This story is written by David, please send comments and appreciation to voondave@yahoo.co.uk

THE MIRROR     Part 6.    by  david.

When I woke up on Monday morning,the features of my face automatically composed themselves into a smile of great happiness,and no wonder,as the first thought in my mind,was that it was my very first day at work in my new job as a trainee pedicurist,working for my new employers,Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer,at their High St. Pedicure Salon,in Town. I felt a sweet,exciting thrill of anticipation,at the incredible thought of starting my new career,at the thought of serving at the feet of a constant,and seemingly endless procession of females,caring for,and beautifying their feet,pampering them,and submitting to their every fussy requirement and bossy demand.Demands,that it was only very natural,and only very right and proper of them to make of me,as their albeit temporary,personal foot servant,and as an employee of the Pedicure Salon that they patronized,and that they graced with their presence.

But then,strangely and inexplicably, unbidden and unwanted,an unsettling thought,a warning,crossed my mind like a malignant shadow,like a dark cloud of ill omen,blotting out my early,heart warming sun.-:’If it’s not broken,don’t fix it’.How weird! Where did that thought come from? “There’s nothing to fix,david”,I assured myself,as I got out of bed and headed for the shower.Nevertheless,I felt somewhat disturbed,and touched by a cold,haunting disquietude,and I was vaguely troubled,by a seemingly groundless,yet certain conviction,that all in my bed,was not roses.

Having showered and shaved,and paid very particular attention to my appearance,as I wanted to make the best possible impression upon my new employers,and,of course,their very valued clients,I decided that I had time for a quick cup of coffee,before I set off for work,and I sat down to drink it,in my most comfortable chair.As I sipped my coffee,I regarded the broken pieces of ‘The Mirror’,that were piled in a small heap in front of me,as I had not yet got around to throwing them in the bin. I looked at my watch,to check how I was fixed for time,but then,I immediately did a ‘double take’,as something in the small heap had caught my eye. Something glinting.

I got out of my most comfortable chair,for the purpose of pursuing a closer investigation.What had snagged my attention,I now saw,was a small,square piece of yellowish metal,that to my untrained eye looked like gold.Feeling the weight of it in my hand,seemed to lend credence to that theory. Etched into the metal,I now saw,upon my closer scrutiny,were strange symbols,the same strange symbols,that were carved into the wooden frame of ‘The Mirror’.Upon turning it over in my hand,I saw that it was a small square piece of ‘The Mirror’.Then,as I looked more closely at the broken pieces of ‘The Mirror’,I noticed 4 pieces of it,that were like the 4 corner pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.Now,my curiosity somewhat piqued, I picked up one of these corner pieces,and I imagined I could discern a faint vibration emanating from it.Then,as if my hand was being guided by some unknown,mysterious entity,I placed it against the top left hand corner of the frame,which was apparently undamaged,and I was a little taken aback,when I took my hand away,to see the corner piece of ‘The Mirror’ stay there,as though held in place by some kind of magnetic pull. I then placed the other 3 corner pieces in their places,and they stayed in place,too.Then,an echo of my earlier,unsettling thought revisited my mind,and faded away.-’If it’s not broken,don’t fix it….don’t fix it….don’t fix it….’. I checked my watch again. I had to leave right now,or risk being late on my very first day at work at the Pedicure Salon.On the way out of my living room,I took one last look over my shoulder,like a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast,reluctant to leave his latest challenge.”You will have to wait”,I said,to ‘The Mirror’,as I hurriedly left for work.

When I arrived at my new place of employment,I now learned that the name of the establishment,according to the sign above the window,was ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon. How absolutely delightful! I noticed with great interest,too,some of the very attractive services available,in the advertising and promotional posters in the window.My eyes almost popped out,as I read them.There was,’New,From Today!’,and ‘Pretty Feet Are Happy Feet!’,and,’Exciting New Specials!’,and,’Treat Your Feet!’.Another poster urged office girls,factory girls,female students,waitresses,female bar staff,etc,to form their own ‘Foot Clubs’,to take advantage of the amazing value of the ‘Special Offers’,that were specially available to groups,or ‘Foot Clubs’.Yet another poster exclaimed,’Ladies! At Work All Week? Don’t Miss Out! Mobile Pedicurist Available Soon! At Week Ends!’.Oh..my ..God!!!,I marvelled,happily.This is unreal! Just unreal!! I checked my watch. I had made good time,it was 8 – 50,and I was 10 minutes early. I pushed open the door,and,my chest swelling with pride,to be associated with such a fine,female foot pampering palace,I stepped inside my new place of employment,and place of worship,’Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon.

Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer were already busy making their usual preparations for the day’s heavy,and full work load,and,upon hearing the bell as I opened the door,they both greeted me with very happy,and radiant  smiles. “Good morning,david!”,they said,in unison.Before I could return their warm greeting,Miss Sharon asked me, as though enquiring of a hungry cat,if it would like a bowl of cream,”have you been looking forward to your first day,working for us as our new trainee pedicurist,david?”.”Oh,yes,Miss Sharon !,I enthused. “I can’t wait to start my pedicure training”.”Oh! I bet you can’t,david!”,said Miss Jennifer,with a knowing wink.

Just then,the door bell rang again,and we all looked towards the door,and,I was shaken and shocked,to see the woman who had just entered the Pedicure Salon.It was Julia Davis! My former boss,at the office! When Julia Davis saw me,she seemed equally taken aback,and she just stood there,staring at me,open mouthed. “Oh! My goodness! Are you quite all right,Madam?”,asked Miss Sharon,with apparent concern,for the welfare and well being of a prospective client.In a moment or two,Julia Davis had recovered herself sufficiently,to point a questioning finger at me,and ask,somewhat querulously,”what’s david doing here?”.Instead of answering her question,Miss Sharon asked one of her own.”Do you know david,Madam?”.To which,Julia Davis responded,”yes,until last Friday,david used to work for me.But,I had to fire david from his job at the office,because he was staring at my office girls feet all the time,and not getting any work done”.To this,it was Miss Jennifer,who said,”ah!.Well,david is working for us now,as our new trainee pedicurist,Madam”.Now,Julia Davis seemed to be having the greatest of difficulty,in keeping her face straight,in controlling her mirth,and she seemed on the very brink of erupting into incredulous laughter.She pressed her fingers to her lips,as if keeping her laughter imprisoned inside her mouth,as she said,”I’m quite sure that my office girls will be most interested to learn of the nature of david’s new employment.They used to call him ‘The Foot Guy’,you know.How very,exceedingly appropriate it is,that he is now working here,as a trainee pedicurist. I am quite sure that he has found his vocation. I really am.Anyway,what I actually called in to enquire about,was this leaflet that came through my letter box.Can you tell me,what,exactly,does your new ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ actually entail?”.

To this,Miss Sharon responded,enthusiastically,and taking great pride,in promoting the Pedicure Salon’s splendid new service.”Oh,you would really enjoy that,Madam! The ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ entails david tongue massaging each of your feet for 15 minutes,including sucking on your heels,the balls of your feet,and your arches.Also,sucking on every toe,and paying particular care and attention,to licking in between your toes,Madam.You will find it incredibly invigorating and refreshing, I can personally assure you. It is the most wonderful,and sensual experience,of the most perfect pampering,Madam”.

The only thing that stopped Julia Davis from erupting into amazed, disbelieving laughter,was that she was struck totally speechless,for a moment,by what she had just been told,by Miss Sharon.Then,she said,”yes,actually,that’s what I thought it meant,but,I couldn’t quite believe it. I mean,whoever heard of such a thing?” Continuing smoothly,Miss Sharon went on,”oh,you can believe it,Madam! Why not treat all your office girls,too,to the joys and benefits of our very soothing and blissful ‘Luxury Foot Bath’,Madam? As a business company,I am sure you will be able to set it off against your taxes. It would be our pleasure,to offer you one of our amazing value group deals,should you decide to form your own office ‘Foot Club’.As an extra incentive to you,Madam,if you will sign up to a ‘Foot Club’,here and now,we would be prepared to make it extremely convenient for you and your office girls,by sending david around to your office,once a month,where he will be assigned to you for the whole day,to perform our ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service,on your feet,and the feet of all your office girls. What do you say,Madam?” Julia Davis now seemed to be giving Miss Sharon’s ‘Foot Club’ proposal very serious consideration,seemingly won over,and quite convinced,by the purported merits of the ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service. “Mmmm,I must say,it does sound very tempting indeed,and I just love the idea,of letting the ‘Tax Man’ pay for it,ha ha ha! My office girls really do work ever so hard,and my treating them all to your ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service once a month,would be a lovely way of my showing them my appreciation of them,wouldn’t it?” “Oh,it certainly would,Madam! Also,as members of a ‘Foot Club’,you would all be entitled to very generous discounts,on all our other services! If you will sign the 12 month ‘Foot Club’ contract,right now,Madam,the first of david’s monthly ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service visits to your office,will be absolutely free! Compliments,of ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon”. Now,with a flourish,as if she feared that Miss Sharon might suddenly and cruelly retract her amazing value offer,Julia Davis signed on the dotted line. “Oh! I can’t wait to tell my office girls what a delicious treat I have in store for them all!”,she almost squealed,in her excitement to get back to her office,to delight in imparting this rather startlingly good news to her office girls.

