For Sale: One Croc, Never Worn

It's rumored (but probably not true - just go with it for the purpose of this story) that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged with writing a six-word story.

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Hemingway, a writing legend (and a dreadfully misogynistic alcoholic) was tasked with coming up with a short story for a bet. The bet said that Hemingway couldn't come up with a story in six words.

But he did or, at least, that's how the legend goes.

The story in question?

'For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.'

The writers who made the bed forked over $10 each to Hemingway without another word.

The story is one of the first examples of 'flash fiction,' a style of story writing that values brevity and colloquialism.

But ole Hem may have been topped today by a Casper resident whose post to the Casper Classifieds Facebook Group definitely lends itself to more questions than answers.

'abandoned croc,' the headline of the post stated. The writer's lack of capitalization instantly grabs the reader's attention.

The writer, Payden McKetchnie, then went into a bit more detail.

"If anyone lost a singular black croc, it was in front of pet smart earlier,' she wrote. "It looked cold. You shouldn't leave reptiles outside in this weather."

And she has a point. Commenters, of course, had fun with the premise, adding their own commentary to this ongoing story.

"I think there is a fine for abandoning crocs," one commenter posted.

"This sounds like a load of croc," another wrote. "That croc looks very happy with itself being an independent reptile, it doesn't need a partner! Leave it be in peace."

"If you're cold, they're cold," yet another wrote.

One user took the owner to task, writing "Why even buy crocs if this is how your [SIC] gonna treat them. Your [SIC] a terrible croc wearer. Educate yourself."

We may never know where the croc came from, or where it will go. Is somebody out there missing a single shoe? How did they walk away from the area??

These questions remain unanswered, but they have inspired us to write this piece of flash fiction (It's Friday, cut us some slack).

'For Sale: One croc, never worn.'

Okay, it's not as sad as the baby shoes one, but still. The thought of a single, solitary croc out there, without its partner, fills us with a sense of guilt and longing.

To see the post and read the comments, make sure that you're a member of Casper Classifieds and visit this link.