Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S2 Ep57: Episode 57: Dopplegangers, Masks and More

Episode Date: November 25, 2021

Today’s opening tale of terror is originally titled ‘The Companion’, an epic work by beastboysuraj, kindly shared directly with me via my sub-reddit and narrated here for you all with the author’s express permission. https://www.reddit.com/user/beastboysuraj/ https://www.xtales.net/2020/09/the-companion.html Our second offering is the wonderful 'Beauty Is Only Skin Deep’’, an original story by Rogue Vampire 3498, kindly shared directly with me for the express purpose of having me exclusively narrate it here for you all. https://www.reddit.com/user/RogueVampire3498/ We round off tonight’s tales of horror with ‘I Bought a Wife Online’, an original story By xXKikitoXx, kindly shared with me via NoSleep and narrated here for you all with the author’s express permission: https://www.reddit.com/user/xXKikitoXx/ https://www.facebook.com/KikitoHorrors/ https://twitter.com/Kikito_Horrors

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We believe OCT scans are so important they're included with every standard eye exam. Book an eye exam at Spexavers.cavers.caps. I exams are provided by independent optometrists. Visit Spexsavers.cavers.com to learn more. Welcome to Dr. Creepin's Dungeon. It is said that when you meet someone that looks just like you, you die. I suppose there's no one alive to tell us if this is true. Three tales of tale for you this evening.

Later on, we have Beauty is Only Skin Deep by Rogue Vampire 3498. We round off tonight's proceedings with I bought a wife online by Kito X. But before that, we begin with The Companion by Beast Boy Surrage. Now, as ever before we begin, a word of caution. Tonight's stories may contain strong language, as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. That sounds like your kind of thing. And let's begin. The Companion.

The seven-year-old boy finds a doppelganger of himself while playing in his backyard. He does the worst thing he could have done. He brings him home. Chapter 1, changed plan. I've been watching him for a few days now. He was seven, only child. I'd learnt his routine. Six hours at school, rest in the house, secure and out of reach.

The only time he would come out was just a little before sunset to play in his backyard. I watched him play all by himself, alone. I pitied him. He had no one to play with, but well, that was ideal for me. This was the perfect time to strike. So I made a plan. The next evening, when he was playing in the backyard, throwing a ball around, I approached him from the bushes.

He heard me and was alerted. He was looking in the bushes, and then, without any prompt, he threw a ball at me. I caught it. He knew that it wasn't an animal. He knew that whatever was. was in there, it had hands. He took a few steps backwards. Who's there? He asked. I slowly walked out of the bushes, holding the ball in my hands. He looked at me, and I saw his face going from scared

to intrigued. I put the ball on the ground, rolled it towards him, and smiled. He grabbed the ball, picked it up, and looked at me with astonishment. You look at you look at it. You look at the ball. look just like me, he said. And you look just like me. I mimicked him so nicely that he smiled. Who are you? I don't know. Are you lost?

Yes, I am lost. Wait here, I'll call my mum. She'll help you. He started running towards the house, and I saw my plan ruined just like that. I had to do something. No, wait, don't call your mind. If she saw that we looked the same, she'd...

She'd... I tried to convince him. How hard could that be? She'd freak out, and she'd get angry. Maybe she'll leave me out in the woods. I don't want to go there. It's scary. So what do we do?

How do we get you back to your home? To your parents? I... I don't have parents. I'm alone. I don't have anywhere to go. He started thinking. I looked at his face and wondered if he even understood what it's like not to have parents.

He probably couldn't process that. For him it wasn't even possible, but he knew that it was a terrible thing because I saw his face struggle to find something to say, but how could a seven-year-old boy know what to say to someone who doesn't have parents or a home? So he just stretched his hands out and with them the ball. Do you want to play? I knew I had to do it even if I didn't want to do it. even if I didn't want to.

So I jumped with fake excitement. Yes, I want to play. After about half an hour, it was time to go back inside, and that's what I had been waiting for. He carefully sneaked me in from the back door without his mother noticing. He did a very nice thing once we got into his room. He gave me some of his clothes to wear. I changed out of the old dirty rag I was carrying myself into his clean, soft clothes.

It felt so. good. I'd never had anything else to wear. It's certainly not this clean. I gave him a smile, genuine one this time. At dinner time, he asked me to stay inside and he went to get some food. I could hear him talking with his mother. Mom, can I take this to my bedroom? Why, honey? Are you okay? Is something wrong? His mother asked him in her sweet voice. No, nothing. I just feel like it. Okay, but finish it all. He entered the room with a plate full of food that I had never seen in my life. His smell made my stomach team.

We both started eating. He was very slow, but obviously it was not the first time for him, whereas I gulped everything, especially the vegetables that he didn't even want to touch. We finished everything. Oh, I'm full, he said. Do you want more? I nodded with my mouth still full of food. He seemed concerned to know that I wanted more.

You do? Okay, wait here. Let me see. Then went out again and I moved closer to the door to listen. Mom, can I get some more? There was nothing but silence for a few seconds. You what? You finished it?

Yes. All of it? Yes, Mom. Can I get some more, please? Sure, but this time you'll eat here. I heard him walk back. He entered and immediately said, looking at me, I'm sorry I couldn't bring it in.

You'll have to go out there if you want more. No, no, I cannot go out there. Don't worry, they won't recognise you. Come on, let's exchange our clothes. He then started taking off his clothes. I changed into them and walked to the dining room. I was looking around the house with my mouth wide open. and it was so clean and shiny.

I could see my face reflecting off of a few surfaces. The whole house was filled with a fragrance of flowers. It was so calm and comfortable, and I never felt like this in my life. What are you looking at? Asked his father, who was also sitting by the dining table. I shook my head and climbed onto the chair. I looked at my plate and my mouth watered again. I hate all of it while his parents watched me with amazement.

I saw them take their plates to the kitchen, so I grabbed mine too, but his mother took it from my hands. It's all, honey. I got it. Her touch felt soft and warm. It made me envy him for a moment. I walked back into the bedroom, and he was waiting for. See, I told you, he said. Come on in, it's bedtime. He made me a small bed in his closet space.

That was the only thing that looked somewhat similar to my natural habitat, but Still, it was dry, soft, warm and clean, and free of any stench. I slept peacefully that night for the very first time. Next morning he did something that made me change my heart. When he made an excuse to come back into the bedroom so that he could sneak me out from the back door until he was back from school, he handed me his food. Here, it's my lunchbox.

You can't get anything to eat out here, and you can't take anything from the fridge mom would notice. What are you going to eat? I asked, and I was really curious. Don't worry, I'll eat with my friends. And then he walked away. I stood there with his lunchbox in my hand, thinking that he didn't even care about himself. He gave me his food.

Nobody in life has ever given me his food, not even my brother. I felt something that I'd never felt before. At that moment, I changed my plan. I decided that I wouldn't kill him. Chapter 2. Last, forever. It had been ten years.

He was seventeen then. Time had passed like sand in the wind. I'd taken his bedroom. He'd given it to me himself. He'd been living in the treehouse that we built together in the woods, just a few minutes away from the house. He visited sometimes. I'd go out when he did.

he hadn't seen the face of the school in months I'd been taking his glasses doing his homework taking exams I practically was him minus the fun because that was his job he spent his day in the tree house mostly alone

sometimes with a friend who had bunk his glasses thinking that they were doing it together and his evenings with his girlfriend his nights partying with friends while I would stay home doing whatever I was supposed to do I didn't even realize that he'd started using me. One day he just asked me if I wanted to see his school.

I was excited, I agreed. He told me about everyone, his friends, his teachers, in the best way he could. I already knew a lot about them, as he used to tell me stories. I was the only one he could talk to about his day. It was only when I got to school that I came to find out that he'd done it because he hadn't completed his homework. I received all the scolding and the punishment. He just said he'd forgotten, but I found out he'd completed his homework while I was in school. I didn't mind, though.

He let me stay in his room, shared his clothes and his food. It was the least I could do for him. But over the years it had become like a routine that I had to do everything that he didn't want to, and he got to do all the things that he liked. I'd hope that we'd share everything together, but it was still all right. I woke up one day to go through the same boring routine while he was probably asleep in the tree house. I was silently eating my breakfast and his parents were in the kitchen talking about something. But are you sure it's safe out there? whispered his mother.

Yeah, don't worry. Other rangers will be there with me. We know it's not an animal, his father replied. How do they know that? They found the guard's body intact put his clothes and belonged. longings were gone. Who could have done that? asked his mother. Who knows? His father replied. I did. I knew what or who had killed that guard. So after his father left, his mother got busy, and I left for school, and after that, I went into the woods. I didn't know where to go. I was just looking around when I saw him. An old guard in his uniform was looking at me from under a tree.

he was smiling i saw him and i smiled back i walked towards him he took a few steps forward and hugged me i hugged him back tightly hey brother how are you i said oh it's been so long i thought i'd never see you he replied how did you find me i wasn't even looking for you you know i'm allowed now to go out so i was just exploring the forest when i saw you with a ranger Yeah, that ranger, that's his father, which reminds me, you killed a guard. Yeah, I didn't want to kill him, man, but he saw me changing. I had no other way, he was going to pull a gun on me. You, uh, what, what if they find out? I started. I know, well, they would have found out by now. I can't go back.

Brother, what are you going to do? I was thinking that maybe, you know, maybe I could stay with you. What? No, you can't stay with me. He won't let you. Why? He let you stay. He was seven then.

It's not like that now. And he doesn't live with me. He lives in a tree house near the house. We can't stay together for too long. And when you come in, it's going to be impossible. Come on, brother. I need your help. I have nowhere to go.

I can't go back and I can't stay out here. I'll be hunted. If not by our own people, then why are those keepers? Keepers don't hunt, I said. Yeah, but they keep sending other people. Please, brother, please. Okay, okay, I said. Just give me some time.

