Kate looked into the mirror, but the face looking back was not hers. It was one she had ever seen before. As she stared it woke out of a reverie like a match igniting. Then came a nasty grin."Not what you expected, is it?" the voice of the face lashed out at her.
"It's impossible! You can't be there! You have to be me!" Kate answered spontaneously. Of course the statement changed nothing. The face continued not to be Kate's.
"I got tired of being you, so I became me!" the face answered, and folded arms asynchronously to Kate's, which hung limply, in stunned immobility.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall?" Kate tried in desperation.
"Nah, that won't work. I'm prettiest. Men will smash themselves on the glass trying to get to me. You can sweep up the mess though, deary" - the visage grinned meanly.
"This is turning really weird," Kate thought to herself. Out loud she spoke to the mirror: "Wait a moment, please." She stood up, left the room, returned with a cloth and some window cleaner which she sprayed straight onto the face.
"I'm melting!" the voice screamed as Kate wiped the reflective surface. As the thin film of water evaporated Kate saw her own face again, smiling back at her, eyes blinking at just the right moments.
Story #409
Coming next: an introspective post about the experience of writing these stories over the years. I've been putting that off since story #360, which I had intended as the final story.
Thank you everyone who contributed a story for this and for the last photo (#408). I'll also post my #408 story sometime this week - but it's not written yet - and then read and comment all of the contributions.
Mindful Mimi is a new blog that linked to Indeterminacy during vacation. I found her posts to be thought provoking and nice to read. She has a contest going which you can participate in. The prize is a copy of "A short history of tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka. It's supposed to be a wonderfully funny book. I've read the reviews.
Important message:Madeleine left a comment about a new literary magazine she is involved with which is looking for submissions. For more information please read the post from August 20th at ragdoll-millenium.blogspot.com.
Other Extremely Important Breaking News: Shtikl is back!
25 comments:
Ahhh, finally. You have been missed - though I hope the 'reflections' you'll be posting does not signal a goodbye of sorts from blogging.
Thanks for the nice words - I didn't think anyone would miss me. And don't worry, I'm not saying goodbye. This is just a post I wanted to do for a long while, as I do consider this an experiment in spontaneous and not so spontaneous creativity.
Without Indie's blog, Snow White had no reason to get online so she gazed wistfully into the mirror mirror on the wall and awaited her Prince Charming's return.
I'm searching for my paradise.
Where I belong, where I can live.
I'm hunting for my identity.
There's got to be somebody for me to be.
I'm looking for peace.
It's bound to be inside me somewhere.
I'm in quest of my place in the world.
Who I love, who loves me.
I don't know what it looks like.
I don't know where it's found.
I'm not sure I'd recognise it if I saw it.
Or that I'd accept that's what it is.
But one thing I'm dead positive of:
It's in this direction.
Oh i would def. miss you if you stopped blogging. I know how much you've inspired me with your stories, so it cant stop with just me..
Seeking Short Stories, Articles, Poetry, Oddities
Indeterminists,
Those who would like to have work published in our first edition of "Greenbeard" literary magazine,
please submit material to greenbeards@gmail.com
We cannot pay you at this time, but
if chosen, you will be published and properly credited. Our online edition should be ready by
November, with the print form by January.
If you're interested in contributing, please visit the blog to let me know as much.
Madeleine's url
http://ragdoll-millenium.blogspot.com/
Waiting for the full moon to rise.
Welcome home, Indie.
"Don't pretend you are innocent.." she said to the girl on the other side of the looking glass.
"I know you came over here and ate my food shaved my poodle and cheated on my boyfriend."
The reflection laughed.
"How can I have cheated on your boyfriend when I am not, actually You?"
"Don't argue with me, I think I'll put this mirror by the cat litter box and see what you become.."
"No need to be hasty about this.."
"Behave, or else.
"I'll try."
"And go shoping sometime I am tired of your fridge being empty!"
"Oh NOW we get to the truth of it.. "
Oh and Indie I suck at certain things but hope I do not suck at letting you know how much you have enhanced my life so you better not be disappearing. I just met you, don't wanna lose you :)
Hi Indie,
so you had a "sommerpause" too? Well then, let's go for another round! :-)
Greets
Dushan
Please don't stop blogging Indie, I love coming here to read your stories. As well as leaving you a story/poem of my own and then reading your comment about it. :)
Sorry I didn't write a story or poem to photo #408, I had one but I never wrote it out, idk what it was even about now, I forgot. I've been busy with things in life and writing a lot at my own blog, I got sidetracked.
But don't leave Indie your too great to leave, even though this is an experiment blog. It's probably the best writing experiment and experience you've done and you ended up with great results.
If it wasn't for you inspiring Clouds which in thus inspired me and then onwards when Princess Haiku, Mysic Rose, Singleton, and everyone else and now Bob Dylan started coming by, I wouldn't have one myself. lol :D I came close to deleting mine because I had no readers and it left me with no motive to write. But then everything sparked with readers and I've been posting ever since. You have a very good thing going on here, why end it?
Idk maybe you just need to slow down a bit. Like you were talking about before, sometimes you create too much pressure for yourself. But anyways, do what you think is best for yourself.
Take care okay.
