Short Story: Mending Shoes, Mending Lives by Umar Hayat Hussain

Umar Hayat Hussain shares a poignant tale of a cobbler and life, as he sees it sitting on the footpath daily.

Autumn was about to begin, and the chinar trees that towered over the streets had already begun their transformation. The once-green leaves turned crimson, ready to fall and create a vibrant carpet of red on the ground. A cool breeze blew across the city, carrying with it the smell of earth and the faint promise of winter.

Khalil, the cobbler, sat on an untidy footpath, waiting for a customer. He wore a traditional pheran, a long woolen cloak, under which he hid an earthen hot pot to keep himself warm. Beside him lay a wooden vintage shoe-shiner box, worn from years of use. It was complete with a small shoe platform on top, camel-hair brushes scattered around, a polishing rag, and a white plate holding various colors of polish. A hammer, an awl, a knife, spare leather, and spools of thread lay neatly beside him, tools of a trade he had perfected over decades. Tied to the edge of the box were shoelaces of different colors, dangling like miniature flags. Inside the box, tiny nails were scattered, creating a soft rattle every time the lid moved.