I'll think of something. Thank you. We talked for about an hour, and then it was time to go home before its parents started to worry. I'll let you know as soon as I figure out something. Sure, I wait here until then. You can call me on my new phone,

he said as he took a phone out of his pocket, showing it to me, smiling. I quickly snatched the phone out of his hands. Where did you get this? I asked. It belonged to that guard, why? They can track you with this. Don't you know? I said to his face and threw the phone away. And you can't charge it once it runs out of battery.

"'Okay, sorry. How are we going to get in touch, then?' "'Meet me tomorrow at the treehouse,' I said. "'It's about a mile west from the 11th marker, near the house. Same time.' "'Okay. I'll see you there.' "'Buy, take these. I handed him some chocolates.' "'What? Is this food?' "'Well, kind of, yeah. They're chocolates.' "'Oh, I've heard so much about them. I heard they're sweet.'

Well, I laughed. Sweet doesn't even begin to describe them. I thought you'd enjoy them. Wait, don't I get you some ice cream? Okay, see you. I left him then in an inebriation caused by those chocolates and returned home. That night I kept thinking about him, though, and also the next morning. I was walking to my class when I heard a commotion. I stopped to look at what was happening when I saw a kid on the ground crying and trying to get up, but a tall, strong boy was holding him down, preventing him from getting up. Everybody was just standing there, watching that kid being humiliated.

I looked at the tall boy and sighed. He was one of my classmates and a bully. Everybody hated him. When would he learn to behave? If only there was a way he could be nicer to people. And suddenly, a thought popped in my head. Well, if there was a way he could change. I finally had a solution to my brother's problem

I walked straight up to that boy and shouted Hey jerk Why are you going to pick on someone your own sides He turned around and looked at me Or what? What are you going to do? He started walking towards me The small kid got his chance He picked up his stuff and ran away

Stay away from me I warned him I was afraid that I might do some serious damage to him I had to be careful. Try and stop me, he said, and swung a punch in my direction. It was like it took ages for his fist to reach my face. He was slow, even for a human. I blocked his punch with ease and threw him away.

He stumbled, but turned back and tried to ram into me. I simply stepped away and tripped him. He fell hard on the ground, and everybody laughed. It was like to turn back. they were rooting for him to get beaten up. But I was only halfway done yet. You're slow. You've always been slow. That's why I got the first punch, I said to him, and watched his face turn red. He picked himself up and looked at me with rage. This isn't finished. You want to finish it? I mocked him. Meet me after school at my tree house. We'll finish it there and then. And then I walked

away. I challenged him to a fight, and I made my mind up, but in the lunchtime I began to doubt my decision. I wasn't sure if I could go through with this. I walked around in the corridor when I spotted Madhu, his girlfriend, in our classroom. There was no one else. She was eating lunch and probably humming a song in her head. Then she looked at me and took the earphones out of her ears, smiled and waved at me. I waved back. Then she gestured to me to come over. Normally I'd avoid that, but something happened to me, and I walked in. Hey, how are you? I asked. Surprisingly awake, I almost skip school today. I still don't get how you do it. We were both awake till four in the morning, but you look fresh just like you do all the time. What's your secret? She finished.

Oh, you know, I said, throwing my hand in the air. Drink a lot of water, eat healthily and stuff. Come on, sit down. I sat next to her. We both looked at each other. What's the matter? You look worried. Well, I was surprised.

How do you know that? Come on, it's all over your face. Impressive, I thought. Humans are interesting. Nothing, it's just... You can tell me, it's okay. Okay. Someone needs my help. A friend and I can help him, but I might have to do a bad thing to a bad person. I'm just not sure if I should do it. This friend is not a girl, right? No, no, he's a guy. Is he a good friend? Yeah, he's the best. He's more than a friend. He's like family. And do it. I looked at her.

what yeah i mean you clearly want to help him and that other person you say is bad yes so maybe he deserves it well you made it sound so simple how do you do that what's your secret oh you know you can't care about everyone you just care about the ones you love yeah i guess you're right i looked into her eyes I'd never found any human attractive. They all look ugly to me. But at that moment, everything felt different. She was the most beautiful human I'd ever seen. You really are very beautiful, I said.

What, you've noticed that just now? She said, mischievously. I don't know what came over me. I leaned in and kissed her. She didn't resist. Why would she? For all she knew, I was her. boyfriend. It was an unforgettable moment and I wanted it to last forever. That afternoon I walked to

the treehouse after school. As I was on my way, I received a text message. I knew it was from him. He got me this phone so he could stay in contact with me, pass the necessary information and instructions on what to do next. I opened the text and read it. He called me to the tree house. since I was already going there I put my phone back in my pocket without replying when I reached the tree house I saw him waiting for me at the base of the tree he seemed angry

he looked at me and said loudly from the distance you kissed her let me explain explain what's there to explain and who did you beat her listen no you listen he took out his phone and he took out his phone

and showed me the texts. I've been receiving texts all day. Hey, nice one. You gave him what he deserves. And this one. Finally, someone showed him who's the boss. Man, you're the champ. You embarrassed his bully ass in front of everyone.

Oh, and this last one's from her. Do you realize that was our first kiss in the school? Look, I... Yeah? Now, tell me what's left to explain. What's gotten into your head? You challenged him to a fight? Yes.

I jumped on the first moment I had the chance to talk. I challenged him here, so we have to go. We can't be seen together. He might be coming here right now. Oh, I'm here all right. We both turned back and saw the bully standing a few feet away from us. He had the most annoying smile on his face. So that's your secret.

You're twins. that's how you do all that you do well I'm happy I came here early are your parents in on this too dude it's not what it looks like he began to explain but the bully interrupted him

oh I know exactly what it is just wait till your secret is exposed before everyone look no please don't tell anyone please you can't do this he pleaded I just stood there because I sensed what was going to happen. Oh, I can, and I will, the bully said. No, you won't. The bully looked

to us to see who'd said those words, but he was grabbed by the neck and was being lifted in the air by an old guard. We both, I calmly, while he in panic, watch the guards squeeze the life out of that bully and throw him aside. Oh, my companion just lost it. His face turned, and his body started shivering. He tried to scream, but barely any sound came out of his mouth. I tried to calm him down. Look, it's okay. Don't panic. It's all right. What are you? Who are you? Relax. He killed him. It's okay. Nobody's going to find out. Oh, brother, it's not helping. Just do it, I said to my brother, show him.

I thought it might help calm him down, but when he saw my brother's skin first turned murky grey with spikes and thorns and hairs, and then again saw it change to take the shape of the bully, he went completely insane. My brother now looked just like the bully. He and I both looked at him and finally introduced ourselves. Meet my brother. We are shape-shifter. Three. The real monsters. My companion tried to run, but he was so scared that he stumbled, tripped on the roots of a tree and fell to the ground. He hid his head on the tree and fell unconscious. When he woke up, we were deep in the forest. The dead body of the bully was lying at a distance. My brother and I were just waiting for him to wake up, looking at him. He opened his eyes and looked around. It took him a few seconds to remember everything, then he was. He took him a few seconds to remember

everything then he jumped when his eyes locked onto us relax don't be scared we're not going to hurt you my brother said who are you he managed to ask as my brother told you we are shapeshifters we live undergrimed i know it's hard to explain we can take any shape and form yes there are other families of shape-shifters all around the world. Some of them are even rich and live with humans. We can blend in easily, you see. But not our family, though. Apparently we are all above this. We don't bother humans. We believe in peace and harmony, even though it means we have to wear sacks and eat garbage. My brother here ran away ten years ago. I get why you did it. We could be anybody, live any life we want, but we choose, what, misery?

My brother was speaking without any breaks. He probably wanted to say this for a long time. I too just kept listening. After my brother ran away, our elders tightened the security, otherwise I would have run to. They allowed me to go out when I came of age, and it was time for me to hunt for food myself. I was just looking for food when I saw my brother. You know we can identify our own kind in essence. any form. It's more like changing

clothes to us. I mean, you can identify your known ones, even if they are in different clothes, right? Unfortunately, I killed a guard while I was hunting. If there's one thing our family hates, it's killing. I was scared to go back, so my brother came up with this

solution. I'll take the dead guy's place, and nobody will notice. He was listening quietly. His face emitted hatred and resentment. You guys. are monsters he said what did you say asked my brother then he looks at me and said you use me i was taken aback but before i could say anything my brother spoke again we used you that's typical so typical of you humans

you use everything and everyone even your kind and then you blame others we used you you used my brother for all these years but he He said nothing because he at least had a home. We used you. We sleep in the dirt because of you. You humans. You think you're the only intelligent beings on this planet. You live in delusion. You can't stand the fact that that could be anyone superior to you or even just like you.

You don't have the slightest idea of how many kinds of creatures live in hiding just because of you. Your governments hide any proof and cover up anything that could dethrone you from the most intelligent beast. on the planet you try to fool yourselves with your space programs pretending to look for the truth can you handle the truth let me tell you the truth my brother was sparkling with rage i knew we'd always wanted this to throw the truth in their faces and now he'd gotten his chance we moved so close to him that his face was just a few inches away from his and then he let out the truth aliens have been living among you for millennia they were here even before humans

practically worshipped them as gods you don't have the slightest idea of how many creatures of the dark lure in crime city probably more than the actual criminals or the rest of the country or the world some of you are trying to fight them but they're all fighting an already lost war you have a delusion that this world is run by humans

you know nothing about it this world you wouldn't learn it in your schools and definitely not in your books because you're the ones who wrote them you live in a bubble of your own making you do each other wrong all the time manipulate each other even kill you do it every day like its routine the irony is that you call us monsters look what you have done to this planet the truth is that you are the real monsters My brother then took a deep but calm breath Then he looked at him again and said So now that everything's out in the open

We've established some facts Have judged each other enough I only have one question Can you keep your mouth shut We'll go out there Everything will go as it was supposed to go Nobody will know anything So

What'll you do it It's up to you We both looked at him and waited He first looked at my brother And then at me contemplating the situation One part of me wanted to say yes But why only a part I wondered He seemed to have decided something

He looked straight at my brother Clensed his jaw and said No My brother then looked away and closed his eyes in disappointment He took a deep breath and then All right this settles everything he said and grabbed him by his neck and picked him up like he was just a doll i saw him struggle his blood-filled eyes met mine for a moment he couldn't say anything but i knew

he was pleading to me for help i looked at him and i remembered he was the boy who had given me shelter fed me every day for ten years gave me his clothes shared his room his life with me I remembered that I decided that I wouldn't kill him. I almost opened my mouth to say something, but I remembered that this was also the boy who'd used me, used me like a slave. I was just like a pet to him. But it doesn't matter, I thought.