Now,Miss Sharon said to me,”here,david.Put this on,so that our clients will know exactly what you are,and exactly what you are here,for”. I did as Miss Sharon had ordered me,and I put on the white T Shirt that she had given me,which had the Pedicure Salon’s logo,of ‘Tootsies’ emblazoned across the front and back,and was surrounded by the soles of female feet,which were depicted in various poses,of flexing,scrunching,splaying toes,etc. This,was my splendid new uniform! Now,Miss Jennifer said to me,with all of the confident authority of an employer addressing her very lowly underling,”now,david,I hope you know how to make tea! Because,your first job in the morning,is to make a nice cup of tea,for myself and Miss Sharon,and we drink lots of tea throughout the day,too.Then,you can clean all the pedicure seats and treatment tables.Then,and this is very,very important,david,whenever a client comes into the Salon for her pedicure appointment,you must greet her very warmly,to make her feel welcome,and very politely,ask her if she has an appointment.Then,ask her if she would like you to make a cup of tea,or coffee for her. Do you understand your duties so far,david?”. “Yes,thankyou,Miss Jennifer”,I gushed,in the sheer pleasure of being given my orders by my beautiful new employers,both of whom I was very much in awe of. Miss Jennifer smiled at me,and said,”very good,david.Now,off you pop then,to the kitchen to make our tea”. “Yes,Miss Jennifer”,I replied,obediently. Miss Sharon said,”we don’t take sugar,though,david.We are sweet enough”,she quipped. “Oh,I know!”,I replied,and my new employers smiled,indulgently,at my slightly cheeky compliment. Oh! How wonderful,it was going to be,working here at ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon,under the command of Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer,and to serve at the feet of their clients.To cater to their every wish and whim.To be ordered about,and to be told what to do,by fussy,bossy,demanding,superior females.All day! Every day!

When I returned with their tea,my new bosses were talking to a school girl of about 16,and I watched,with all of my seemingly never diminishing avidity,as she absent mindedly manipulated her black,school shoe with her white,school socked foot.When she saw me watching her rather exciting shoe play,she looked away from me,in such a way as to make it perfectly clear that I was quite beneath her notice,yet,she instantly increased the intensity and the variety of her shoe play ‘routine’,to such a pulse quickening degree,that,as she seemingly knew,drove me half crazy to watch. She was pointing out something in the leaflet that had been delivered to her house during the week end. “I’m Collette Carter,and my Mum,Katie Carter,has sent me.She wants to book your new ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service,for Sunday at 3 pm. My Mum is a waitress,and she will be home from working Sunday Lunch,by then.She says that your ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service is just exactly what she needs,after working at the restaurant all week. Mum is always complaining about how much her feet hurt her,after working at the restaurant,and about how hot and tired and sticky and stinky and sweaty and smelly they get,from wearing her pumps,and from all of the walking about that she has to do”. While listening to what this school girl,Collette Carter,had to say on behalf of her Mother,Miss Sharon’s face eloquently expressed her sympathy and commiserations,for Katie Carter’s painfully uncomfortable predicament,then,like a doctor prescribing a very simple and very effective remedial treatment,she replied,nonchalantly,as though the ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service was something that had been around for years,as though it was just the most common and routine service,and as though it was readily available,to any female who wished to indulge herself in it,at any High St. Pedicure Salon. “Of course,Collette,that will be no problem at all. It will be our pleasure,to send david around to your house to perform our new ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service for your Mum. Mrs.Katie Carter,you said? I’ll just write it down on our card. david will give her our card,so that she will be able to book future appointments,at a very generous discount”.”Oh! Thanks a lot!”,replied Collette Carter,cheerfully.”I will tell her that!”,she assured Miss Sharon,as she turned to leave the Salon.Miss Sharon further advised her,”tell your Mum,that it is more economical,and even better value,to form a ‘Foot Club’,if she can,with the other waitresses at the restaurant,and her friends”.Then,she added,with a meaningful wink,”and relatives”. “Oh! Great! Cool!”,replied the school girl,Collette Carter,gratefully. As I respectfully opened the door for her,she paused for a moment,to give me a very superior look,and her eyes promised me,that it would not just be her Mum,Katie Carter,who would be indulging herself,in a ‘Luxury Foot Bath’,on Sunday afternoon. “Goodbye,Miss Collette”I said to her,politely. “Have a nice day”.

