Title: The Missing Sneaker
It should have been just another Thursday for June Parker: office work in the morning, a quick lunch at her favorite deli, and then her usual afternoon yoga class at the local gym. Everything had been perfectly normal — until it wasn’t.
The moment she walked back to the locker room after yoga, with her muscles blissfully sore and her mind cleared from an hour of deep stretches and meditation, June knew something was off. Her gym locker looked slightly ajar. Nothing major, just enough to make her stomach twist in a way that suggested something wasn’t quite right.
June had been inside these locker rooms countless times, always staking out the same locker — #46, ideally located under the window to catch a breeze. She'd placed her clothes inside, her keys, wallet, and shoes stacked neatly beneath her yoga mat. This had always been a safe space for her, a sanctuary really, particularly after a stressful week.
But now, as she opened the creaking door fully, her eyes went directly to where her shoes had been placed — her old, well-worn black Keds sneakers. Or rather, where her shoes should have been.
"Seriously?" June frowned, crouching down quickly to verify that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
Laid out beneath her locker number 46 was... just one sneaker. The left one.
She checked around. Her yoga mat was still rolled up neatly in the corner. Her wallet and personal items appeared mercifully untouched. But her right sneaker? Gone, inexplicably, as though it had vanished into thin air.
June blinked, slightly amused at first. Who would steal one shoe? This had to be a prank.
"Maybe one of the girls in the class? Jess would totally think this is funny," June muttered to herself, remembering her yoga buddy's penchant for pranks. But as she examined the locker room more thoroughly, her amusement began to shift into something closer to concern.
June peered over the locker doors. The few others who had been in the gym when she'd arrived were nowhere to be seen. The locker rooms were oddly quiet for this time of day. It wasn’t unusual for this side of the gym to be relatively empty, but now the emptiness seemed eerie, like she was intruding on something she wasn’t supposed to witness.
Her mind reeled as she considered her options. Was it worth creating a fuss over a missing shoe? Maybe she'd simply forgotten where she’d placed it. Except she hadn’t. She was sure she left them inside the locker, just like always.
Her heart rate picked up as she remembered the last time something strange had occurred at this gym — a few months ago, someone’s bag had gone missing during a Zumba class. Everyone had thought it was an accident, a misunderstanding that would clear itself up. But in that case, the bag was never found.
June slowly exhaled, trying to slow her nerves. This wasn’t the same thing. This was just a shoe. One single shoe. But the strangeness of it made her chest tighten.
She decided to investigate.
Her first thought was to head to the front desk, where Raj, the gym’s receptionist, was usually stationed. He always seemed to know when something was amiss.
The locker room door creaked open as June stepped into the hallway, the rubber soles of her shoeless foot making light squeaking sounds against the tiles. She walked toward the desk, noticing an unfamiliar tension in the air. The normally bustling gym was quieter than usual, and every shadow seemed sharper, more pronounced.
But when she arrived at the front desk, Raj wasn't there. Frowning, June drummed her fingers against the counter and called out, “Hello? Raj? Anyone?”
Something about the absence of people nagged at her. It was supposed to be peak hour — people finishing work and heading to the gym. But it felt deserted, almost abandoned. There was another hallway leading to the back offices of the gym, where the staff kept their belongings and supplies. Maybe someone back there could help?
Just as she was about to check, a voice startled her from behind.
"You’re missing something," said a hushed voice.
June spun around to find an older woman standing at the side of the reception area — Margaret. She and June had crossed paths at yoga a few times. Margaret was known for her quirky oddities, often talking in long, winding riddles during class and hinting at strange theories about energy and hidden vibrations in the building.
June kept her distance from Margaret normally, because the woman's cryptic comments always made her uneasy. But now, seeing her here, June couldn’t help but give a half-smile of recognition.
"Yeah, someone took one of my shoes," June said. "Weird, right?"
Margaret's gaze narrowed. "Not just a shoe."
June raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Someone has their eyes on you, dear." Margaret's voice lowered to a soft whisper. "That’s how it starts."
Okay, this was officially becoming unsettling.
"What do you mean?" June asked, feeling a crawly sensation running down her spine.
Margaret leaned closer. “Small things... they always disappear first. To test you. See what you’ll do. If you’ll notice.”
Heat prickled at the back of June's neck. "Who’s testing me?"
Instead of answering, Margaret turned and shuffled away into a side hallway that led to the steam and sauna rooms, leaving June standing there baffled.
More confused now than ever, June returned to the locker room, hoping for more clues, but nothing seemed out of place — except for her missing sneaker, of course. By the time she left the gym, limping unevenly in one Keds and a barefoot, she couldn’t shake the sensation that someone, or something, had indeed been watching her.
It wasn’t just a missing shoe anymore. Something larger was at play. She could feel it.
What June didn't know yet was that her missing sneaker was merely the tip of the iceberg. To solve this oddity, she would need to dig deeper into the gym's past — and, more frighteningly, the people who frequented it.
But she would need more information: Who else had experienced strange occurrences here? What was the significance of locker #46? And why did Margaret seem to know things that no one else did?
