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Write a story about a character who one day notices that their reflection has taken on a life of its own.

Posted in Fantasy on Nov 17, 2023

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✍️ 49 stories

No Man's Land

Submitted to Contest #225

Nurse Hamden wheeled me down the wood-panelled hallway in a creaking wicker bath chair while I clutched my walking cane and a shoebox of personal effects. At the end of the passageway, she opened a door to reveal a room full of furniture shrouded in dust sheets and tea chests stacked three high. Straight ahead, a frail evening light peeked through French windows and cast the autumnal trees beyond into stark silhouette.   “Well,” she said, standing before me. “What do we think, sir?”   “Hmm,” I said, snorting beh...

38 likes 39 comments 39
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Arthur

Submitted to Contest #225

Arthur held his father’s hand tightly. His cap fixed to his head, breeches cinched at his waist with a small leather belt. His first tie knotted at his collar, his father showing him how to tie it as he did it for his young son. Arthur was studious, even at the young age of seven. Serious. Determined. He absorbed everything he could and kept records. First in his head. As he aged, in journals. Anything he found interesting or useful. He peered from the bench into the casket, seeing for the first time a dead body. He knew this one before. Bef...

30 likes 20 comments 20
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The Tower of A-to-Z

Submitted to Contest #225

Amun Quetzalcoatl Baal Zeus Bridger, the richest man in the world – probably; it was difficult to get an accurate count of all the pies he was fingering – was not used to being dumped by text message. Indeed, he wasn’t used to any text messages that his family and friends weren’t contractually obligated to send. He handed his phone to his least unfavourite personal assistant, something-something Chen. “What’s that say?” Chen sprang into action and immediately hesitated, the message stopping him cold. “It says, ‘I’m dumping you.’” Amun nodded...

27 likes 35 comments 35
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Maeve in the Mirror

Submitted to Contest #225

Trigger warning for eating disorder themes, self harm, mental health Maeve’s heart was still racing from her run when she pulled down her shorts and let them slide to the floor. Kicking them aside, she lifted her t-shirt over her head and dropped it next to the shorts. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before turning to face the full length mirror.Maeve let out her breath slowly as she opened one eye, and then the other. She glared at the reflection in front of her, scanning from top to bottom. Her bright red face and sweaty temple...

24 likes 10 comments 10
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Reflections on Popular Literature

Submitted to Contest #225

[TW: fictional book burning]If a ticking bomb under the table propels a plot forward, so too will a deadline on the wall spur the creation of literary excellence, Keith Highfield thought as he signed the death warrant of the Highfield Library. The intricate interplay between danger and creativity is a delicate balancing act.After The Hobbit was published, J. R. R. Tolkien spent 15 years writing the Lord of the Rings. Keith would give himself the same amount of time to complete his own novel, High Tower. At the offices of his family’s le...

24 likes 18 comments 18
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Imaginary Space

Submitted to Contest #225

It gazes at me, across the reflective surface, a twin that stares at me. Mirroring the gaze, I have on others when they turn around and walk off. Gaze where it's just ever so subtle they can feel my stare, almost unconsciously they will turn around, but ever so knowingly, my eyes have pre-emptively shifted elsewhere. The lake lies eerily still, more than it was before at least, that figure wore an expression foreign to my understanding, yet that gaze was eliciting the most alarm. I paralyzed, yet in the imaginary space between me and him, th...

21 likes 2 comments 2
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Multiple Jack

Submitted to Contest #225

Jack Joseph Cooper would never have known any different if he hadn’t spilled the balsamic vinegar that morning. “Damn it!” he said as it spilled all over the cupboard and the worktop and down onto the floor. Finding no sentient being to blame save himself, he cursed the balsamic vinegar. “Stupid vinegar,” he mumbled. He carried on mumbling minor expletives as he wiped up the mess. He started removing various dripping bottles and tins from the cupboard. A bottle of oyster sauce slipped through his fingers and smashed onto the floor. ...

