IN ANOTHER MANS SHOES by John Townsend

I was down by the coast, enjoying a brisk walk along the beach. The weather was blustery, but the sun was friendly too good to miss. I heard someone call and looked around, yet I could see no one, and anyway what is it of my buisness, no one knows me here.

It is a long beach, runs from the headland to the begining of the Swayland Bay, almost a mile of sand and soft shingle.
I had walked some 100 yards when I heard the call again, someone said "Help me sir.". This time it was distinct, as if not ten feet from me, I turned all around and saw no one, just a pair of crudlely made shoes looking like they had come from medievial times. For a moment I was too disturbed by the voice I had heard, and its plea for help. I must admit I felt a little affraid, the voice was urgent, and I seemed to know the voice.
Yet again the voice called out, almost to my right, again as if ten feet from where I stood. The voice called my name, "David! step into the shoes, you cannot stay adrift any longer."
"This is absurd." I thought then shouted out aloud, "Who are you?" This time the shoes on the beach walked towards me, and the voice said, "David you cannot stay away from your past, you cannot break the link, we are brothers. Step into the shoes."
I admit that as a forty four year old man, this sounds like I am irrational, and that I was drunk. I tell you I was not.
I replied to the voice after asserting that there was no one around, and this was not some television prank at my expense, I said, "How do you know my name who are you?"
I felt a cold shiver travel through my body as the shoes walked towards me, in fact I ran, only to hear the voice call me, "David, I am you your past let me in, wear the shoes, please!"
I was amazed that No matter how fast I ran, the shoes ran beside me, so I stopped, exhausted. "This is absurd, who are you, what is going on?" The voice then said to me, only this time it was as if in my head. "David you left me behind six hundred years ago, they are your shoes, wear them and I will be gone. I am your past, I am your future, I am you."
Please do not think me a fool, I run a very succesful buisness and do not suffer with voices in my head no reasons to believe such, however I did kick my shoes off, and I did slip these crude ancient leather shoes on, it felt strange as if I had stepped into another mans shoes a man that I knew. The voice then said, at last we have caught up with you, I was your genetic twin, you have carried me in your family blood for all these years, it was here on this beach I drowned, I knew one day we would return, and that my shoes would find their owner, David at last we are one, farewell my brother."
It was then the shoes disintegrated into fime fragments, I felt at ease, and I have never heard the voice again, nor have I ever returned to Swayland Beach.