[Ongoing] A collection of unsettling or unusual short stories. Some have monsters, some have humor, some draw tears, some make you think, and some have artwork. Each is a revealing glance of someone's life.
Every writer has their own methods of comi...
This was the second story I'd ever shared publicly, way back in 2018, and I decided to dig it up and give it a makeover.
The seed for this story came about after I'd binged a few documentaries about doppelgangers and long-lost twins. They inspired me to write about a look-a-like and add a sinister twist, but I didn't want it to be supernatural or of the evil twin variety.
The idea fermented in my mind for a few days until I had a discussion with a friend regarding prejudice and elitism. After that, the pieces fell into place, balancing between grounded reality and over-the-top movie logic.
As for the California setting, I'd gone on a trip down memory lane scrolling through old photos of my vacation, and I felt the sunny carefree location would make the perfect backdrop to contrast the devious friendship between the Wilmingtons and Tina.
This is one of many of my stories that isn't wrapped up neatly. I wanted to give the reader the freedom to decide whether Tina confronted her "friends", went to the police directly with the recording, or pretended nothing happened and grabbed her things to fly back home, and I tried to make her character relatively cool-headed to allow for any of those options to be viable.
And, as with a few of my stories, I had fun finding a title with a double meaning.
If you've read the story, let me know what you think. I'm always open to feedback, suggestions, and critique!
✨You can also find a revamped version of this story in my collection "The Joke's on Me: and six other twisted stories of absurdity and regret", available on Amazon! If you do purchase it, I'd greatly appreciate an honest review! ✨
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