What he did for me was way more than what he used me for. And I would still have stopped my brother, but I remembered something else. I remembered the soft, warm touch of her lips on mine. I remember the fragrance of her hair and her skin. I remembered the kiss, and I remembered that I wanted that to last forever. So I just turned and looked away without saying anything. After a few seconds, I heard a thud when his body hit the ground.

I didn't look at it. I just turned to my brother. Change your clothes, hide the bodies. We'll get rid of them later. Right. Now we have to stage a fight at the tree house and come up with a reason to be friends. I then threw a quick look at the lifeless body of my companion

and walked away. Hey Ontario, come on down to BedMGM casino and check out our newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. Don't miss out. Play exciting casino games based on the iconic game show. Only at BetMGM. Access to the Price is right Fortune Pick

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I don't know if anyone will ever actually read this, but, well, I had to try. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do these days. Perhaps I'll even be able to warn someone And do some good during the course of my pathetic existence Before it's too late My time's almost up The clock is ticking Seconds near running out

As the treatments grow more and more intense Sooner or later I know that'll be my demise No one cares though Nor the doctors, not the or the or the scientists marveling at my condition Treating me as if I was some bizarre mutation of nature, less than a person.

They're all just following my father's orders to cure me by any means necessary, even if a side effect is death. I guess if I die, I still think it's better than looking as I do. I used to think that way as well, though, so I understand it's what I get. Well, no, it's what I deserve. I won't waste your time convincing you that I'm a good person who didn't. didn't deserve what happened to me. In truth, I was an awful person, an extremely vapid, self-absorbed, teenage bully. I spent my high school days making the lives of my peers as miserable as possible.

A few friends within my inner circle well, I'm certain were only there to lessen the intensity of my cruelty inflicted upon them. I hardly doubt any of them will miss me, only noticing my absence in relief. No one has come to visit me, although that doesn't surprise me. Honestly, I could make up excuses for my behaviour, but that doesn't matter. Plenty of children's mothers abandon them when they're young, but not all of them turn out wretched like me. Besides, I lived a comfortable life of luxury.

My father, a CEO of a prominent company, provided me with anything and everything I asked for in lieu of parental guidance. My nannies, who were also the housekeepers and cooks, were always more concerned with completing their daily tasks than with me, so I was allowed free reign. Perhaps I acted out as a cry for attention, or wanted others to hurt as badly as I felt, or just wanted to mask my own pain. Yes, how cliche. Regardless, my behavior was inexcusable. This lesson was learned far too late, and not just for me. There was one girl in my high school I was particularly relentless to, Shannon. She had large room glasses and frizzy, unkempt hair that was always tied back in a messy bun,

resembling a poodle tail, and not a well-maintained one. Although, with some hair product to tame her wild mane, and contacts so her beautiful eyes were on display and her face was revealed, she could have easily been prettier than me, even without makeup that her strict parents wouldn't allow her to wet. Maybe jealousy is why I was so merciless towards her. She was beautiful in her own way without any effort, and her parents loved her enough to give her guidelines. Shannon and I were both part of the Student Council.

I was class president due to my highly successful intimidation and a vote for me is a vote for awesome campaign, which I thought would make my effect. farther proud, but, alas, no. This accomplishment was met with the usual hollow, Oh, that's great, huh, response, uttered from behind the screen of the laptop he was always engrossed with on the rare occasion we managed to have breakfast together.

Knowing nothing I could accomplish at school would gain his recognition. I spent my time in student council, planning dances and parties, leaving the harder, less exciting tasks to my vice-president, and made things as difficult as possible, for Shannon, the class treasurer, who I was exceptionally rude to during our meetings before school. Any time she countered one of my ideas by saying we didn't have the funds, I'll blame her for a lack of ability to do her job, rather than accepting the fact that I was constantly exceeding the budget and not terribly helpful at fundraisers. I also seized every opportunity to question and contradict nearly

everything she said. During one particular meeting, we were discussing the up to the uproval, coming Halloween dance. While Shannon was explaining how much money would be available from what we earned at the recent bake sale and car wash, I rolled my eyes to the secretary and vice president beside me and whispered, Oh, we should donate some of that of a conditioner for her wild hair. Or we could save money by unleashing it and throwing spiders in it as a decoration. Oh, we erupted in giggles barely making any effort to suppress the sound. Shannon froze mid-sentence, disconcertedly looking towards.

us. She knew the laughter was disrespectfully directed at her. The look of hurt in her eyes will haunt me until I'm granted the courtesy of death. Once I finally noticed the silence of her stupefied state, I explained with a cheery smile, still snickering. Oh, sorry, that was rude of me. There was a long pause where we both stared at each other. Shannon appeared stunned like a deer in the row caught in the blinding illumination of headlights, and I, like a confident queen, daring her to challenge me with my gaze and confident demeanour. I could see in her eyes she wanted to say something in her defence, but was unsure of how to proceed as she was too afraid and embarrassed.

Her cheeks were overtaken with rosy heat. No, it was just this thing, I added, hardly feigning an explanation. It didn't have anything to do with this, though. I was just being rude. Sorry. Please continue. I smiled, clasped my fingers together, and leaned in to sarcastically demonstrate focus.

Shannon shuffled her papers around, stammered for a moment before quickly finishing her previous thought, sat silently staring at an invisible spot in the centre of the table, through the rest of the meeting. She seemed defeated, and I should have stopped there, but that wasn't enough for my content. I wanted to completely break her. The meeting adjourned and the council filed out into the hallway

where my three closest friends, dubbed Breeze bitches by the rest of the school, which I may have encouraged, were awaiting my release. Hey guys, watch this. I excitedly whispered to them and anticipated Shannon's approach. When she was within unarms reach, I sprang, dropping her pants through her ankles and revealing her full. full coverage underwear. I freaking knew it, I shouted, seeking to get as much attention drawn to the situation as possible.

Hey, everyone, check out granny panties. My posse erupted in laughter on cue. Fellow students passing by chuckled at my prank and carried on. A few had pained expressions of sympathy on their faces, but no one came to her aid. Shannon simply stood there, shocked, mouth agape and completely mortified. tears welled up in her eyes snapping back to reality she pulled up her yoga pants and ran down the hallway out of the door

I stood there triumphant for a moment like a hunter gloating over a fresh kill if there was an Olympic event revolving around despicable acts of high school cruelty I would have just won gold Shannon was missing for the rest of the school day our council meetings convened before school on Friday so I assumed she went home to take a break from me for the weekend.

I was a little surprised and, to my now shame, impressed with myself. Never before had I pushed her to the point of running home. Even at that time, deep down in the recesses of what remained of my minuscule conscience, beneath seemingly infinite years of an icy cold exterior, I realized I'd gotten to her and maybe pushed things too far. This revelation came to me during lunch, while sitting outside with my posse. I stifled my brief glimmer of humanity and asked the group, has anyone seen Granny Panty since this morning?

Nope, I think Shannon went home, Conner answered, without looking up at me between bites of his hamburger. I could tell he was disapproving of the encounter earlier, but knew better than to question me. Still, I hated to be treated with such disdain. for anyone else silent judgments would be quickly chided but i'd secretly been crushing on connor since freshman year and to an extent i respected his opinion even if it was irrelevant to my actions i respected mandy's opinion as well we've been best friends before i became a monstrosity in her own way she tried to influence me for the better but after failing miserably still stuck by my side the fourth person in our group was brandon Mandy's boyfriend. I could tell he despised me and I mutually didn't care about him either. But he loved Mandy and had to tolerate me to be with her.

He knew to keep his mouth shut about my behaviour and could pretend to like me. I in turn reciprocated the cordiality. These were the people I surrounded myself with. At least Mandy truly was my friend. Upon reflection, maybe she stuck around in hope but I would become the girl I once was, the girl who protected her from middle school bullies

until I transformed into one myself. Once, a girl in our class was picking on Mandy in the lunch line, saying she didn't need the calories, calling her fat, blamed her acne on a poor diet. Mandy wasn't fat. She's never had the body type of a stick figure Barbie like me, but she wasn't overweight. This was right around the time she hit puberty,

so in response to all the new horn, her body, her skin was a little broken out, becoming manageable soon after this instance. However, the girl picking on her was stout, without any signs of curves developing later in life. She resembled as stocky boy, and her face was covered in deep-mitted scars from scratching her chicken-pox as a child. When I overheard the horrible things she was saying to my best friend since kindergarten, I burst over in a flash of blind fury. my fist exploded into her face and she fell back against the floor i then articulated my anger towards her and opened her eyes to every floor she possessed she cowered to me from then on and left mandy alone

word spread like a disease through my peers until the school was completely convinced that i was not one to agitate Mandy had peace and I was feared It was my first seductive taste of power And I was instantly addicted I never wished to lose my status And I began to thrive on the misery of others Almost as if in competition with myself I was always looking for ways

To push things further and further Until well Here I am Truthfully I thought what I'd done to Shannon was that extreme but you never know what's going on in someone else's mind or how an action will affect them. After school that day, all my friends and I were leaving, we discussed plans for the weekend. Connor asked, hey, you guys checked out the carnival in town yet?

No, dude, but Brock said it's totally lit, Brandon enthusiastically answered. Oh, I loudly sighed, rolling my eyes. What's wrong? Mandy asked. Litt. It's so stupid and you sound like an idiot when you use it. I scolded Brandon for using a word I abhor so deeply, mostly because I hadn't used it first.

