A terrified Sandoval Carson treaded across rough, ancient stones paralleled by pitted archways and shrouded by overgrown vegetation. The cloister was just ahead, and so, he hoped, his salvation.
Once he had stepped through the dark mirror that had once been a patio window, he was young again, though, he suspected, only here. He had to find the one who could help him correct all his life mistakes.
“Hello, Sandoval.” The voice was behind him.
“Can you help me?” Carson pivoted and then faced himself.
Dark Carson lunged at him screaming, “I’ve always hated you.”
“Me too,” he gurgled, dying.
It’s been a while, but this morning, I decided to contribute to Rochelle Wisoff-Field‘s weekly photo writing challenge. The idea is to use the image above as the inspiration for crafting a piece of flash fiction no more than 100 words long. My word count is 100.
The color adjustment of the photo made me feel apprehensive, as if I were looking at a horror film, one where the hero was about to be pounced upon by the monster at any moment. In this case, the monster is himself.
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit InLinkz.com.
EDIT: Forgot to add a title and to mention that this is just one of many “Dark Mirror” tales I’ve written over the past few years. Usually, they take a person to their greatest desire or need. It obviously meant something grim in Sandoval’s case.
The real monsters are always ourselves. Good one
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Indeed, Neil. Thanks.
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Always nice to see you back James, and with a suitably dark and twisted story too 🙂
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Thanks, Iain.
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Mirrors are not always our friends–although in this case, Carson seemed relieved to meet his fate.
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For someone very depressed and in the clutches of failure, death might seem like a release.
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That is a dark reflection in the truest sense. Sandoval seems to welcome his end.
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Yes, he does.
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Thanks for sharing this. A fine tale about the conscience and the self seen through the lens of the doppelgänger.
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Thank you for your kind comment.
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I love the image you chose for this.
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Thanks. The photo was chosen for me as part of the writing challenge. I just applied my imagination to it. 😉
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Nice!
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Good one!
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Thought-provoking piece!
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Thanks, Jade.
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I enjoyed this. Good to see you back.
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Thanks, Mike. My participation will probably be more sporadic than ever since not only am I writing like made to submit short stories to anthologies and periodicals, but the layoff gremlin was at it again and I’m in search of a day job. Oy.
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Great to see you back,
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Thanks, Mike.
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Well, that didn’t work out so well for him.
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Not really. Thanks.
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Sandoval must have known deep down that he was doomed.
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I think he was ambivalent about it. He hoped that “the other” would help him turn back the clock without realizing he would reflect his own deep seated self hate.
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what a turn of events. he came face to face with a monster and it was him.
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Often times, we are our own worst enemy. Thanks.
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Welcome back.
The dangers of going back and facing our demons… especially if they are us!
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Thanks, Dale. Yes, very true.
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Young Carson was slayed by old Carson. Old Carson lived on. Well that is the natural way to go, isn’t it?
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Actually, I imagine both of them perish at the same time. It’s a wee psychological thriller where Carson’s internal ego, his self-hate, ended up killing him.
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I guess you could call it a suicide… Would Dark Carson stay alive, or would he die as well?
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I explained to Abhijit in a separate comment that neither would survive since they’re the same person.
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A good story, James. It seems mirrors can be dangerous if you step through. It’s at your own risk. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Indeed. Thanks.
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You fitted a lot in here – very good. Self-knowledge came too late for Sandoval. Clever story.
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Thanks, Margaret.
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What’s that they say about keeping your enemies close?
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Especially if you’re your own worst enemy, Violet.
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