"Here's the thing," I said, "I love that boot." The man across from me glared. "What?" he asked. "I love that boot." He brandished a machete as long as his fore arm. "You came back here for a boot?" "I say we just kill him," his partner blurted out around his bushy mustache. "You tried once," I said eyeing him, "Didn't work out so well." They each took a step forward. "But I do want my boot back." "Because you love it?" "Because I love it." They each let out a low guttural growl as they charged. _Is the boot really worth this?_ I thought as I met them half way across the cabin floor. _I love that boot_ I reassured myself, ducking under a quick slash of the blade. Another missed my ear by millimeters. The mustache man's nose shattered under my fist. He fell to the ground, holding his bloody face. I gave ground as machete man took another swing. And that was when it went wrong. I tripped over the chair I'd been tied to just hours earlier and tumbled to the wooden floor. _I love that boot._ http://ficlets.com/feed/story/27997