Well, that's what he said, Brandon explained, with a shrug as he kicked the ground. There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Connor hesitantly chimed in. So, you guys want to check out the carnival? It's not for... Like little kids, right? I asked, realizing my misplaced pessimism as the words slipped off my lips.

God, what was I thinking? This was my chance with Connor. It could be like a double date. At some point, we could lose Mandy and Brandon, maybe write the Ferris wheel together, and I could finally get that first kiss with him. Well, I'm sure there's a few kiddie rides, but I've heard there's some really intense ones, too.

One's called Vertigo. first you're strapped into a seat with the vest light bars that drop over your head and your legs and arms are free then it raises you really high up higher than all the other rides and it flips you upside down and drops you all the way back so that you're spinning like somersaulting stopping just before you hit the ground everyone released excited sounds of ooze and wholes oh that sounds really awesome let's do it i said ecstatically "'When are we doing this?' Mandy asked. "'How about tonight at seven? "'We could all meet up there,' I suggested it eagerly.

"'Yeah, sure. Okay,' was heard amongst the group. "'Mandy and I parted ways from the boys to go get ready. "'I wanted to be sure I'd have enough time for preparation to look irresistible to Conner. "'We met up with the guys ten minutes past seven in front of the entrance to the carnival. "'I told Mandy that I preferred to be fashionably late, but in reality I was nervous, needing a few minutes to collect myself in the bathroom before we left. Such a quality was unbecoming, and therefore beneath me. Never would I admit feeling that way to anyone, even to my best friend.

I decided on wearing a little black dress that showed just enough skin in all the right places, not wanting to look like I was trying too hard, but still incredibly alluring. Connor looked quite handsome, smiling at me as Mandy and I approached. He changed out of his school clothes into nicer, dark-washed faded jeans and a button-up, plaid, long-sleeved shirt. He looked all the more impressive, in contrast to Brandon, who was still wearing the same attire he'd worn all day at school and possibly slept him. Oh, he was such a slough. I wondered how Mandy could stand to date him, and she could do far better. At least he was thick-skinned enough to handle me.

The important thing was that she was happy. despite my vast narcissism, I wanted the very best and happiness for her. Let's do this, Conner proclaimed, eagerly rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Mandy took Brandon's hand and the four of us entered the carnival. As we strolled in, we were greeted with an overwhelming array of flashing neon lights and loud carnival music blaring over the sounds of rickety rides running. We paused for a minute, absorbing the atmosphere and weighing our own. options. What do we want to do first? Conner asked with excited, glistening eyes. His boy's charm was

one of his more enticing qualities. Well, first things first, you should probably go get some tickets, Brandon answered. Oh yeah, Connor responded. Laughing lightly and nodding in agreement, the four of us lined up at the ticket route. I bought mine first and waited off to the side for my friends, surveying the sea of possibilities spanning around me. One booth in particular caught my eye. It was called, He Sees You, on the banner, and it was for a caricature artist, unlike any other I'd seen previously. The sample art strewn around the walls of the interior of the bove was captivating. Some were abstract angelic or demonic portraits, while others were beautiful representations, and some were outright grotesque.

entranced it held my gaze until my friends rejoin me see something you like conner asked attempting to follow my line of sight to uncover what i was intently staring at yeah i said semi-snapping out of the trance that held me captive i am i think i want to get one of those caricatures done they seem pretty cool well you can do that but i want to spend my money on something more worthwhile than a picture of my ugly mug brandon laughed, insinuating my conceit. In my hypnotic state, I ignored that apparent insult and agreed. Okay, I'll catch it with you guys in a bit. The group was taken aback by my response, but acquiesced and left to ride the attractions while I approached the boo. Entered the tent-like structure and studied the artwork hanging around me until a man flamboyantly emerged from behind the curtain in the back. Hello, my dear, he greeted me. I am Ronaldo, the seer.

I see the unseen and reveal what it is, not what is wished to be. It was clearly a circus act, but I was so captivated I didn't notice the cheesiness of the whole encounter. I really like your art, I said, flattering the artist. Would you draw me? I flashed an innocent smile. Are you sure? He asked intently, with a seriousness descending upon his demeanour. I will draw you as you truly are, and once it's done the world will see you as I do.

The process cannot be undone. He furrowed his brow with a smouldering intensity. I thought he was laying the act on a little thick, but that was the whole fun of the carnival, right? Oh, yes, I'm sure, I cheerfully replied, trying not to laugh at his portrayal. Have a seat, he stated, waving a hand. into the metal folding chair in front of a cheap plastic table. I took my place and he sat in the seat across from me, pulling out his supplies from beneath the table. He studied me for a few minutes.

His face was solemn and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on at the time that I've only realized in hindsight. It was ominous, like he was judging me, but not my outward appearance. He was judging my soul, seeing right through me. Ronaldo's burning gaze began to make me feel uncomfortable. I smiled nervously and shifted in my seat.

Scanning outside the tent for my friends, I found them laughing and running to get in line for another ride. I didn't think I'd ever seen them so happy and relaxed. Was that my doing? Did I make them tense around me? I wondered this during a brief moment as I watched my friends when I almost had an epiphany about myself, but then Mandy playfully shoved Connor.

Jumping to conclusions, my former selfish mindset resumed. In an instant my curiosity turned to rage. Was Mandy flirting with him? Was one boyfriend not enough for her? That slut. How could she do this to me? She knows how much I like him.

God, no one's loyal. Nobody loves me. These thoughts swirled around my head. I look back to Ronaldo, who was now furiously scribbling on an easel. He stealthily set up and positioned in a way, so I couldn't see the drawing yet. This disappointed me because I desired to watch the process, but he was probably keeping up the mystique. After all, the mystery was the exciting part. It's the reason magicians never reveal their secrets.

Once you know how a trick is done, it becomes mundane, trivial. Brandon suddenly burst into the tent, exclaiming, Boo! With Mandy and Connor close behind. Did I throw you off the groove of your picture? Brandon excitedly asked. No, dummy, he's a professional, I said in the snobbiest of tones. How's it coming? Mandy asked.

Well, I'm sure it's going to be great, I presumptuously answered. Brandon started to make his way around the table to see, and the artist glared at him with penetrates. eyes until he backed away saying, Okay, I'm sorry, I'll wait, holding up his hands in surrender as if the artist had silently threatened him. Oh, if looks could kill, right?

This made me smile. That smile quickly retreated as Mandy took off her jacket and revealed a pink spaghetti-strapped tank top, which showed off her cleavage that I was so jealous of. Eof, I said, also remembering how she acted with Connor earlier. I've told you pink looks awful on you besides It's so cliche nowadays

It's like girl power I emphasise those last two words With the classic valley girl accent Mandy shamefully put her jacket back on staring at the ground Pausing his work The artist said You should be nicer to your friends

Otherwise you won't have them when you need them I was outraged by this judgment Let's shut up and finished my picture already on no tip. You can't buy the things in life that truly matter, he responded laughing. And I am dumb, he added, pulling out a manila envelope and slid my picture inside. Remember what I told you? Enjoy the carnival.

He dismissed me, waving towards the exit with a smug, almost sinister smile. As my friends and I left the tent, we passed Gabby. another girl from our school, with her excited little brother galloping in, dragging her by the aisle. She was a large girl, not just overweight, but she was tall and awkward and one of my favorite people to pick on. Oh, can you draw me riding a dragon? The boy excitedly asked the artist. Of course, my dear boy, he warmly answered. During my entire encounter with the artist, he'd never show me that kind of warmth or kindness. I thought it was all part of the act. And my sister, can she be riding the dragon too?

Of course, he answered, studying her. But I also want to make her her own special picture. Would that be okay with you? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The boy answered, jumping up and down. He must have been about five or six years old. Oh, that incredibly excitable age. Well, you're going to need at least two pages for this one, anyways.

I chimed in as I stormed out of the tent. The last things I heard as I walked away was Gabby loudly sigh, and the artist comforted her by saying, Don't worry, my dear, I can see how beautiful you are, and I can make. The voice trailed off until I was completely out of earshot. He could draw her however he wished, but it still wouldn't change reality. Following behind my friends through the carnival, I clutched the envelope to my chest, envisioning my portraits. Would it be angelic? The artist didn't seem to like me much, though. Maybe it would be a badass demonic representation of me. That would be even better. The anticipation was overwhelming me.

Hey guys, wait up, I yelled over the noise pollution of the carnival. I stopped to slide my picture from the envelope. unveiling a grotesque monstrosity drawn on the page. It was unlike anything I had expected and scarcely resembled me. The thing's skin was primarily missing. What little remained existed in thin strips stretching over withered muscles. Sparse clumps of greasy hair protruded from the scalp where the skull wasn't showing. The expression disturbed me the most. It looked like the thing was scrubs.

screaming, agonizingly so. Brandon, Mandy and Connor encircled me. Well, come on, let's see it, Brandon requested. Mandy seemingly could tell something was off, and jovially asked, What's wrong? Does the picture not do you justice? The guy was a hack. It doesn't even look like me, I dismissed, starting to slide the picture back into its envelope. Before I'd succeeded in hiding it, Brandon whipped it away from me, saying,

Oh, come on. Upon seeing the thing, he added, Whoa, this is pretty cool. Honestly, not what I expect from a caricature, but it's awesome. He passed it around to Connor and Mandy, who both agreed. It was actually cool. I didn't think so. Something about it made me uneasy.

Maybe it was because the artist had said it was how he saw me. However, my friends didn't know that, and I thought it best to keep that information to myself. Brandon took one last look before handing the picture back to me, saying, that's pretty sweet. Thanks, I responded cheerfully, pretending to be pleased as well. I stood the paper back into its hiding place, and the four of us enjoyed the remainder of our night at the carnival. Unnerved by the picture, I never made a move on Connor but I figured there will be other opportunities in the future. The next morning I woke up and brushed my hair.

