The Agony of The Feet

Forgive the cringe-worthy title, but this story, set off Gabriola Island in British Columbia, is rather indescribable in its potential for mystery:

Should a fourth human foot float ashore here in the evergreen Gulf Islands off the west coast of Canada, the person who finds it would no doubt want to know the answers to three questions.

Is it a right foot?

Is it wearing a running shoe?

Is the shoe a size 12?

After

all, for the first three feet that surfaced on the rocky coastlines of

three separate islands in the Strait of Georgia over the last six

months, the answer has been yes in nearly every case. The only

uncertainty is what size shoe No. 3 was wearing when it was spotted by

a boater on the beach of remote Valdez Island on Feb. 8. The coroner’s

office, facing a bit of a news media blitz, has yet to say.

“This is the first incident in recent memory where we’ve had three such

similar sets of remains come to our attention in a certain time frame

and a certain geographic area,” said Jeff Dolan, assistant deputy chief

coroner for the British Columbia Coroner’s Office.

Could it be murder? Something’s definitely askew but others dismiss the notion. “The whole thing is a scam, as far as I’m concerned, all part of a big

joke,” said 80 year old Digby Jones. “If they go to the mortuaries on the mainland,

you’ll find some guy laughing his head off.”

(hat tip to EP and JH)