Now,Miss Jennifer exclaimed,happily,”hey,Shaz! Business is really booming,since we sent those new leaflets out.Do you think we should maybe have another thousand delivered,next week?”. “Yeah,Jen,I think so”,replied Miss Sharon,and she went on,enthusiastically,”Jen,I just can’t believe the number of bookings we have had,for our new ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service.This month is already nearly fully booked up,and the phone has hardly stopped ringing,with prospective clients enquiring about it.” “Oh! I know,Shaz! It’s as though we have found an amazing niche,in the market! david is going to make us very rich,very quickly,Shaz! I certainly don’t think he will have to worry about being made redundant,any time soon! Ha ha ha!”,laughed Miss Jennifer,happily.Seeing that I had placed their tea tray on a table,Miss Sharon put her arms about me,and hugged me tightly.”Good boy,david.”,she said,while Miss Jennifer seated herself in one of the pedicure chairs,where she crossed her legs,and teasingly dangled her flip flop.”You can kiss my foot,if you want to, david,while I drink my tea”,she invited. In the blink of an eye,I had my lips pressed to Miss Jennifer’s bare,shapely,slightly dirty foot,and I lavished it with adoring,worshipful kisses,as Miss Sharon smilingly and approvingly looked on,while she kept one eye on the door,until she saw someone about to enter the Salon. “OK,david. I think you have got some work to do,now. Here is your very first client,david! Come on then,david! Hurry up! Open the door,for her!”,ordered Miss Sharon,rather bossily. Compliantly,I hurried to obey Miss Sharon,and to welcome our client.My very first client! Oh,this was such a fine moment for me! I was so very proud!,and so very excited!

When I politely opened the door,it was to admit a rather tall,and very arrogant looking young blonde woman,who,quite literally,as well as figuratively, looked down her nose at me,in unconcealed,and withering disdain,as she regarded my uniform T Shirt.But,not put off in the slightest,quite the contrary,in fact,I gave her my best and warmest smile,and I said,respectfully,”good morning,Miss. Welcome to ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon. May I ask if you have an appointment,Miss?”. In a voice dripping with scorn,and rich with acidic derision,,the young lady replied,as though to some retarded,annoying dullard,”of course I have got an appointment,you silly fool. I am Miss Lewis,and I have a booking for 9 – 30,as I have,for every Monday morning at this Pedicure Salon”. “Thankyou,Miss.Very good,Miss.Very well,Miss”,I spluttered,and fawned, obsequeously, greatly taken with,and vastly impressed by,this supremely arrogant,and extremely rude young woman,and I found myself hoping,that her decidedly derisive attitude towards me,was typical of the attitude that I could expect,and that I would be treated with,by the ladies who patronized ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon.

“May I make you a cup of tea,Miss?”,I aked her,as though I was asking her for the biggest favour of my life.My excitement was intense and electrifying,as Miss Lewis continued to look down her nose at me,and regard me with her cold,contemptuous stare,before finally expressing her permission,for me to perform that small and humble service for her,as though it was a very great honour for me to be allowed to do so,and as though it was a rarely granted,and highly favoured privilege,that was to be greatly valued,and certainly never taken for granted. “Yes,you may make a cup of tea,for me.With 1 sugar”,she replied,haughtily,like a Queen who ruled the world,addressing the worthless and supremely servile serf,that is at all times stationed at her Royal feet,there,for her pure convenience,to be always on hand and available,to be able to immediately respond to,and obey her every command without delay,the business of his life,to cater to her every trivial wish and whim. “Yes,Miss! At once,Miss!”,I stuttered,in my eagerness to obey,and to please Miss Lewis,my very first client,as I turned away from her,to go and make a cup of tea for her,and thinking,that it would take a lot more than 1 sugar,to sweeten up this little madam!

But,I was stopped in my tracks,as Miss Lewis shrilled after me,as though she had been affronted,by the most grave of social outrages. “Where are you going,you ignorant little man? How dare you! How dare you treat me with such appalling disrespect? I have never been so insulted! I will not have it! Do you hear? Don’t you know anything? I have just asked you a question! And you will answer me!”.Upon seeing the confused,blankly uncomprehending look on my face,Miss Lewis further scolded me,severely. “I said,don’t you know anything at all,about Ladies foot service,you stupid cretin? Don’t you know,that you must first remove a lady’s shoes,for her,for her greater comfort,before you go and make her tea,for her? I have never known,such unforgivable incompetence,as yours!”.