The mystery had only just begun.
It should have been just another Thursday for June Parker: office work in the morning, a quick lunch at her favorite deli, and then her usual afternoon yoga class at the local gym. Everything had been perfectly normal — until it wasn’t.
The moment she walked back to the locker room after yoga, with her muscles blissfully sore and her mind cleared from an hour of deep stretches and meditation, June knew something was off. Her gym locker looked slightly ajar. Nothing major, just enough to make her stomach twist in a way that suggested something wasn’t quite right.
June had been inside these locker rooms countless times, always staking out the same locker — #46, ideally located under the window to catch a breeze. She'd placed her clothes inside, her keys, wallet, and shoes stacked neatly beneath her yoga mat. This had always been a safe space for her, a sanctuary really, particularly after a stressful week.
But now, as she opened the creaking door fully, her eyes went directly to where her shoes had been placed — her old, well-worn black Keds sneakers. Or rather, where her shoes should have been.
"Seriously?" June frowned, crouching down quickly to verify that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
Laid out beneath her locker number 46 was... just one sneaker. The left one.
She checked around. Her yoga mat was still rolled up neatly in the corner. Her wallet and personal items appeared mercifully untouched. But her right sneaker? Gone, inexplicably, as though it had vanished into thin air.
June blinked, slightly amused at first. Who would steal one shoe? This had to be a prank.
"Maybe one of the girls in the class? Jess would totally think this is funny," June muttered to herself, remembering her yoga buddy's penchant for pranks. But as she examined the locker room more thoroughly, her amusement began to shift into something closer to concern.
June peered over the locker doors. The few others who had been in the gym when she'd arrived were nowhere to be seen. The locker rooms were oddly quiet for this time of day. It wasn’t unusual for this side of the gym to be relatively empty, but now the emptiness seemed eerie, like she was intruding on something she wasn’t supposed to witness.
Her mind reeled as she considered her options. Was it worth creating a fuss over a missing shoe? Maybe she'd simply forgotten where she’d placed it. Except she hadn’t. She was sure she left them inside the locker, just like always.
Her heart rate picked up as she remembered the last time something strange had occurred at this gym — a few months ago, someone’s bag had gone missing during a Zumba class. Everyone had thought it was an accident, a misunderstanding that would clear itself up. But in that case, the bag was never found.
June slowly exhaled, trying to slow her nerves. This wasn’t the same thing. This was just a shoe. One single shoe. But the strangeness of it made her chest tighten.
She decided to investigate.
Her first thought was to head to the front desk, where Raj, the gym’s receptionist, was usually stationed. He always seemed to know when something was amiss.
The locker room door creaked open as June stepped into the hallway, the rubber soles of her shoeless foot making light squeaking sounds against the tiles. She walked toward the desk, noticing an unfamiliar tension in the air. The normally bustling gym was quieter than usual, and every shadow seemed sharper, more pronounced.
But when she arrived at the front desk, Raj wasn't there. Frowning, June drummed her fingers against the counter and called out, “Hello? Raj? Anyone?”
Something about the absence of people nagged at her. It was supposed to be peak hour — people finishing work and heading to the gym. But it felt deserted, almost abandoned. There was another hallway leading to the back offices of the gym, where the staff kept their belongings and supplies. Maybe someone back there could help?
Just as she was about to check, a voice startled her from behind.
"You’re missing something," said a hushed voice.
June spun around to find an older woman standing at the side of the reception area — Margaret. She and June had crossed paths at yoga a few times. Margaret was known for her quirky oddities, often talking in long, winding riddles during class and hinting at strange theories about energy and hidden vibrations in the building.
June kept her distance from Margaret normally, because the woman's cryptic comments always made her uneasy. But now, seeing her here, June couldn’t help but give a half-smile of recognition.
"Yeah, someone took one of my shoes," June said. "Weird, right?"
Margaret's gaze narrowed. "Not just a shoe."
June raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Someone has their eyes on you, dear." Margaret's voice lowered to a soft whisper. "That’s how it starts."
Okay, this was officially becoming unsettling.
"What do you mean?" June asked, feeling a crawly sensation running down her spine.
Margaret leaned closer. “Small things... they always disappear first. To test you. See what you’ll do. If you’ll notice.”
Heat prickled at the back of June's neck. "Who’s testing me?"
Instead of answering, Margaret turned and shuffled away into a side hallway that led to the steam and sauna rooms, leaving June standing there baffled.
More confused now than ever, June returned to the locker room, hoping for more clues, but nothing seemed out of place — except for her missing sneaker, of course. By the time she left the gym, limping unevenly in one Keds and a barefoot, she couldn’t shake the sensation that someone, or something, had indeed been watching her.
It wasn’t just a missing shoe anymore. Something larger was at play. She could feel it.
What June didn't know yet was that her missing sneaker was merely the tip of the iceberg. To solve this oddity, she would need to dig deeper into the gym's past — and, more frighteningly, the people who frequented it.
But she would need more information: Who else had experienced strange occurrences here? What was the significance of locker #46? And why did Margaret seem to know things that no one else did?
The mystery had only just begun.