncing up and down. Some were complaining of knee problems and shin splints. And Fredo could outrun them all. "Doesn't matter." said the coach. "Nikeloss agreed to build us a new Log stadium if we wear his foot coverings. You either wear the foot coverings, or you're off the team."
Dejected, Fredo walked home to tell his uncle, Bulbus, that he was quitting the Log team. He knocked at his uncle's door and let himself in. Bulbus was in the kitchen rattling pots and pans but came into the front room as Fredo closed the door. "Bulbus," Fredo exclaimed as he looked at his uncles feet, "you aren't wearing anything on your feet!"
"You're damn right I'm not. Nikeloss' invention is going to be the ruin of us Habbits. How will we stay in contact with the energies of Piddle Searth without the soles of our feet touching the ground? All these crazy Habbits keeping their feet covered are going to have weak, fragile feet in just a few months. They'll get lazy and stop walking and running places. Next thing you know, someone's going to invent something that carries us wherever we want to go so we don't HAVE to walk. That will be the end of us. You wait and see."
Just then, Fredo had a vision. He saw Piddle Searth as it might be years later. Habbits had stopped running and walking, and they had even stopped playing outside. Magical slides carried Habbits wherever they wanted to go. Most Habbits were overweight. And they were in danger...
"But uncle, what do we do?" asked Fredo.
"Not 'we', my boy, 'you'. You will have to convince the Habbits that foot coverings will lead to no good. I'm too old, and I won't be around much longer." Bulbus thought for a moment. "Yes, yes, I know what you have to do. You must journey to Mount Tarahumdoom and find Cross McDougmore, one of the sagest of the Habbits. He has endured much in his lifetime, and he'll know what to do about these foot coverings."
"But how will I get there?" asked Fredo.
"Meet me tomorrow at the Frolicking Frog in the town of Gouda. I have some friends who can help."
So Fredo went home to prepare. His Habbit heart was heavy and his shoulders drooped as he thought about the burden of saving Piddle Searth from foot coverings. But Fredo would not be enduring this treacherous journey alone....
(Posted at runbarefooteurope.blogspot.com as well)
