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    The Last Shoemaker
    The Last Shoemaker
    The Last Shoemaker
    Ebook74 pages58 minutes

    The Last Shoemaker

    By Rita Dasilva

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    About this ebook

    Maurice Benedict is a frail old man with only his memories and a great power that once lived in his hands. As a young man, Maurice ventured to many places, but as an old man his only desire was Billy, the love of his life. When he was a teen, Maurice discovered his ability to time travel through the shoes he fashioned. But his ability begins to unravel and the years catch up to him. Will his power be his greatest foe, or will he find Billy somewhere in time and reclaim his life?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAustin Macauley Publishers
    Release dateJun 28, 2019
    ISBN9781645750512
    The Last Shoemaker
    Author

    Rita Dasilva

    Rita Dasilva lives in Ontario, Canada, with her family, where she enjoys the arts. She has a degree in English from the University of Windsor. The Gatekeeper’s Wife is her second novel.

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      Book preview

      The Last Shoemaker - Rita Dasilva

      Epilogue

      About the Author

      Rita Dasilva was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, where she pursued her creativity in the arts. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language from the University of Windsor. The Last Shoemaker is her debut novel.

      About the Book

      Maurice Benedict is a frail old man with only his memories and a great power that once lived in his hands. As a young man, Maurice ventured to many places, but as an old man his only desire was Billy, the love of his life. When he was a teen, Maurice discovered his ability to time travel through the shoes he fashioned. But his ability begins to unravel and the years catch up to him. Will his power be his greatest foe, or will he find Billy somewhere in time and reclaim his life?

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated to my mother, without whom none of this would be possible; and the memory of my father.

      Copyright Information

      Copyright © Rita Dasilva (2019)

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

      Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

      Ordering Information:

      Quantity sales: special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

      Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

      Dasilva, Rita

      The Last Shoemaker

      ISBN 9781645750499 (Paperback)

      ISBN 9781645750482 (Hardback)

      ISBN 9781645750512 (ePub e-book)

      The main category of the book — Fiction / Historical

      www.austinmacauley.com/us

      First Published (2019)

      Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

      40 Wall Street, 28th Floor

      New York, NY 10005

      USA

      mail-usa@austinmacauley.com

      +1 (646) 5125767

      Acknowledgement

      I would like to acknowledge my son, my true inspiration, for everything I do.

      The Last Shoe

      A cool breeze warms me. The smell of freshly trimmed grass lingers. I am reminded of a summer day from another life. Now I am a caricature, a drawing of decay, never good enough to be the real thing, but merely a replicated image. I am a piece of my former self, no longer a whole. The person I used to be lost beneath the wrinkles, the lines, the gray hair, and the crippling arthritis. Soon death will find me and I will welcome his call.

      In my younger days, I knew no end, impatient to complete a task and move ahead. And now, at the ripe age of 83, I long for a beginning. My life is no longer my own. I smile at the thoughts of yesterdays, when youth filled my body with vitality and momentum. There were days I wish to never forget and those I pray I do. Yet, there are moments, lost, never to be found, no matter how I try to gather my thoughts, moments I wish I could have kept forever.

      Age is cruel. It comes quickly and takes all of you. It transforms you from youth into a frail withered being unable to stand on your own. Time has consumed me and left me but a weak old man incapable of self. So I make my last shoe; unsteady hands bind the soles, thread the needles, and buff the leather.

      The First Shoe

      In this world there are shoemakers and there are shoemakers. Maurice Benedict was the latter of the two. He was born in a tiny village, the only child of the cobbler and his wife, the summer of 1935. And when he was sixteen years of age, he was tasked with making his first shoe in his father’s shop. Indeed, he did just that. The smell of fresh leather as he snipped and cut filled his nostrils. He stretched the leather out and began to stitch. Hours later, the shoe was perfect. The customer would be there in the morning to pick it up. Boastful of his work, he walked around the shop holding up the shoes. Of course, no one else was there to catch his gleaming eyes and gallant walk. He placed the shoes on the front counter and turned to leave.

      But something deep inside him urged Maurice to try the shoes on. It was, after all, his work.

      Carefully, he placed each shoe on each foot, tying the laces. Then before he could take a step, a great darkness stretched before his eyes and he plummeted to the ground.

      I still remember that first shoe, the feel of her supple skin on mine, the taste of her lips…

      Maurice awoke to a strange room with the rustle of sheets next to him.

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