By Meg Sorick
The pain started in my thumbs. It was an itching, tingling sensation at first. I rolled over and shook my hands, thinking I’d just been sleeping too long in the same position. The pain only grew worse. I lay staring at the ceiling for a time, willing the sensation to cease. It spread from my thumbs to my wrists and back down into my other fingers. Both hands were now fully engulfed in white, hot pain.
I slipped quietly from bed so as not to disturb Henry. He was never pleasant when awoken in the middle of the night. In the bathroom, I elbowed the light on to protect my tortured hands.
I screamed. The light intensified the pain tenfold. My wedding ring dropped to the floor and I screamed again.
“For god’s sake, Molly, what’s all the racket?” Henry called irritably from the bedroom.
I couldn’t speak, couldn’t put into words what I was seeing. “Come, quick!” I finally managed. “I’m dissolving!”
It was true. My fingers and wrists and forearms had disappeared. The only way I could think to describe it was as static —the kind of static an old analogue television signal produced when it wasn’t tuned in tightly to the channel. The static was steadily snaking its way to my shoulders and dissolving my flesh and bones as it climbed.
With a heavy sigh, Henry leaned against the door jamb of the bathroom. “Molly, your being hysterical.”
“Look at me!” I cried.
Henry frowned. “What?”
“Don’t you see it? Can’t you see that I’m disappearing before your very eyes?”
He sighed again. He bent over and picked up my wedding band. “Look, you’ve dropped your ring.” He held it out to me.
“Henry!” I wailed in bitter frustration.
He set it on the bathroom vanity. “Fine. I’ll leave you to your histrionics, Molly. Come back to bed the you’re over it.”
I sank to my knees sobbing. The static had dissolved my shoulders, spread to the top of my chest and breathing was becoming difficult. I drew in a deep breath as one final burst of static consumed all of my body below my throat. The sensation of being a disembodied head was wildly disorienting. It lasted but a moment as gravity engaged and I fell face first to the floor.
I sat upright, heart pounding, breath ragged. A dream, only a dream. I pushed my hair off my face and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Elbows on knees, I willed my breathing to slow. Better.
The dream mustn’t have disturbed Henry because he went about his business as usual in the morning. Fixing his coffee —he didn’t like the way I made it, toasting bread and spreading copious amounts of orange marmalade —I wasn’t generous enough to suit his liking. And he had nothing to say about it during breakfast. He nibbled the toast and sipped his coffee and ignored me like he did every morning. I sat quietly across from him, still rattled by the events of the night.
The phone rang and he reached for it absently. “Hello?”
Someone on the other end spoke.
“Molly? No, sorry, she’s not here. Haven’t seen her all morning, in fact.”
Eery, dark, and awesome, Meg!
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Thanks, Kay!
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You’re welcome!
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Is this symbolic of a wife that doesn’t feel important in a marriage?
I’ve been nicknamed Captain Obvious before, so don’t judge… 😀
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Precisely. She’s become ‘invisible’ to him. And me judge? No way! 😀
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Thoroughly enjoyed this one, Meg. I wonder how many people in relationships will see themselves in this – on both sides.
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Thanks, Kevin. The result when complacency/stagnation enters a long term relationship…
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I also wonder how many children feel invisible with a parent, a friend feels invisible to a friend, a diligent worker feels invisible to management…
We have all felt invisible at times.
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Yes, exactly.
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Superb!
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Thank you!
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Oh, cool. Love the story, Meg. Great twist!
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Thank you!
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Astounding! This is absolutely incredible, Meg. I agree with Fictional Kevin – so many have been on both sides of that scene.
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Thank you, Rita. Why we need to cultivate our relationships like gardens! Weed and feed! 🌻
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YES! YES! YES!
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Oh wow, a superb metaphor, Meg. A short but powerful story. Loved it.
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Thanks, Mari!
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Wonderfully written.
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Thank you!
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Oooh! Twisty! Love it. And yes, the invisible feeling, I’ve known it too.
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Thank you! So glad you liked it! A metaphor so many of us can relate to…. 😕
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Great story, love the ambiguity of the dream/reality. I wish I had written this. Excuse me if I am wrong but did I influence you a little bit?
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My eyes snapped awake at 3 am this morning with this idea nearly full realized. The floating head of John the Baptist? The dream/reality/trance state of the other thing I’m working on? So, maybe….
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It also reminds me of my story Proof, not sure you have read that one.
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I don’t know.. I’ll seek it out.
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It’s on my site
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Found it.
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I love this so much. And depressing as this may be, in my life, I am Molly. I love the dream/reality confusion. Which is pretty much what Mr. Cake just said. So that is extremely well done! Brilliantly written.