PS - I've been writing poems like crazy lately and this photo looks great for one. :D I'll come back to write when it's midnight here in Texas and if I have time and remember what I was going to write, I'll write one for #408 too. :)
You are always missed and would be missed should you leave. Whatever form you take I'll be there - in whatever from I'm in at the time.
T'il death due us and all that stuff...
I think I posted a rather meager story this time. And now it's too late to answer all the comments (1:40 AM here) so sweert dreams for now.
He'll be back to comment. :)
A splash of makeup here, a bit of powder there, and it was done. She was pleased when she saw she did not recognize herself anymore. She studied her flawless creation, and left. It would work perfectly. Nobody could recognize her now as the person they were turning the city upside down looking for.
(This isn't the final story? Please, no?)
Staring deeply in thought,
Clair's mind traveled afar.
Notions in her head finally caught,
The idea she'd been looking for.
Gazing upon the mirror,
It began to change.
Her twin crept nearer,
But Clair kept her range.
She was slightly startled,
When her twin came about.
Frigid air blew so Clair cuddled,
While her twin came out.
An illuminating glow shined bright,
Reflecting off her eyes.
Clair shocked in freight,
And fell over by surprise.
She stood up afraid,
Only to find nothing there.
Vanished not even a remain,
While she searched everywhere.
It was all a hallucination,
Clair thought to herself confoundingly.
Her mind went into dislocation,
Overwhelmed by thinking too profoundingly.
It's kinda like your story, I didn't read yours til I was finished with mine. I like yours, it's short but creative. I wish you farewell if you do decide to go, since this maybe the last I write for your blog, I hope it's not. But at least leave your blog here so we can come back to reread old posts.
Take care.
Hey people! I'm not stopping the blog. It's a misunderstanding!! Honest.
Mr. OE: I'm glad Snow White didn't take the poison apple, my blog isn't that essential.
Mushroom: I love the direction your poem/statement took. Ahead into the looking glass.
Colored Clouds: It makes me very happy to know I inspired other people, especially you, with my stories.
Madeleine: I will submit something to the magazine, but not yet sure what.
Doug: Best to do that in front of a running webcam, so you can at least see what happened later.
Happy LOL Day: I enjoyed the dialogue very much. And don't worry! I'm not leaving anywhere!
Dushan: It's great to have Shtikl back. Great that you're back too.
Mavin: Honest, I'm not going to stop blogging - I probably wasn't clear in my comment. I wanted to stop after 360, but switched then to 1 story a week instead. I want to keep going at least at that rate. It's difficult to post daily anymore.
But anyway, I'm overwhelemed that you think my blog is so important. I've always felt honored that such creative people feel like stopping by here.
Cooper: Really, I won't leave, but I may show up one day without a beard.
Talespin: 409 is an awful number to stop on, so what choice do I have? Your story showed a nice way to disappear.
Mavin: I thought your poem had an elegant flow to it. That parallel is due to synchronicity :-)
I liked your story. Kind of a Portrait of Dorian Grey meets Wizard of Oz kind of a thing?
"Final story"? Now that would be indecent.
I am hot. I am hot (and the word "am is in italics"). The world can see this. World, I will not let you deny this any longer. I have perfected this wistful look like I am a professional in the sport of looking in the mirror. My glasses are fucking indie! Give me cred. I will hang around you like a chain on your neck, but heavier and more noticable until you give me respect. All of you will acknowledge the essence of me, and it's close relationship to awesome. I think me and awesome are like cousins, joined in a union so close that only in certain places would it actually be allowed. This is why I have hid my awesome for so long. But now, it will shine in your face like the body of a dobro guitar...that has been polished...a lot.
God Damnit! Someone. Will. Love. Me.
I think. I think that this medication is working.
I feel better now. Why don't you come in. We could have scones.
Hi friend,
your site is great,
please check my sites:
Indian-shares.blogspot.com
bombay-stocks.blogspot.com
pornosucht.blogspot.com
have fun and enjoy
tina.
Mrs. Weirsdo enjoyed Mindful Mimi.
That was great, Indie. Alice got tired of the whole charade with Kate, taking matters into her own hands.
The candlestick was rendered useless with the arrival of the lamp in Marissa's bedroom. Candleless and with a spirit as cold as the dull iron he was made of, he sat unnoticed on the dresser. His memories of her soft features bathing in his flickering glow, surrounded by the darkness of her sleepless nights of self-contemplation were bleached out by the towering intruder. An intimacy was lost, subconsciously missed, but hardly acknowledged, until one night. Marissa looked deep into her own eyes and felt the twang of an absence that didn't use to lay there. It bothered her enormously, and she began to obsess, the absent presence plaguing her dreams and conscious streams of thought. Finally in a bout of desperation she expressed the grief that change sometimes bestows, and received an answer. "It's what growing up is about, stress less about it, and whatever is missing will come back to you.". She was overwhelming content with this reply and now sleeps most nights, leaving the lamp and candlestick in the darkness to bicker amongst themselves.
Immensely glad to have you back Indie! Hope you thoroughly enjoyed your break and are refreshed to write more tantalizing tales of truth and surreality.
Mirror mirror on the wall, will nothing get rid of this fucking zit at all??
Sorry--it's been a long night--now day.
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