16 likes 17 comments 17
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Reflection Unbound

Submitted to Contest #225

Reflection Unbound In the quaint, sleepy town of Marlowe's Hollow, nestled between rolling hills and whispering woods, there lived a young woman named Clara. She was an artist, known for her captivating landscapes that seemed to hold secrets within their painted depths. One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the town, Clara stood in front of her bedroom mirror. It was an antique piece, its silver frame adorned with intricate carvings, a family heirloom passed down through generations. As she gazed i...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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The Look From the Mirror

Submitted to Contest #225

The Look from the Mirror Before I go on a date with someone for the first (sometimes even the second or third) time, I check out how I look in the old fashioned full length mirror that my grandparents left to me the year that they both turned 80. They joked with me about the gift, saying that once you turn 80 you really do not want to look closely in the mirror anymore. You don’t reflect well at that age. They loved that old mirror. My grandfather had inherited it from his own grandparents, and he had begun using it when pre...

13 likes 8 comments 8
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What the Mirror Wants

Submitted to Contest #225

“What’s wrong with me? Do I even exist?” Selma gazed at her reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror. Her irises contracted as she peered into her pupils. “Anybody home?” She chuckled. ‘Of course, I exist. I blink; therefore, I am…’ But somedays she struggled to own that even to herself. Remembering her college biology class, ‘I’m alive. I move and breathe. God knows I excrete…’ It is one thing to choose anonymity. Quite another to feel ignored. Even a dismissal requires recognition of the banished. No unicorn ever felt dismissed. But for S...

12 likes 8 comments 8
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Vanity Mirror

Submitted to Contest #225

“Good morning, Sunshine. Another day, another dollar. Are you ready for the insanity?” She leaned into the mirror studying her reflection. “Wow, you look exhausted,” she told herself.***“Hey!” MI Jane got defensive. No sooner did the words come out of her mouth than she felt the pressure of her supervisor’s hand on her shoulder. Just the slightest bit of a squeeze and then release. Enough to make the point. She was out of turn. Her job was Mirror Image Jane, nothing more, nothing less.***Jane...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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Secret Treasure

Submitted to Contest #225

“Welcome to Bob's Treasure Chest, where you'll find some of life's most precious gifts! I have beautiful China sets, and the finest tea cups you'll see. Also, there's plenty of extravagant jewelry pieces in the back that I know you'll love. Don't be afraid to ask me for help, no matter the situation. ” Bob Stoudamire greeted his customers as they strolled through the green and gold trimmed, double doors. He was relishing this moment. Seeing the large group of customers, who chose his business to do their shopping, is a real treat. It ha...

10 likes 2 comments 2
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Angel in the Mirror.

Submitted to Contest #225

The sunlight shafted through a gap in his bedroom curtains; he was not pleased to see it. Darren pulled the duvet up and over his head and let out a groan. What a night! He lost count of the number of beers, shots and joints he had partaken of. The night had been winding down when that blonde arrived; she was stunning. Every schoolboy’s wet dream in one tidy package. His hazy memory of the woman brought him closer to full consciousness. He felt gingerly across the bed under the duvet; he was alone, which came as a bit of a relief. ...

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Mirror of the Soul

Submitted to Contest #225

     Ralph threw the last carton on the shelf. This finished the final incoming load of the week in the stifling moving company warehouse.          He couldn’t wait to shower, change into street clothes and head for his favorite watering hole down Main Street. After a few cool ones, even the flea-bitten, fly-by-night boring rural outpost of a town where he had wasted much of his life might start to look good.      When he looked in the locker room ...

10 likes 3 comments 3
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You Da Man

Submitted to Contest #225

WHO DA MAN?        As a trial lawyer, albeit now retired, Dave was accustomed to talking - a lot. He would talk to clients, court personnel, partners in his firm, and others who were involved in the judicial system. He would talk on the phone and talk in court when attending hearings or trials. He even signed up to give continuing legal education talks to other lawyers. So, it came as no surprise to him that, after retiring and moving to a small farm some twenty miles outside of town where he lived alone, m...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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