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Thanks, love. We are all Molly to some degree….
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… which is sad… but as we’ve discussed, it helps writing. (I need my pain!)
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As do I. But would you sacrifice some of that pain for peace. And as a result give up the fuel for your writing?
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If I sacrifice just some, I’m sure I’ll still have plenty left…. So I think I’d give up some….
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Just when I thought I could breathe….. Nice meg!
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Oh thank you!
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Oh ho, a good tale of warning.
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Thanks, Bernadette. Right? A relationship needn’t dissolve….
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Interesting story, though to be honest I feel out of the loop. XD I can see how one would take it as a metaphor for being invisible, the essential “you” that makes up a person in a relationship fading away to nothing… But my mind insisted on taking it as something else taking her place, some unidentifiable “other” (demon? Ghost? Alien? Version from an alternate dimension? Any or all of the above!) that wiped away the old Molly to take her place for some nefarious purpose.
I know, I have issues. XD But still, entertaining read.
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Thank you Kaine! I love your interpretation, it goes beyond the obvious metaphor of becoming invisible in a relationship and treads into the what ifs of “what fills the void” because nature hates a vacuum after all! Tres bien!
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Very interesting read Meg. What does her dream mean, and why is she married to a jerk?
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Ah, but is it a dream? Perhaps the whole thing is symbolic of being invisible to her husband – something that can happen in long term relationships. He has stopped noticing and/or caring about her wants and needs. However, Henry was probably not a jerk when she married him.
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Ah I See 🙂
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Ooh, so cool and creepy. I was being too literal, too, seeing it as something more evil than just being invisible in a relationship. But I love when something can be interpreted in many ways!
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Oh, yes. It could be a horrible Twilight Zone kind of thing too. Thanks, Diane!
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I love the metaphor but unlike others I often wish I was invisible, oh to be left alone sometimes! Great story.
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Haha! Right? Give me some peace and quiet! Thanks, Nicola!
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That was brilliant! Love the concept, the emotion, the setting & the kicker at the end. Pat on the back for you! 🙂
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Thank you so much, Nick!
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Whoa! It had be gripped until the fall, when I realized it’s a dream and I breathed easy – a little too soon, for the end was a sucker-punch! BAM! At first I thought this was a psycho-thriller but later realized its deep meaning! Awesome!!!.
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Thank you. So glad you liked it! Something a little different from me. But a fun piece to write!
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This is amazing 😀
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Thank you so much!
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Oh, this was good. Dark and creepy. But sad. How many married women feel this way?
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Oh, chilling! An all too common story for far too many people, women and men too actually
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Thank you Nathalie. Yes it certainly works both ways. 😞
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Wow! I love the ending! Brilliant! Didn’t see that coming!
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Thanks so much!
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Oh wow! This is an awesome creepy read. I wonder what happened to her and the obtuse Henry is busy eating toast!
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Right?!? A friend of mine has asked to continue it, so we’ll see where it leads! Watch for updates!
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I will 🙂
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Oh no 😮
You nailed the concept! Great story.
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Thanks, Minelli!
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How dare you have written this. I wanted to write this. Everyone wanted to write this. If you aren’t around in the morning don’t be surprised!!!!!
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HA! Thank you! I am very, very appreciative of that comment! I think this metaphor works on so many levels. I will sleep with the light on!!!
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Awesome.
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Thank you so much!
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Read this on Mr. Cake and the came back to your page. A very strong piece of writing. I love it. Thank you both.
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Thank you so much. This was a very Cake-like story so I was perfectly happy to let him have a go at it. I’d love for him to have his writing style analyzed for comparison to another author. Mine consistently comes back as Chuck Pahalniok. Isn’t that funny?
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If I knew who Chuck was, I might laugh. My ideal is to create my own writing style. I am getting there, but it’s not easy and it takes time. There are pieces now that you can pick up and say “ah yes, that’s Roger”. Not many, mind, but they do exist.
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It was a lark really… doing the writing analysis. Chuck Pahalniok wrote The Fight Club. He’s known for violent, edgy, bizarre stories. I’d never compare my writing to his!
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I have clicked on to those “insert a paragraph” sites, but I never believe the algorithm solutions to style. I don’t see any violence in your stories. PotM7 just went up.
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No, I don’t buy it either. I still need to read 6! I will catch up today, and hopefully write something of my own!
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Took me ages to scroll down haha. This story is wonderful Meg. You pack so much into a short space. I never saw the ending coming! And the title and premise is something else.
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Thank you, Alex! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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