I noticed my brush wasn't working very well so it filled up with strands I'd shed over the past week which was odd since I only need to empty it every other month but while I shrugged it off. The rest of the weekend went by without anything terribly noteworthy happening. I laid in my yard, listening to me. music and tanning. I met up with Mandy at the mall and did the typical teenager thing. Monday morning came around and I rolled out of bed to get ready for school.

While brushing my long dark hair, I noticed my brush was full again. Already, I wondered, suspiciously eyeing the brush. I ran my fingers through my main and realized it felt thinner than usual. I'm going to have to switch back to the thickening conditioner again, I thought, sighing. I used a thickening agent for a while to gain more volume in my hair, but I'd switched to one with a more pleasant aroma. I assumed this change was a cause for the thinny out that I was now experiencing. Next on the agenda of the morning routine was applying makeup.

Upon looking at myself in the mirror, I beheld little red blotches across my face. For a moment, I gasped in shock, completely horrified. What the! I began to panic. I must have gotten too much sun over the weekend, I rationalised, examining the rest of my body. The blotches were on my arms, chest and stomach too.

I felt completely appalled. Grasping at straws for any explanation, a reason that, well, my sunscreen must be expired. I just got too much sun in certain spots because of it. This excuse satisfied me, and I calmed down as I used a thick layer of cover-up, over my face and chest. I put on a thin, long-sleeved shirt to hide the rest and headed for school.

Strolling down the halls with my head held high, I adorned my usual air of superiority. I was still thrown off by my own securities from the morning I'd had so far, and no insults came to mind. As I passed by, my fellow students seemed to be whispering and casting odd glares my way. I pulled stringy strands of hair over my chest uncomfortably. Was it my skin? Could they see the blotchiness? I thought I covered it well enough, but apparently not. This behaviour continued all the way to my locker.

I quickly opened it and hid behind the door, trying to compose myself. I should have just stayed at home, I thought, deeply regretting showing my face in public. Hey you! came Mandy's voice. I pulled away from the locker and flashed a smile. Hey! How are you doing? Mandy asked. Her voice was tinged with worry. I'm great, I quickly spun out. Yeah? Um, did you... I interrupted her question. Look, I just got a little too much sun and my sunscreen had expired. No, biggie, I'll be fine in a couple of days. Mandy's face twisted with a confused expression.

Okay, but did you hear? Everybody's been talking. I cut her off again. I don't care what anyone says. It's fine. Okay, she said, drawing out the word apprehensively. We should get to class. I ended the conversation, slammed my locker and left her puzzled in the hallway. I couldn't believe everyone was gossiping about me. I sat through my classes in a despondent state until lunch My friends and I sat around her table And I picked at my unappetizing meal

I was unable to focus on the chatter of my friends Every inch of my skin itched incessantly Some burns usually itch like hell I reminded myself not to scratch and scar myself And I ran my fingers through my hair forcing it away from my face I looked down at the handful of strands and quietly flick them onto the floor before anyone could notice.

Oh my God, Bea, your face, Mandy said, shocked. It's fine, I told you, I just got too much sun, I dismissed. You're bleeding, she harrowingly said. Yeah, that looks bad, Connor added. What? I asked, confused. Feeling a warm drip slide down my cheek. Oh shit, I must have scratched my sunburn reflexively, I assumed as I stood and ran to the bathroom with my hand covering the side of my face. Looking into the dingy mirror, I discovered a sizable gash through my right cheek.

Blood streamed down my face in crimson droplets. Panicking, I grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and held it tight to stop the bleeding. This cannot be happening. I reached to replace the paper towel and my sleeve. sleeves slid up, revealing my raw forearm. God, what the actual. The bathroom door swung open, and Gabby shyly walked in. She shot me an uncomfortably nervous smile and passed by to enter a stall.

Her clothes seemed baggier than usual, practically falling off her. Either she was wearing larger clothes, or she'd lost weight. I would have paid more mind to this if I hadn't been so absorbed in my own problems at the moment. She finished up in the stall and came to use the sink beside me. Seeing her face in the mirror, I noticed her skin looked clearer. Her acne was receding. She looked up and made eye contact, and I quickly turned my face away. Are you okay? she asked with genuine concern. This caught me off guard. I'd never once shown her any kindness. Why would she care about me? Yeah, I just scratched myself harder than I thought.

Time for a manicure. You both laughed and I added, You're looking good. You're doing something different? Not really. She shrugged, smiling. I've lost quite a few pounds and my skin started clearing up over the weekend. I guess I grew out of it like my mum said I would.

I nodded, unsure how to respond. Well, have fun with the manicure, she said, before leaving me alone in the bathroom. cautiously I removed the bloody paper towel The gash seemed to have grown Revealing the muscle behind the skin I ran my fingers through my hair again And as I expected I held a clump of it

Fuming my thought spiralled What kind of backwards world was this where I was falling apart And Gabby was looking better by the minute And then I remembered the artist at the carnival had he somehow cursed me no that's crazy that doesn't really happen does it the saying goes that all legends are based on truth maybe he cursed me and blessed gabby what was it he said he sees the unseen and reveals what you really are is this what he saw in me a monstrosity in my picture the thing had barely any hair or skin was I going to become that? The thought made me shudder.

I looked down at my forearm and saw the skin were splitting apart. Panic gripped me. There has to be a way to stop this. If I can just talk to Ronaldo, maybe I can convince him that I've learned my lesson and he can reverse this. I resolved to find him immediately. It literally wasn't a second to waste. I left school without saying a word to anyone,

and headed back to the carnival. Surely there would be hell to pay when I returned for ditching school like that, but I couldn't care less about that at the moment. There was no way I could explain why I had to leave anyways. I was cursed and had to go back to the carnival to get it undone. That wouldn't work. It might even be locked up for a psychological break. I'd have to deal with the consequences later.

As I approached the side of the carnival, I could see it was currently packing up to move on to another town. Surrounded by collapse rides and tents, everything looked different. I didn't see Ronaldo's move anywhere. A worker passed me by with his arms full of ropes and rigging equipment. I stopped him, asking, Excuse me, sir, where can I find Ronaldo? The man smirked and turned to walk away.

I grabbed his arm and begged, please please tell me he pointed in the direction of a semi-truck and silently walked away i ran towards a truck calling out desperately rinaldo rinaldo he merged from behind the truck smiling hello my dear how are you he asked as if we were old friends Glapsing at his feet, I struggled to catch my breath as I pitifully asked, Did you do this to me? His wicked smile expanded. No, no, my dear. He began, mockingly. You did it to yourself.

I warned you that you would become as you truly are. He paused for dramatic effect and continued. From the first moment I saw you, I knew what you were. Now the world can see you. it too. That sinister smile was plastered across his face. But I tried to argue with tears welling up in my forlorn eyes. No, he sternly reprimanded as if I were a disobedient dog. How many people have you treated badly behave like a monster to? You have corrupted your soul. Now your appearance is appropriate. Isn't there any way I can fix it?

this, please, sir, I'll do anything. Hmm, he pondered for a moment, stroking his beard before answering me. If you can be genuinely kind to others, do enough good to atone for all the harm you've inflicted, then perhaps I could draw a new portrait. With how adulterated your soul is, though. His voice trailed off, and he shrugged to convey his disbelief and disinterest. I can do it. I'll do anything. I've learned my lesson, I promise. I sincerely reassured, though I could tell from his expression that he wasn't convinced.

How do I find you again when I'm ready? He pulled a business car from his sleeve and flicked it to me. Good luck, my dear, and good bye. And at that he took his leave and vanished behind the semi. I strolled away from the sight of the carnival, shambles. brainstorming good deeds I could do. I could volunteer at a retirement home or the soup kitchen or... My thought was interrupted by my cell phone ringing.

I poured it from my pocket and saw the caller ID. It was Mandy, probably wondering why I'd disappeared from school. Hey, I answered. Are you okay? Hey, Mandy's voice was full of concern. Yeah. Look, It seems like you're taking Shannon's death really hard, but there's nowhere you could have known. Wait? What? Shannon's dead? I was completely taken aback by this news.

Yeah, it's all anyone's been talking about all day. How? Mandy was silent. Mandy? She... I could tell Mandy was searching for the right words to say. Joking back tears, she finally excited. explained. It happened last Friday after she left school. By the time her parents got home, it was too late. She paused to clear her throat. I was in total shock. Mandy continued. Everyone says it was because of the bullying, but there's no way you could have known that she would do something like that. High school's rough. Just don't blame yourself. I didn't deserve her sympathetic tone. My arm fell limply to my side and the phone slipped through my fingers to the

ground. I froze, catatonic. I killed her, maybe not deliberately, but it was my fault entirely. There was no amount of volunteering and good deeds in the world I could possibly do to make out for that. Even if I solved world hunger, I could never bring her back from the grave. I hadn't even known, had done such a terrible thing, but Ronaldo knew. He could see it, and he punished me for it, deservedly. I shut myself up in my room for as long as I could, slowly, painfully dwindling away. When my dad finally broke down my bedroom door,

he was horrified by what he saw, and rightly so. I still remember his shock gasp, as he covered his mouth and said, My God, Brianna, you need help. Most of my hair was gone, along with a good portion of my skin, and I could feel my muscles atrophying, withering away. First, there were the doctors thinking I had an aggressive form of leprosy. Next, there were the specialists, dermatologists, taking samples fruitlessly. Then, finally, I ended up here in a special research facility.

