The Red Shoes on Juniper Hill

Basil Moreno had repaired shoes at the top of Juniper Hill for forty-one years. His shop was small and smelled of leather and glue, and a brass bell rang every time the door opened.

On the first Saturday of every month, the bell rang for a girl named Pia. She was about ten, with a green backpack and a serious face, and she always carried the same pair of red shoes. They were old-fashioned, with a narrow heel and a tiny silver buckle, and they were far too big for her.

Pia said the buckle was loose in March. Pia said the heel was scratched in April. Pia said they needed polish in May.

Basil fixed each small problem carefully. At first he charged her a few coins. Then he saw how she counted the coins slowly from a paper envelope, and he began saying that there was no charge today because old shoes deserve a little kindness. Pia always thanked him, looked around the shop as if she were memorizing it, and left.

By summer, Basil was curious. Who wore these shoes? Why did they come every month if they were not worn?

In August, Pia came in and put the red shoes on the counter. Nothing was wrong with them. Instead, she placed a folded note beside them. The note said that Pia's grandmother asked her to give it to Basil.

Basil unfolded the paper. The handwriting was shaky but neat. The note explained that Basil had made these shoes for Ilse's wedding in his very first year, and that she was his first customer. She could not climb Juniper Hill anymore, but every month she sent her granddaughter so she could hear the bell and see the lamp. She thanked Basil for looking after the shoes and for looking after Pia. She asked him to stop refusing Pia's coins, because Pia had been saving them for him. The note was signed Ilse.

Basil read the note twice. Then he laughed, a little wet around the eyes. He remembered a nervous young woman, a tight budget, and the shoes he had worried about for weeks.

Basil told Pia that the bell still rings and that next Saturday he would close early. Why? Pia asked. Basil took his coat from the hook and said that this time the shoemaker is coming down the hill.