Rain hammered the windows when Mr. Verma was found dead in his bedroom. His expensive watch was missing. Three people were questioned: his wife, his brother, and his driver.


The wife said she was cooking dinner. The brother claimed he was watching television. The driver said he had been outside fixing the car.


Detective Arjun noticed mud on the bedroom floor. However, the driver’s shoes were completely clean. Then he saw a muddy footprint leading toward the brother’s room. Inside, he found Mr. Verma’s missing watch hidden in a drawer.


The brother finally confessed. He had killed Verma for his money.

The Dangerous Elevator – Part 2
Writing
The Thirteenth Floor


Maya lived in a tall apartment building where everyone knew there was no 13th floor.


One night, the elevator suddenly stopped while she was alone inside.


The display changed from 12 to 13.


The doors opened.


Maya saw a dark hallway with dozens of doors.


At the end stood a little girl.


“Are you lost?” Maya asked.


The girl pointed at a door marked 1301.


Maya stepped out.


Suddenly, the elevator doors closed behind her.


The girl whispered, “My mother is inside.”


Maya opened the door.


Inside was an empty room with an old mirror.


In the mirror, Maya saw herself trapped inside the elevator.


Then the little girl disappeared.


The elevator opened again.


Maya was gone.


Only her shoes remained on the floor.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...

Cheese-loving feet: Mosquitoes are heavily attracted to human feet because of a specific bacteria (Brevibacterium linens) that thrives in warm, sweaty shoes. This is the exact same bacteria used by cheese makers to ripen Limburger cheese, which is why mosquitoes will aggressively target smelly feet.

The longest toenail record: The Guinness World Record for the longest toenails belonged to Louise Hollis of California. Her ten toenails reached a combined length of 87 inches (220.98 cm). They were so long that she could only walk by lifting her heels, and she had to wear custom shoes with 3-inch thick soles to keep them from dragging.

Water strider snowshoes: Water striders can walk across ponds without sinking because the microscopic hairs on their feet trap air bubbles, turning their legs into tiny, floating water skis.

Water walking snowshoes: Fishing spiders can walk across rivers and ponds without sinking by using water-repellent hairs on their feet like tiny, high-tech snowshoes.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go. Dr. Seuss

High-heeled shoes were originally invented for men: During the 10th century, Persian cavalry soldiers wore high heels to help secure their boots into horse stirrups while riding into battle. The trend eventually spread to European nobility, who wore them as a masculine symbol of status, power, and wealth.

The "Motherhood Threat" scale is very real: You will find yourself using hilarious, empty threats that make no logical sense, like loudly declaring, "If you don't put your shoes on right now, we are turning this car around and going straight to bed!"

Michael Jordan was fined $5,000 per game for his shoes: When Nike released the original black-and-red Air Jordan I in 1985, the NBA banned them because they violated the league's strict uniform policy. Jordan wore them anyway, and Nike happily paid the $5,000-per-game fine for the massive publicity.

He was exceptionally short: Rizal stood at only about 4 feet 11 inches (around 150 cm) to 5 feet tall. To look taller in group photographs with his European contemporaries, he would often wear thick-heeled shoes or stand on a hidden step.