Even though Miss Lewis was only wearing flip flops,still,I understood,now,rather belatedly,that there were strict matters of Pedicure Salon etiquette, that I must always observe,and that there were formal rules of protocol,that I must at all times adhere to,as a pedicurist,and foot servant of the clients of the Pedicure Salon. But,on my very first day,and with my very first client,I now realised,with dismay,that I had violated the sacrosanct  procedures,of Pedicure Salon protocol.

Now,in my shame,I felt my face getting very hot and very red,and I felt that at any moment,that I was actually going to cry. I actually thought,that Miss Lewis was going to make me cry,that,in her pitiless spotlighting of my ineptitude,that she was actually going to reduce me to helpless,grievous tears.For,such was the perfection,of her withering,crushing humiliation of me,of her inadequate foot servant. I felt distraught,that I had let Miss Lewis down so very badly,and I was ashamed,to be found so sadly lacking,in even the most very basic rudiments,and in what were surely the very first criteria of my duties,as a trainee pedicurist,and I felt that I fully deserved to be so roundly and so emphatically criticized and condemned,by Miss Lewis,and,I was thoroughly mortified,to be such an embarrassment to my new employers,and of damaging the good reputation,of their fine establishment.

Then,I was even further discomposed,when,in looking towards Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer,perhaps hoping for some small sign of guidance from them,and also very fearful that they would be very angry with me,for treating their client so shabbily,and for bringing their prestigious business concern into such disrepute,I saw that their faces were very strangely,and disconcertingly,blank of expression.

So,I turned back to Miss Lewis,and I made my pathetic defence,of my disgraceful ignorance and ineptitude. “I really am,Miss,so very,very sorry,Miss. Please,Miss,may I offer you my most profound,and abject,and heart felt apologies,Miss? But,Miss,you see,Miss,I am new,here,and------“ “New,here! Do you think,then,that being new,here,is any sort of excuse,for your extremely bad manners? Do you think,then,that being new,here,is any sort of excuse,for your gross incompetence? And,do you think,then,that this is how you should treat a lady,when she comes into a Pedicure Salon? Well,do you? Do you,I said?”,demanded Miss Lewis,imperiously.Miss Lewis continued,scathingly,flailingly,and she drenched me in her vitriol,and her whipping words lashed me,and burned me with their terrible heat. “I should insist,on you being fired from your job! This very instant! I really should positively,absolutely insist on you being fired! I should demand your immediate dismissal! Incompetence,and appalling behaviour such as yours,in a Pedicure Salon,should never be tolerated! Should never be countenanced! Never! Do you hear me? You idiot! Don’t you understand,that a Pedicure Salon,is the one place,where a lady can go to,where she can retreat to? Don’t you understand,that a Pedicure Salon,is her special haven,that it is the one place,where she can escape to,to enjoy a brief respite,from all of the woes of her world? If you cannot understand that,if you cannot understand something that should be a very simple and a very obvious fact to you,then I am quite sure,that there can never be a place for you,in any Pedicure Salon”.

This,was my worst nightmare,come true. Of failing. So pathetically. And on my very first day! And with my very first client! Now,in my acute distress,my throat felt very thick,and very sore,and very painful,and I found it difficult to swallow,as now,my bitter tears of self reproach,had actually started,had actually begun to flow,and there was no stopping those scalding,acidic tears,once they had started,as they began to cascade down my red,shameful cheeks,like a mini salt water cataract. I felt that I had proved myself totally unfit,to be allowed to serve,at the feet of females.And certainly,wholly unworthy,of the honour and the privilege,of serving at the revered feet,of the clients of ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon. I felt certain,that I had squandered my one and only opportunity,that I had carelessly thrown away my perfect job,and,as Julia Davis had put it,my “vocation”,at ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon.

As I desperately,despairingly tried to express my abject contrition to Miss Lewis,my words seemed stuck,and caught in my throat,and they struggled to get out,as though impeded,as though they were limited to coming out,one by one,in single file,through some kind of turn stile,and my pathetic plea to Miss Lewis,was a barely intelligible,choked up babble,that was composed more of sobs,than of speech.

