One

Arthur Bradbury was born in the small town of Sweatsock, Iowa. His father was a
shoe salesman. He owned a big shoe store. The scent of leather and the stink of
sweaty feet pervaded Arthur's senses from an early age. Whilst other children we
re learning their ABC, Arthur was learning about different types of shoes, boots
, sandals, clogs and moccasins. By the time he was thirteen, Arthur knew what ki
nd of shoe would complement a lady with exceptionally large feet and what sort o
f boot would keep a workman's foot comfortable and blister-free. Arthur's mother
and father were exceptionally proud of the education they had provided for thei
r son. The future of their store was safe in Arthur's hands and he would no doub
t prosper in the world of shoes.
Unfortunately for the Bradburys, Arthur hated his life and more importantly, he
hated shoes. Determined to escape from the sole crushing future his parents had
laid out for him, Arthur fell in with a bad crowd, a junior branch of 'Anti-Shoe
' activists. Members of their little group walked around barefoot and refused to
wash their feet. Rumours abounded that they spent their evenings sniffing shoe-
polish and attempting to summon sock-monsters from beyond the veil.
On the morning of his sixteenth birthday, Arthur was arrested for a spate of sho
e burnings that had terrified the small town of Sweatsock for many weeks. At his
trial, Arthur remained unrepentant for his actions and was quoted as saying, th
at shoes were 'evil' and that the people had a right to 'free the foot'. Arthur
was charged as an adult and convicted of arson, theft, vandalism and gross indec
ency (relating to an earlier charge involving a tortoise). It was around this ti
me that Arthur's parents disowned their son, his mother referring to her only ch
ild as a, 'foot-loving loon'. The shoe store was subsequently bequeathed to Arth
ur's cousin, Ulrich Bradbury and became the first in the chain of his successful
'U B Shoe' stores.
Arthur was released on good behaviour after serving 18 months of a 10 year sente
nce. During his time behind bars, Arthur Bradbury took a vow of silence and chan
ged his name to Arty Sole Free, the moniker that he has been known by ever since
. He also completed college courses in flower essence therapy, chakra meditation
and gunsmithery. On the morning of his release, Arty was collected from the pri
son gates in a lime-green limousine. He would not be seen or heard from again fo
r the next ten years, effectively disappearing without trace.
A guard at the correctional facility witnessed the strange events of that mornin
g and stated that, 'people ain't got no right to paint a car that colour, I almo
st puked up my lunch'. Upon assessing Arty's state of mind before his disappeara
nce, the guard described Arty as 'real happy to be out. And another thing, he we
ren't wearin' no shoes. He went up to that sickly - looking car, knocked three t
imes on the driver's window and got in the backseat. I don't think he stopped gi
ggling the whole time.'
Nothing is known of the missing ten years in Arty's life, suffice to say that up
on his reappearance into public life eighteen months ago he cut a very different
figure to his previous incarnation as a rebellious youth. With long white hair
and a six inch scar across his face, Arty stepped into the public spotlight as a
modern guru and advocate for shoeless rights who professes to be able to ease t
he stress of modern living through a series of barefoot rejuvenation and meditat
ion techniques. He claims to have spent his missing years, wandering the deserts
and icecaps of the globe as a hermit, communing with mother earth through the s
oles of his feet.
Twelve months ago, Arty opened 'The Barefoot Commune and Rejuvenation Centre', w
elcoming people from all walks of life to, 'kick off your shoes and feel the bre
eze between your toes', by invitation only. With Arty's commune citing politicia
ns and celebrities amongst its members who knows where the 'Sole Free Revolution
' will end? In an ironic twist, Arty is often consulted by various police forces
concerning the nature of shoe prints left at crime scenes.
Arty Sole Free currently lives at 'The Barefoot Commune and Rejuvenation Centre'
in Utah.