Patient Zero of a new plague that seems to have only infected me. I know what's wrong with me, even if no one believes me, and I know I'll die here. The only good I can do is be friendly to the nurses, doctors and scientists, and to write this. Maybe I can save you from the same grisly fakes. I won't tell you to avoid Ronaldo the seer. In fact, I changed his name and certain elements about him in this story. nor should you avoid caricatures for that is not his true profession perhaps he doesn't even work for carnivals

my advice is simply to be kind be good to your fellow humans and be good to your soul nurture it shape it into something you're not afraid to see don't be a monstrosity like me I'm a fairly well-off guy I have a good job with decent pay

end. I'm not unattractive. However, I've not had the best of luck with relationships. That's not to say I haven't had any, more rather that the ones I've been involved in haven't ended well. I've been cheated on, told I have two high expectations and that I work too much. And not unfair statements exactly, but I made sure everyone was well informed before they began, so hearing that kind of things grinds my gears the idea of buying a wife first came up as a joke I've been drinking with some mates and explaining to them that my girlfriend had left me over my working late as she thought I was cheating I wasn't obviously and Braden mockingly suggested that I just fill in an order form for a wife and see how that went we tossed

around the idea for a while joking about wife auctions and the misogyny of it I felt fairly reassured with myself that I did not need to buy a wife. Then I got an email titled, Find Your Perfect Match. Now, normally, I would have bypassed such an obvious scam. But then I got to considering what a hoot it would be next time, explaining to the boys that just days after discussing it, I got a scam email and gave it a try. And so I did. I opened the email and followed the link. Almost immediately a private browser started downloading onto my laptop. Horrified, I tried to end the program.

Unfortunately, it was finished installing so fast I couldn't even keep up. I'm also not the most computer savvy in case you couldn't tell. Once the page opened up though, it was honestly not at all what I was expecting. I was waiting for the typical horn-style women to be advertised where you pay X amount of dollars for every minute of their time. Or maybe for a million viruses and hackers to start trying to break into my computer, like you see in the movies. Maybe my bank account was just randomly going to be skimmed.

I don't know. Well, thankfully, and unsettlingly, it was nothing like that. Instead, I was first asked to fill out a profile form. It didn't ask for anything horribly identifiable. just age, gender, species, race and sexual orientation. It didn't even require a name. But amused, I filled out the foreman was taken to a terms and conditions page. A skim through it.

As usual, there was something about payment must be made in full before partner will be shipped. Refunds are not given for return of partner for any reason or for DOA, and all contracts are binding and final until termination. Yeah, okay, I thought. Fawcite and common sense are valuable tools, and I encourage others to use them. I, however, I clicked on the accept button, was directed to a new page. This seemed to be the advertisement page, just in case I wasn't already in deep enough. It went on to explain that, although the partners available were high quality,

was important to select your preferences with care, as you would only be provided with the closest manner. match. Order a Ferrari, get a chicken nugget, I amused to myself. Still, the advertisement clip continued to explain the process. You fill in your details, they fill in theirs, and you would be matched with someone. Kind of like a dating site, only all sales were final. I was half-heartedly waiting for some explanation of where these people were to come from. When there was no explanation provided. I felt my gut filling with dread, as I consider that the partners advertised were probably traffic victims. That was what actually prompted me to keep going. I decided that I would

save at least one girl. I could pay for her, and when she arrived, I'd take her straight to the police station and we get help. I briefly worried about the price of such a venture before the rational part of my brain asked me if I cared more about a woman's life or money. The decision was easy from that. Once the advertisement ended, I clicked onward, onto the next page, filled with an inflated sense of heroism. Select your preferences, the next page stated. The list was extensive, and honestly felt more like ordering an elaborate meal than a human

being. Everything was set out in a this or that style. These are some examples of what I mean. priority for subdued or opinionated, priority for sex or appearance, priority for intelligence or obedience. As you selected options, you be confronted by the same characteristics rearranged. Priority for intelligence or appearance. Priority for subdued or sex. And so on.

It took me nearly an hour to go through them all. By the end, I barely remembered what I'd even chosen. Once I was finally done, I was directed to a payment page, and, much like everything else, it wasn't what I'd expected it to be. A payment was to be made through a company I'd never heard of, but I was relieved to see there were a range of payment options. Credit card was, thankfully, one, but there were other options, too. Soul Express.

Harvest goods. I'd never heard of those before. I clicked on harvest goods just for fun since, why not? And quickly realized payment could be made in 238 fresh human hearts, or 375 minor organs. A sick kind of joke that made me even more suspicious of the site. And as I click back, I assume that Soul Express would be asking for Souls. Well, after I'd finished fooling around with various payment options, I chose the monetary option. So, how much does a wife cost?

Well, that depends. You could pay two and a half million US dollars for a one-year contract. 10 million for five years. 45 million for 25 years. Or 1.3 billion for lifetime. Well, looking over my options, I considered how long I might need to build a proper case. One year wasn't going to be enough. I just hoped five would.

Well, my wallet stung as I selected the ten million, and I felt a heavy disappointment, said Lynn, when the following page stated, Thank you for your time and generous contribution. Please wait as we process your request. It may take seven to ninety business days. to complete. A few weeks passed before I accepted the fact that I had been scammed. My friends and I drank to my stupidity

while my bank account slowly recovered. It was around this time that I received another email. Your order is ready for shipment. I was confused for a moment before I remembered my order for her wife and opened the email to find that she was apparently due to arrive the following Tuesday

and I should ensure that I'm home to receive the order. When Tuesday arrived, I waited anxiously. Was something, someone, really going to show up? I didn't know exactly, and I realized when I thought about it, I hadn't even given an address. When the knock on the door came, I'm not ashamed to say I jumped a little,

but by the time I reached the door, there was no person there, just a two-foot-by-three-foot rectangular box. It was cardboard and definitely didn't look like anyone could fit into it. I picked it up to carry it inside cautiously and immediately noticed that it was impossibly heavy, so much so that I couldn't get more than a step or two with it at a time and mostly ended up dragging it inside. There were no labels on it at all, no instructions,

no delivery address or return address, though I didn't pay too much notice at the time as I was focused on opening it quickly. I didn't want whoever might be inside to suffocate, but then I didn't want to stab them with a letter opener I was using either. To my suspicion, once I got the cardboard open, I found a plastic drum. It was a blue container with brownish red symbols

written onto the inner cardboard surrounds. I didn't recognize any meaning in them, but felt for sure that they were written in blood. Once my initial shot passed, I hurried to open the drum only to find a letter with instructions stuck on the top. It read, congratulations on receiving your new partner. Please follow these instructions very carefully, as DOA refunds are not available. Step 1. Prepare a suitable space.

Bathrooms are ideal. Pour a minimum of 80 gallons, 300 feet liters. of water into a suitable container. Ensure no light, artificial or otherwise, is allowed into the room. If you do not have a suitable space, do not open the drum until one can be provided. Step two, take your drum into the dark room and remove the lid carefully. Please ensure no light during this process. Pour the content of the drum into the provided 80 gallons, 310.

three liters or more of water. Step three, leave your partner to grow for exactly 168 hours. You may collect your partner once the express time period has passed. Please note, some light sensitivities to be expected within the first week. Should you have any concerns or questions, please refrain from contacting our administration. All the the information you should need is listed within the provided menu. After reading the letter, I eyed off the drum suspiciously. In return, it sat there unmoving. Was I really going to do this? My bathroom was too well lit, but the cellar was perfect. Admittedly, it didn't take me too long to decide to give it a try. What did I have to lose? I'd already paid my ten million, and curiosity

he was burning me up. It was only a ten-minute trip to the store and back to purchase an above-ground pool. Just one of those tarp ones propped up by racing, but it was nearly a hundred gallons, so I figured it would work. I spent the afternoon setting everything up, waited until nightfall

to blindly roll the barrel down a dark hallway into a pitch, black room. It did roll down the stairs rather violently, and I scrambled quickly to find it, though it seemed intact when I did. from there I followed the instructions to the letter the contents of the barrel smelled absolutely terrible when I opened it and it plopped into the water with lumpy splashes which only seemed to amplify the stench

I left the room gladly and put a towel at the bottom of the door to prevent any light entering under it and now I'm just waiting it's been three days I have another four to go. I don't know what I'm expecting. I don't know why I'm even crazy enough to try this. I'm writing this just in case something goes wrong.

At least that way someone has some idea of what happens. Wish me luck. To begin this time I thought I'd answer some of your more pressing questions. I work in the import-export business and have several investments running as well. I'm also really good at saving and I'm an only child so when my father died a few years back getting his inheritance helped a lot. Next to add some context, I'm kind of a feminine guy. Can't grow a beard to save my life.

I'm skinny but I work out so I don't look too emaciated. Basically my friends have a running joke that I look like a twink. In the same vein I also have a low sex drive to the point where I'm, almost asexual, and yes, this has had an impact on my previous relationships. This is important to know, because it will help explain the preferences I set for my wife when ordering. I basically prioritized appearance above all. Then intelligence, and sex was the last out of the top three. I mean to sound like a jerk, but I wanted a trophy housewife. You know, someone insanely beautiful that I could show off at work functions, but still be able to come home to a clean house and cook meals.

How I expected whatever was brewing in the darkness of my cellar to form into this wonder girl of her wife, I've got no idea. The only thing I can say I was relieved about at least it didn't seem to be a 14-year-old human trafficking victim. Better some dark magical, backwards experimental science than an innocence. However, after I'd followed all the instants, I found myself going through various stages of uncertainty. Firstly, I wondered if I was completely insane.

I had bought something online from a less than reputable looking website after clicking a bait at email. I had a large sum of money to some unknown entity that, by the way, showed up on my credit card statement as paid to Satan, which was obviously someone's idea of an edgy company name. and now whatever I had received was growing in my basement. The smell alone was bad enough. It had been bad when I first poured it into the water.

However, within a few days it was entirely insufferable. The smell permeated through the towel at the bottom of the door and wafted it slowly into the rest of the house. For my own benefit, I avoided areas of the house that were affected, and it's needless to say, I did it. invite any guest oil. There was only one thing in my entire life that I'd ever smelled that was similar, and that was the rotten fluids of a stillborn baby delivered naturally after it had died inside a mother a couple of weeks earlier. At this point the idea that I was maybe being punked

had crossed my mind. I'd heard of people buying mystery boxes off the deep web only to find chunks of dead animals and barbed wire inside and thought that my situation wasn't too dissimilar. If that was the case, I wasn't sure I wanted to go and check on whatever was down there. What if I turned on the lights and it was just a few chunks of human flesh bobbing around? How on earth would I explain that to anyone, let alone to the police? This was about the time paranoia set in. It was as if the air itself inside the house had got heavier. It pressed down on me with a sticky humidity, no matter how low I set the air conditioner.

