Why did it have to be today? Sally had picked up her new remedial shoes this morning. She had to wear them home, and had to wear them everywhere for six months, to try and correct her deformed ankle. She had always walked funnily because of her ankle, and her Father had found this doctor who was experimenting in remedial footwear. The doctor had designed these big, bulky shoes, with big, thick soles and bulky heels, and Sally hated them. Today, of all days…tonight was the Prom!

Now, she stood at the door of the school gym, steeling herself to absorb the gibes of the other kids. Nobody ever talked to her much, probably because she walked funny, but they certainly knew how to poke fun at her.

She looked down at her cloggy shoes, and bit her lip. She wouldn’t feel bad about something that wasn’t her fault! She lifted her head up high, and slowly walked into the hall. She walked right to the edge of the dance floor. The song finished, and in the silence, she felt everybody staring at her.

Then she saw Corey walking towards her. Corey, the school quarterback, and the most popular guy of all. Surely he wasn’t going to poke fun of her! She’d always thought he was nice.

“Hi Sally,” said Corey, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Cool shoes, that clog effect looks really great! And you’re walking like a Queen! Would you care to dance?”

Sally felt the disbelief of the other kids – Corey and Sally…dancing? She let herself go to the music, and found that the new shoes made it easier to dance than ever before, and they span around the floor.

The night went by in a happy blur, nobody said one unkind word to her, and when they crowned her Prom Queen, and Cory the King, it was the happiest moment of her life. Sally went to sleep with a big smile on her face.

When she got to school on Monday, four other girls wore cloggy shoes, and by Wednesday nearly half of the school was wearing them! Girls were chatting to her, and asking her advice about clothes and make-up and treating her like a friend.

Sally became a fashion designer, and by the time she was twenty-four had a multi-million dollar fashion empire. She was rich, and happy, and gave a lot of money to charities, especially those that researched remedial cures for deformities.

You see, it’s not the shoes you’re wearing, it’s the way you wear them.