“Oh,p..please…M…Miss,.p…pl…please..N…no,..Miss…No..ex…excuse..I …c..can..only…s….say…how…v..very,..very…s…sorry..I…am…Miss”. Now,my sobs of distress,shame,and humiliation,had no hiding place,and were plain for all to hear,in my emotional outpouring of stricken grief. Upon seeing the deeply hurt,and tragically sad expression on my face,Miss Lewis proceeded to rub salt into my open wounds,mercilessly,as she shouted at me,belittlingly. “Oh! Stop that blubbering,at once! Stop crying like a baby! You benighted, snivelling little wretch! Get out of my sight! Now! Go and make my cup of tea,you useless,worthless,pathetic imbecile! You little cry baby! I shall remember to bring a dummy for you,in future! In my opinion,you are not fit to be allowed anywhere near a lady’s feet! I said go and make my tea! You can take my shoes off for me,when you come back with my tea”.

I felt as if my spirit had departed from me,for a better place. I felt totally,utterly annihilated,by Miss Lewis. I felt totally crushed,completely humiliated,and devastated and distraught beyond measure,that I had failed so miserably,to please a client,and that the severity of my shortcomings,were such,as must surely preclude my ever being allowed to serve at the feet of females,in any Pedicure Salon.

But,then,just as I made to obey Miss Lewis,and go and make her a cup of tea,just as I turned towards the kitchen,to my astonishment,I imagined I heard a small titter,of suppressed laughter,and,when I turned around,and looked at my new employers,Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer,it was with the utmost shock and disbelief,that I saw that tears were rolling,unchecked,down their cheeks,too! But, whereas my tears were the product of Miss Lewis’s withering,perfect,exquisite humiliation of me,their tears were caused by the terrible,intolerable strain,by their sheer effort of will,to bite down on their mirth,to contain their hilarity,and by the increasing toll,of trying to repress,the bubbling eruption of their laughter.

Now,at seeing the absurdly comical look on my face,they resisted no more,and they let it all spill out,and they opened the floodgates to their intolerable burdens of suppressed mirth.Now,the sound of their laughter washed over me in great tidal waves,of pure mockery,as Miss Lewis,Miss Sharon,and Miss Jennifer,all three,hugged each other,and clung to each other for support,as though they would all collapse helplessly to the floor,without their mutual support. I could only stand,and watch,and listen,in profound,disbelieving amazement,as they squealed,screeched,hooted,howled and cried,with the irresistible force of the sudden release of their intolerably pent up hilarity.

I had just found out,what it was like to be the victim of one of their deliciously cruel pranks.They had just played a very cruel,and deliciously humiliating trick on me.Now,as they heartily congratulated each other on a beautifully executed,and gloriously successful prank,their hands slapping in their celebratory high 5’s,Miss Sharon warmly applauded Miss Lewis,”ha ha ha! Well done, Sis! You are an absolute star! What a performance! Oh! But we caught david a beauty,didn’t we? I can’t wait to tell Joan about this! I can’t wait to tell her all about how you made david cry,made him cry like a baby,at the Pub,tonight!” To which,Miss Lewis replied,”ha ha ha! Oh! Shaz! You are not kidding! I have never had so much fun! Look at david’s face! Just look at his face!! Ha ha ha!”.Now,Miss Jennifer had just about recovered enough,with her tear streaked face,to say,”Gotcha! david!!”.

This was how I was first introduced to,and became acquainted with,Miss Sharon’s sister, Sandra Lewis. Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer had promised Miss Sandra,that,if she could make me cry,that she would be the very first,to try out their new ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service.Totally free of charge,of course.Compliments,of ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon.

Oh! What had I ever done,to deserve such treatment? I did not know.All I could do,was to count my blessings,and to be profoundly grateful,that I had the most wonderful job in the world,and that I was in the employ,of 2 such magnificent,and beautiful young ladies,who had such a thrilling,unpredictable sense of ‘fun’,that I never knew what they would do to me next. Oh! What it was,to be the butt of their deliciously diabolical,playfully sadistic and wicked,exquisitely cruel pranks.As if they had not done enough for me already!

At my first day at work,at ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon,it seemed to me,as if my working day was over in mere seconds,the hands on the clock,seemed to spin round,as though some malicious monster had pressed a ‘fast forward’ button.And yet,my mind was crammed full,jam packed,with the most amazing memories,of the wonderful,thrilling,exciting events that crowded my first day. I had served at the feet of a constant,and never ending procession of demanding,fussy females,as though I was working on some kind of Heavenly production line. I soon learned,that the pedicuring and pampering of female feet,was a crucial,vital service,that was always in demand,never out of fashion,and I was assured by Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer,that it would always be so. Halleluja!!  All too soon,it was 5 – 30,and time to go home. It looked as though Miss Sharon and Miss Jennifer might be a while yet,though.Judging by the amount of takings that they had to count.So,dutifully,I stayed behind,with them,and I worshipped their bare,slightly dirty feet,as they counted their money.