I found myself eyeballing the mailman as he walked past and peering out the curtains at pedestrians on the sidewalk. Somehow, I felt like I was doing something deeply wrong and that everyone in the world knew about it. Mostly, though, I was worried that they'd smell the rancid odour from outside. Then I began to wonder about if I wasn't being messed with. How would whatever it was in that barrel turn into a wife? was I part of some government experiment? My curiosity got the better of me once again and I decided to go to the cellar door

to see if I could hear anything. So, while holding my breath, that's exactly what I did. I walked down the hallway slowly and pressed my ear against the door. At first I couldn't hear anything. Then I realised there was a quiet sloshing sound, as if the water was being moved around,

slightly. Both surprised and unsettled. I recalled from the door, and in doing so, made the mistake of breathing in. I'm not ashamed to say I threw up then and there as the smell assaulted my nostrils with a vengeance. After that, I decided it best to wait a while before attempting to go near it again, though it soon became unnecessary as I began to hear sounds from the cellar without having to get close. Initially, they began so faintly that I wasn't sure whether or not they were real, but with time they became louder and unmistakable.

They were splashing, and occasional, indecifurable words coming from the cellar. When I'd lie awake in the dim of my room on the other side of the house, I would hear it, the garbled sounds of something horrendous developing in wet darkness, with groans of agony and unintentional. intelligible mumbling.

To ease my nerves, I began to play music through the house, just loud enough to master sounds, but quiet enough to not have the neighbours call the cops on me. When the day finally came that the timer counted down to mere hours, I began to panic. If there were preparations to be made, I wasn't sure what they were. I managed to find some of my ex's old clothes, assuming that my new wife would need something to wear, and bought a decent stock of food. Though I was unsure if whatever was down there would even be able to eat and was assuming it wasn't going to make me its first meal.

Then I made up a bed in the guest room and paced anxiously around until the timer showed ten minutes. Then I reluctantly grabbed a towel and made my way to the basement. As I approached the door, I noticed that the horrible smell from an earth. it was no longer there. My heart raised, pumping blood through my veins so furiously that my hand was shaking as I put it on the doormop. I could taste the adrenaline in the back of my throat. Swallowing my anxiety, I watched the final seconds count down on the timer, and then opened the door.

I creaked it open slowly, letting the light from behind fall onto the stairs before me. This was the only patch of light. and it served to heighten the contrast of the room so that I couldn't see anything past it. Hello? Is anyone anything alive down there? Please don't eat me, I called, trying to make it sound like I was joking to hide the pure terror I felt looking into the pitch, black nothingness beyond the light. There was no answer to my question, so I cautiously made my way down the stairs. The instructions had suggested that my new wife would be sensitive to light, so keeping this in mind I didn't turn on the overhead lights.

Instead, used the torch app on my phone to light the rest of the way. When I neared the pool, I held the light up to see a set of reflective eyes just above the water's surface, looking back at me. For a brief moment, I thought I'd grown an alligator or something. however upon regaining my composure and cautiously peering at it again i realized there was a woman in the water she was sitting with only her eyes above it and had long black hair floating around her in the perfectly still calm water being confronted with what looked like an actual human being and not knowing what else to do i introduced myself hi i'm jake i said uncertain and when she didn't answer, I continued awkwardly. I'm a... I... Bought you.

Still, she made no comment, only watching me with her eyes as I moved a little closer. Do you want to come out now? The instruction said that... I didn't get to finish my sentence as she started to get, huh? Oh, I pictured this if you can. She was stark naked, uncoordinated, and with... seemingly disproportionate limbs, half crawling, half dragging herself out of a kiddie pool, like something from the exorcist, slipping and clawing her way to dry land.

Had I not been so utterly petrified, I may have fled the freaking country in one of my export containers. Instead, I stood there frozen like a stunned mullet, looking at this humanoid heap of woman crawling her way toward me on the floor. Her hair was long enough that it clung to her body, covering her shoulders and breasts better than I would have expected it to. Not that it really mattered as I was too horrified to really pay attention to her nakedness, past knowing her skin was pale and the once clean water that was running off it had a reddish tint. As she reached me, she stopped by my feet and looked up at me, twisting her neck at a horrible angle to do so, before opening her mouth to gargle out a strangled sounding.

I nearly gagged then. Bloody water dribbled out of her nose and mouth through pointed shark-like teeth as she spoke and then reached up for me. Still in shock and not knowing what else to do, I offered her the towel. She didn't take it. Didn't even try to take it.

So, I awkwardly draped it around her and helped her to stand. The skin was cold to the touch, smooth, almost reptilian, and she was comfortably shorter than me. This was only significant in that it had been a preference I'd selected while ordering her.

The comfortably shorter part, I mean, is not the reptilian part. When she made no attempt to eat or otherwise maim me, I started to lead her upstairs into the light. She squinted and blinked, turning away from the brightness with a low growl, so I quickly dimmed the lights. However dimmed the light was, it was better than my phone flashlight,

so that was when I was able to properly see her features. Body-wise, she looked nice. Hourglass shape, despite her arms and legs being a little gangly, probably sea-cup, so nothing overbearing, and the facial features were generally Asian-ish. dark almond-shaped eyes with long lashes, petite nose and mouth, and, as I looked at her,

I realized that she actually resembled my ex in a weird, just grew this in my basement from her top of unidentified parts, kind of way. I mean, the match wasn't exact, but they could have been sisters or something. Other things of note are that her skin was even more pale than I'd thought. I'd even go as far as to say it had an iridescent quality. quality to it, and her eyes had no contrast. They were fully black. And when I say black,

I mean extremely black, like oil were different colors reflected in them. Her toe and fingernails were much the same, oily black, but also long and curved like a predator's claws. Once we made it to the kitchen, I sat her down and asked, Are you hungry? Thirsty maybe, while offering her a glass of water. There was a long pause as she stared at me before she murmured something so quiet. I didn't catch it the first time. I'm sorry, what was that? I asked hesitantly, leaning in closer to hear her better. Without looking away from me, she repeated herself slowly and purposefully.

She whispered. Her voice scratchy and dry. I felt my heart drop a little at that point. Of course my new wife was hungry. Maybe she'd like to eat my liver with some farther beans and a nice guante. If nothing else, I was pretty certain that she was about to demand that I sacrifice some virgins to satiate her appetite. But she gave me no further instruction, so I did my best. The answer to my uncertainty came in the form of the grilled cheese sandwich, which she ate when I presented it to her, so...

I assume it wasn't not on the menu. To be perfectly honest, at this point, I didn't know what to do. I hadn't truly been expecting a living being to come out of the drum of unidentified lumpy liquid, poured into water and left stewing in the darkness, and yet here, well, here she was. However, after eating she looked tired, so I took her to the guest room and let her lay down.

She didn't seem to know what to do with the bedding, and so I ended up sort of awkwardly on top of the bed where I'd folded the sheets over her. I left the room fairly swiftly after that, locking it behind me. To say that this wasn't what I ordered is an understatement. It wasn't even human for all I could tell. Trying to get some understanding of what she was,

I decided to go back to the basement and look at the water she'd been in. This time, I turned on the overhead light and went down to take a look. As I approached the pool, I saw that the water had settled into two layers. The top layer was mostly clear and looked to be just water, while at the bottom a thick, reddish-brown sediment had formed. To see if there was anything hidden at the bottom,

I decided to stir up the water with a broom handle and drain out as much of it as I could. Now, I'd like to point out that the water didn't smell until I started to disturb it, and then I could smell the familiar, pungent odor of something unspeakable rotting end to my horror. I could feel the broom clattering against something on the bottom beneath the fill. Without thinking I reached into the murky water to retrieve whatever it was, assuming something ordinary you had fallen in at some point, only to find myself holding a bone. It looked like a human femur, and yes, I did throw up again.

By the time the pool had drained, I found a collection of bones, all of which I'm sure were human, a dead cow, a variety of insect husks, and some water-logged herbs that I couldn't identify. I'll spare you most of the details regarding how I disposed of these items, less to say it wasn't easy. It took most of the night, and I passed out right after. I woke the next morning to the sound of my surround sound TV blasting out adverts and I sprang up to check the guest bedroom when I reached the door it was open

the lock broken and she wasn't anywhere to be seen to say this was unsettling was an understatement I took the umbrella off the coat hanger in the hallway and made my way towards the sound of the TV as I approached I could hear talking not just from the ads but more like talking as if someone was trying to do a voice check the pitch and tone would change as words were said in different orders it sounded similar to a deaf person speaking only that the words were becoming clearer with repetition i made my way through the kitchen and saw in the sink that it was a mess of blood and teeth in it unsure of what to make of that and entirely unable to process it i mostly again

ignored that detail, continued on into the home theatre. When I reached it and rounded the corner into the room, I saw the person speaking was her. From what I could tell, she was practising speaking, and when she noticed I was there, she turned to face me with a crooked kind of smile. To my surprise, her teeth were normal, and suddenly the mess in the sink made a little more sense,

As she pulled them out and grown new human ones? The next thing I noticed was that her skin tone was more human, no longer incandescent. In addition to this, her limbs were now proportionate, her nails manicured and her eyes weren't fully black anymore, though the irises were still a little too big. Good morning, she greeted me, though look puzzled as to why I was holding the umbrella. Most important meal of the day is prepared, she announced, gesturing to the table where there was a bowl of cereal overfilled with milk waiting for me. I stared between her and the drowned cereal for a moment, while she stood unblinkingly waiting for me to sit and eat. Not wanting to anger her, I did sit and poke around at the soggy breakfast, but she didn't seem to mind as she turned back to the TV.

