A huge shoe mounts up from the horizon, br squealing and grinding forward on small wheels, br even as a man sitting to breakfast on his veranda br is suddenly engulfed in a great shadow, almost br the size of the night . . . br He looks up and sees a huge shoe br ponderously mounting out of the earth. br Up in the unlaced ankle-part an old woman br stands at a helm behind the great tongue curled br forward; the thick laces dragging like ships' rope br on the ground as the huge thing squeals and br grinds forward; children everywhere, they look br from the shoelace holes, they crowd about the br old woman, even as she pilots this huge shoe br over the earth . . . br br Soon the huge shoe is descending the br opposite horizon, a monstrous snail squealing br and grinding into the earth . . . br br The man turns to his breakfast again, but sees br it's been wounded, the yolk of one of his eggs is br bleeding . . .