However,my pedicure services were not yet over for the day,as I still had my ‘evening class’,which was to serve at the feet of my girlfriend Debbie’s Mother,Doris.Doris was of the considered opinion that,by allowing me no respite from serving at the feet of fussy,demanding females,that their feet would gradually lose their obsessive appeal for me,and I would by these means,be cured of my foot fetish.At the thought of Doris’s beautiful,mature,shapely feet,I could not wait to hold her perfect,precious feet in my hands,and to begin to do her bidding,and to lovingly massage them,for her.

When I arrived at their house,Debbie let me in,and she gave me a light,welcoming peck on the cheek,and,as I followed her into the living room,I noted with pleasure,that she was wearing the big,fluffy,pink Bunny Rabbit slippers that I had bought her,for one of her Christmas presents.When Debbie caught me enjoying the exciting sight of her bare heels,and the brief,sweet glimpses of her soles,as she walked in front of me,she said,”I thought you would have seen enough of women’s feet,for one day,david”.Then,Doris,upon hearing Debbie’s remark,and immediately upon seeing me,ordered,”come here at once,david! Kneel before me,and you can tell us all about your first day at the Pedicure Salon,while you massage my feet,for me”.At this,Debbie complained,”aw,Mum! david has only just got here!”. Doris replied,reasonably enough,”Deberah,you want david cured of his foot fetish,don’t you?”. “Yes,Mum,but----“ “No ‘buts’,Deberah! This is the only way.Now,david,why are you still standing there,like a spare best man at a wedding? I told you to kneel before me,and to start massaging my feet,for me!”. “Yes,Doris”,I replied,obediently,and I reverently took hold of the foot that she was holding out to me,for me to begin my dutiful ministrations,and I started to press my thumbs firmly into the sole of her shapely,bare foot,and to make small,circular motions,with them.

In a matter of moments,Doris,with a sigh of pleasure,sank back,into her chair,and she closed her eyes,and I quite lost myself,in a world of my own,in the sheer,fulfilling pleasure I felt,in being ordered by Doris ,to massage her beautiful feet,for her. I was brought back to Earth,with a jolt,though,when Debbie shouted at me,”david! Wake up! I am talking to you,I want to hear all about your first day,at the Pedicure Salon!”.”Oh,I’m sorry,Debs,I suppose I must be a bit tired”,I apologised.To this Debbie said,accusingly,almost sneeringly,”oh,really,david? Well,let me tell you,david,that I suppose something very different!”.

Now,Doris mumbled,almost sleepily,”mmmm,that’s nice,david,very nice.Don’t stop,david.Just keep on doing what you are doing,david.Oh,yes,this is very relaxing,and very soothing.Well,it’s certainly nice to know that there is a use for you after all,david”. At her Mother’s somewhat less than flattering compliment,but,one with which I was extremely pleased with,Debbie complained,rather peevishly,”Mum,don’t be so hard on david! He does do his best,Mum!”. “Oh,I know that david does his best,Deberah.It’s just a great pity,that his best is just so pathetically poor”,replied Doris,matter of factly.Debbie,springing to my defence again,pointed out to her Mother,rather tartly,”well,I certainly don’t see you finding fault with david now,mum!” “Well,as I just said,Deberah,it really does seem that david does actually serve a useful purpose,after all. It’s really such a terrible shame that your own feet are so sensitive,you really have got no idea,just what you are missing out on,Deberah.Oh,yes! This is just the most absolute,pure bliss,Deberah,having david kneeling before me,and massaging my feet for me,as if that is exactly where he belongs,and I can already tell that his new employers have improved his massaging skills,and his technique has certainly improved markedly,too,with all the practise he is getting at the Pedicure Salon.Oh,it’s such a pity,Deberah,such a crying shame,that you won’t let david massage your feet,for you,you know,it really is,so amazingly-----“. “Oh!,Will you just please,please be quiet,Mum!”,interrupted Debbie,heatedly,in her steadily increasing annoyance,with her Mother.Now,to placate her daughter,Doris released me from my foot massaging duties,to her,and she told me to go and sit on the couch with Debbie,and to tell them all about my first day at work,at the Pedicure Salon.

