The Inspiration Behind “Lost Shoes”

Phillips Lake, ME

I grew up within walking distance of one of Maine’s many lakes. Sometimes, when I stood out on my deck during the evening, I could hear the loons through the trees.

“Lost Shoes” was always meant to be a simple snapshot, resembling some of my experiences growing up. The tiny bit of beach that I romped across barefoot through the summers was rocky and cradled by thick lily pads on either side. Between jumping into the water and laying in the sun, I snuck through the tall grasses in search of frogs. It took a bit of practice before I was any good at catching them, but on more than one occasion, I’d find myself holding up a large, slimy frog with absolutely nothing to do with it. Maybe I had unlocked some primitive instinct within myself to hunt, but I had no interest in feasting on frogs, so I always let them go.

Gracie and Mason began as nameless children, as I focused on evoking vivid imagery of the environment around them. In clear recollection of all the summer’s spent on that lake, I remember walking by countless homes with well-manicured lawns that spanned down to the water’s edge. Their private docks were made of metal or wood and often had children running to jump off their edge.

After some feedback, I began to develop Gracie and Mason’s characters more. Children have silly problems, and I’m saying this from experience. Although I never decided to bring my own dress shoes down to the lake, I have spent innumerable times getting my sneakers wet by standing too close to the shore, and I have spent almost as many times pulling off my sneakers and socks to wade out into the water. I always imagined that Mason, in his carelessness and frog-generated excitement, left his shoes close enough to the water to fall in and be pulled out by the current that was produced by boats and jetskis speeding across the lake.

From my own spot next to the lake, I’ve seen ducks, herons, and of course, loons over the surface. One day, my brother and I were sitting on the rocks, when he pointed across the water. “Look!” 

And I did.

A loon was floating less than a hundred feet away. We watched it for a few minutes before it dove down into the lake, returning with a fish in its beak.

I received criticism from one reviewer that the ending was unrealistic. Why would a loon take someone’s shoe? To that, I answer, they probably wouldn’t, but dragons aren’t real and we still hold a place for them in our fiction. I’m just happy that I wrote something that felt so realistic that he forgot it wasn’t a true story.

I like writing stories that feel real, and I like writing stories with humor. So often, life can be funny in its simplicity, and that’s what I wanted to achieve with “Lost Shoes.” During the pandemic, people were rediscovering the outdoors. During a time filled with so much stress, it was nice to share something with a little levity.