‘A shoe shop?’ She was incredulous. ‘They had to actually go out to find shoes that fitted, try them on and buy them?’
‘Yes. Some women adored doing it, had collections of hundreds of pairs. The same with clothes, bags, jewellery.’
‘I do like the red shoes she is wearing,’ my daughter mused. ‘Can I scan them?’
I shrugged acquiescence.
She passed her smartwatch over the shoes. ‘I can print them out when I get home and wear them for my virtual date tonight.’
‘Wait, what virtual date? Who with?’ She hurried off to the next part of the Museum of the 21st Century, pretending not to hear me.
At least she was learning, looking at something other than the screens she spent her life in front of.
My wife approached, catching up with us having enjoyed the Fashion Hall exhibit. ‘You remember when you took me to the shoe shops?’
‘I never thought I would look back and wish we could do that again,’ I smiled. ‘Life was a lot simpler back then.’

Written as part of Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. The challenge is to write a flash fiction story or poem in around 150 – 175 words, based on the weekly photo prompt. Thanks as always to the challenge host Priceless Joy. For more information visit HERE.
To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
42 responses to “THE SIMPLE THINGS”
Reblogged this on All About Writing and more.
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Thanks for the reblog 🙂
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You are welcome!
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Shoes have never been my favorite thing to shop for for some reason and for sure I’d need to try them on before buying. Shoes is one thing but it’s getting kinda scary if you can make a gun from a 3-d print don’t you think?
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Very scary indeed, I agree!
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Hahaha! The new century brings virtual shopping and printing out a new pair of shoes among many other “modern” things! Great story, Iain!
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Thanks PJ
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nice take on the prompt and felt realistic in the future- well done and I was right there with them in the gallery
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Thank you so much
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🙂
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Lovely piece of writing Iain. You are very up to date for I am told that very soon feet will be scanned and shoes will be printed, How times change. I still have a cobblers anvil, ‘ a triple iron last’. And I can vaguely remember shoe uppers being patched on it.
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Enjoyed your memoir Michael. In many ways sad to see these old skills disappear.
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OH gosh! Great job and I can just imagine what it may be like going through a 21st century museum!
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I feel like I belong in one already trying to keep up with all the new technology around!
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So true!
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Excellent! I would love if it was so easy to modify and then print a shoe.
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Some may end up with too many shoes 😉
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That is precisely the aim 🙂
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I can’t imagine how it will feel to have shoes printed .. am a great lover of shoes!
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Perhaps it will make it easier for you to get that pair you always wanted 😉
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3D printed shoes – may not be too far in future. Great take.
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Thank you. Who knows?
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I hate shopping, for shoes or clothes. Like the idea of 3D shoes though. Always assured to be a comfy fit!
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Keep an eye out, maybe coming soon!
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Oh hell, and I’ve just forked out a small fortune for a new pair of walking trainers!
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Wouldn’t scanning a pair of shoes at a shop and then 3D printing them at home be like stealing?
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Power to the People. In the future perhaps money as we think of it will be a thing of the past too.
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Gene Roddenberry thought so when he created “Star Trek”.
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And the men are thankful for virtual shopping. Good one, Iain.
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It certainly has its benefits!
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Awesome take on the prompt Iain – I can see this happening some time very soon!
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The technology will get there. Whether shoe manufacturers allow it to happen is another thing! Thanks Dahlia
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The future sure is overrated.
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I would rather live in the past too.
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Loved your quirky take on the prompt! Anything can happen in the future, really!
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Thank you!
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3D printing would be a fabulous idea. We could probably have whatever we we want with just a scan and a print. that technology is probably gonna catch up soon but hopefully should be limited or else i wonder what would the world around start procuring! 🙂
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I can only imagine what people would get up to!
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Who would have thought a man might long to go shopping! And apologies for resorting to lazy stereotypes.
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When you’ve only got a couple of hundred words, stereotypes can be very useful.
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Everything is going virtual. Nice post!
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Thank you
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