In my eager excitement and happiness at bursting point,to relate to them all of the wonderful events of my first day,unfortunately,it did not occur to me,to exercise a little bit of prudence and discretion,to give them a ‘safer’,edited version,of my first day at work,in my capacity as a trainee pedicurist,at ‘Tootsies’ Pedicure Salon. I told them all about Julia Davis,signing up to an office ‘Foot Club’,for herself and her office girls. I told them all about Miss Sharon’s amazing sister,Miss Sandra,making me cry.Cry like a baby! And I told them all about the ‘Luxury Foot Bath’ service,and who was the very first to try it out.And why!

By the time I had given them the full,unedited version,a full and comprehensive report,and omitting nothing,Debbie’s face had become suffused,with very alarming looking reddish purple blotches,as if all  the capillaries in her cheeks had burst,as though through a long and protracted,appalling excess of alcoholic intake,or,perhaps,and much more likely,through the effects of a dangerously high blood pressure condition,brought on by chronic stress,for,such was the measure,of her white hot anger and outrage. I then found myself,right in the centre of a violent,female maelstrom,as Debbie and Doris filled the living room with their contentious shouting,for,such was the ferocious nature,and the force,of their hot,and seemingly irreconcilable dispute.Debbie said,that she was absolutely determined,that I would resign from my job,at the Pedicure salon.Doris,equally obstinate,said that,if I was to be cured of my foot fetish,that I must on no account resign,and that it was imperative,that I continue to serve at the feet,of fussy,bossy,demanding females. As their verbal weapons of acrimonious argument raged back and forth between them,like rocket propelled grenades,fired from the bunkers of their entrenched positions,and which exploded hotly about my head,my quiet departure from the house,went unnoticed and uncommented on,as Debbie and Doris continued with  their hostilities,with no signs of a ceasefire,each with their seemingly immutable,unshakable notions,of how to go about the business,of conducting my fate,for me.

When I got home,I made a cup of tea,(I was getting very good,at making cups of tea!),and,with a sigh,I sat down in my most comfortable chair,to drink it.Oh! It did so upset me,to see the females in my life falling out with each other.Especially,when I was the cause! As I solemnly reflected upon Debbie and Doris’s heated argument,a few minutes must have elapsed,as I indulged in my sorry day dream,for,when my eyes eventually refocused,I found myself staring at the small heap of broken pieces of ‘The Mirror’,on the floor in front of me,and at the 4 corner pieces,that I had put back in the frame this morning,before leaving for work,as if I had just started my latest jigsaw puzzle,entitled,perhaps,as ‘7 Years Of Bad Luck’.Then,as though I was being warned,one last time,the same mysterious thought,that I had this morning,once more passed across my mind,and I listened,as it’s echo faded,for the last time:’If it’s not broken,don’t fix it….don’t fix it…..don’t fix it…..

To my surprise,I found that the ‘jigsaw’,as if my hand was being guided,by some unknown, mysterious entity,was easy enough to complete,and within 5 minutes,I was finally left with just the small,square piece of ‘The Mirror’,that was coated with what looked to me,like gold. Fools Gold? As it was the final piece,it was obvious enough to see where it belonged.It belonged at the very centre of ‘The Mirror’. I pushed it in. It was,of course,a perfect fit. Pushing in that small,last piece of ‘The Mirror’,was like pushing a bell,on some kind of supernatural door. And,it was answered quickly.

The cup of tea that I had placed on the floor,beside me,was spilt,and the cup sent skittering across the living room,as I kicked out,convulsively,in the sudden grip,of shock and fear. I retreated behind my most comfortable chair,as if it would offer me some kind of a barrier of protection,and I cringed,there,as I looked on in fearful fascination,and terrified awe,as a sort of bluish white lightening crackled and fizzed over the surface of ‘The Mirror’,and played over the cracks,where the pieces fitted together,fusing them,and sealing them seamlessly back together,like some kind of miraculous healing laser.Then,the whole surface of ‘The Mirror’ shone,in a radiant,brilliant white light,that was too bright to look at,like a sheet of fluorescent lighting,powered by an impossible,alien voltage.

Now,bitterly bemoaning my wilful ways,my foolish,self destructive folly,my mindless meddling,I fled from my living room,fled from the shining,glowing ‘presence’ of ‘The Mirror’,and fled to the imagined safety and security of my bed,and I cocooned myself under my duvet,as if it was some kind of a protective shield.

Oh! What have I done? What have I done?,I moaned,over and over,in my state of acute agitation. But,I knew what I had done. I had unwittingly achieved the seemingly impossible. As in the children’s Nursery Rhyme,in a manner of speaking,I had put ‘Humpty Dumpty’ back together again.

THE MIRROR continues,in Part 7.