In the days that followed, she continued to improve, I suppose you could say. Her voice and speech patterns became more normal. I told her to read, and her meal-making abilities improved. By all accounts, she now seemed perfectly human. I haven't told my friends about her yet, but last night was the first night we shared a bed. We didn't do anything, if that's what you're thinking, so I can't comment on that. however I will say that she smells amazing her hair her skin

it's indescribable I think I love her I find myself forgetting what she started out as that's why I thought it was important to update this she's just so alluring now I want to do things for her I don't want to go out to work so I can just spend more time with her my phone keeps ringing but so far I've been ignoring it

last night I just stood by and let it ring out I did listen to the voice message though he was Braden he was complaining about having not seen me for a while and was apparently calling to let me know that my ex forget her name now has been reported missing in the few weeks following my wife's

birth creation spawning I'm not sure what to call it exactly she became the perfect wife There were of course minor glitches. For example, as I mentioned before, she had to learn how to speak in a natural manner. Next came behaviour. Small things such as blinking occasionally rather than burning holes into people's souls with an unintentional death stare

or fluttering her eyelids like she was having a seizure when people greeted her. We also had fun learning about simple movement mechanics like reflexes. For her moving aside when objects were inbound for impact, wasn't a consideration and, yes, it was a little awkward explained to the kids next door why my wife stood motionless as their stray football smacked her square in the face. It turned out okay, though. She just thought she was... They just thought she was super metal. In the general public, I found she blended in quite well,

and I could play off most of her strangeness as an horrific sense of humour. Though I still don't trust her to shop alone. the first day I'd taken her to the supermarket so I asked her to grab some cheese while I got bread. I came back to a cart overflowing with cheese and empty refrigerated shelves. She also tended to ask if we needed whatever item she'd spotted on the shelf

as she was already loading several of them into the cart. No, sweetie, we don't need four can-op-op-ness. It was a regular conversation we had. Oh, but when she answered me once with a sly smile saying, aren't I always supposed to be right? I had doubts as to whether or not she was really actually joking with me or not. In terms of homely things, and again I don't mean to sound like a jerk here,

she was great. In fact, she did more than I expected her to. She kept record for me of important dates and bill payments. It was sort of like having a secretary, I suppose. The house was perfectly clean. breakfast was made by the time I got out of the shower every morning lunch prepared and packed before I went to work and dinner on the table when I came home her meals were wonderful

the first few were a little charred for sure but but a few cooking shows later and she was a master chef one weekend I woke up early to treat her to breakfast before she could make it for me but my gesture only made her fret and no amount of my assurances could calm her She was very insistent that she be the one to make meals for me, not the other way round.

I'm not sure where she got that from. I don't remember selecting a will-be-fluous 80s housewife in my preferences. Maybe she picked it up from the TV since she liked to watch a lot of older sitcoms. Nothing really unusual happened, to be perfectly honest. My phone battery shit itself. The damn thing stopped holding charge. I had more of an appetite, probably because her cooking was so nice, and I was a little more tired most days, though.

I was also working a lot harder during the day so that I could be at home at a reasonable time in the evenings. However, as we were settling in for dinner after work on Friday, there was a rather intrusive knock on the door. Begrudgingly, I got up to answer it. I really just wanted to eat, and here someone was interrupting my mean. As it turned out, it was Braden. He pushed past me into the house with a, Oh, I haven't seen you for ages.

Didn't you get any of my messages? What have you been? And what's that smell? He asked, his lip curling in disgust. Fain disgust, that is, I'm sure. That's the only smell that filled my home at the time was my wife's cooking. Confused, I shook my head. I've been working.

I didn't get any message. I told him and then hesitated. Oh, actually I got one. Someone's missing? I asked, following after him as he seemed to be trying to locate the source of whatever he was smelling. Yeah, man, Zoe, she's missing. Her family said they've been trying to call you. Didn't you get their messages?

He asked, looking at me like I was crazy. Who's Zoe? I queried, confused. Very funny You know Zoe You recently ex-girlfriend He reminded me and Then it clicked

Like a small piece of a puzzle I'd been missing Suddenly he came back to me All right Yeah Sorry I've been so busy I haven't got any messages I've I stopped as Braden interrupted me suddenly

Yo Who the hell is this he shrieked, recoiling from the kitchen, startled. It took me a second to realize he'd found my wife. Brayden, meet Alice, my wife. I informed him as he stared at her dumb foundings. Pleasure to meet you. Alice paused to smile as she greeted him.

She was dutifully covering our dinner plates with tinfoil to preserve them, knowing the food would get cold as Brayden, I spoke. It was a long moment where he just didn't say anything. He paced back and forth the moment, casting glances at Alice, then myself, before finally throwing his arms up and asking, When did you get married exactly? Because I don't remember no wedding. I realized then that I hadn't mentioned anything to him, or explained anything.

Hadn't even occurred to me that I had to. It felt to me like Alice had always been a part of my life, and I struggled to remember that she doesn't. only arrived recently. Okay, yeah, you're going to love this. Remembered when we joked about buying a wife? Well, I got an email advertising wives. I clicked on it and...

A gesture to my wife. Well, she arrived. Marriage papers included. All I had to do was sign them. In my explanation, I, of course, left out the hole and brewed in my basement thing. He paused again. Hold up. You mean to say you clicked on some dodgy-ass email, ordered a wife online and this is what you got?

Yeah, I mean, it was more involved than that, but yeah, that's basically it. I agreed with a nonchalant shrug, though. He didn't seem at all reassured. Oh man, you've got to get rid of it, that thing. It ain't right. She looks like Zoe and she's missing. That's a big fat no brother. He warned, shaking his head at me and backing away from Alice. His reaction, I thought, was unreasonable. I have to get rid of it, that thing. Who did he think he was talking about?

Alice was a person with rights and feelings, and I wasn't going to put up with that kind of rudeness towards my wife. I asked him to leave, telling him as he went that he wasn't welcome back until he apologized. He didn't seem too fast. I'm telling you, it ain't right. Take her to the police or something. Drop her off somewhere. Nothing good comes from scam emails.

He ranted on his way to the door. I'll be watching what she's feeding you. You look a little thin, too. He added. Seriously not funny, was all I said in return through my tea. I was angry. unbelievably angry. I'd never been angry like this before. Part of me genuinely wanted to kill him as I slammed the door shut behind him. Where has all that anger even come from? It wasn't like me.

Alice and I made love for the first time that night. Something about all the strong emotions put me in the mood in it, and it seemed that she just fell out of her clothes. I will mention, since I'm sure most of you are morbidly interested. Yes, she was amazing in the sheets. Well, I won't go into too much detail, except to say that she did things in ways I'd never experienced before, and it was, without doubt, the best I've ever had. In the days following, I heard nothing from Braden. It seemed he was unwilling to apologize,

and I brushed it off with a whatever dude kind of attitude. I also got a new phone, since the odd one was all but useless. If I was missing messages, then, well, but soon I noticed that it too seemed to have a battery issue so I took it back for a service they told me at the story that it was going to take a day or two to send it away and sort out so I'd be without a phone until then I didn't really bother me though as I sat down for lunch the next day I did feel a stab of regret about it as I meant I wouldn't get the usual I'll be having a good day text from Alice thinking of Alice and my phone naturally led my thought

astray to replaying what Braden had said to me. I'll be watching out what she is feeding you. I'm not sure why that came to me, just as I was about to take a bite of the sandwich Alice had prepared me. But it did, and I found myself eyeballing the sandwich suspiciously. It seemed fine. Just your standard lettuce and chicken between two slices of whole-grown bread with mayonnaise. Nothing obviously harmful, so I can't explain exactly why I threw it into the small

trash can beside my desk and instead ordered food from a little stand across the street. As I ate my not-wife-prepared food, I felt kind of strange. It made me feel sick to eat it, and I realized that I was all but inhaling it. Why was I suddenly so hungry? I mean, I was more often than not hungry these days, but this was different. I was eating like a starving dog. because of this I picked up some takeaway on the way after work and ate it before I got home when I arrived home however I instantly felt guilty Alice had dinner ready for me on the table I apologised profusely telling her that I just felt so full from her sandwich that I didn't

need anything else and went to bed early she didn't join me right away as she usually would have I assumed that was because I'd made her mad by refusing dinner but when she did I could feel her glaring daggers at the back of my head. In the morning I got up and left early without having breakfast. I went straight to the store to see if my phone was repaired. I doubted it would be. I just wanted to get out of the house, really. I was surprised to learn that, in fact, it was ready to go.

The guy at the store handed it back to me without really saying anything. Just that it was fixed. So I asked what had been wrong with it. He hesitated a moment as if, trying to decide best how to broach the subject. There was nothing wrong with it. The battery just needed to be charged. He said carefully,

and I could tell he was doing his best to not out-call me an imbecile for not knowing how to charge my phone. Needless to say, this confused me. I'd put my phone on the charge every night, checked the switch was on, done all the right things, and yet each morning when I woke up, it would only have five to six percent battery. A wave of nausea swept over me as I consider that maybe, just maybe.

Alice was unplugging it after I went to sleep and plugging it in again shortly before I woke up each morning. Looking at the phone, I saw that I had a decent amount of unread texts and voicemails, and they were all recent, with the oldest one being just after I'd jot the phone off of repairs. Had Alice been deleting you? my messages. But these ones only here now, because she hadn't had access to my phone. This paranoia swirled in my mind every second for the rest of the day. At work, I listened to a couple of voicemails.

One in particular stood out. It was from Braden. Hey man, look, I'm sorry about the other day. I'm really happy for you, just... Don't know, man. She freaks me out. Her eyes. cold like a shark.

And the way she looks like Zoe. I mean, I know you got a type, bro, but isn't it just just a little weird how she shows up all the Zoe lookalike and, well, and Zoe just goes missing? Anyway, that's all I gotta say. We'll talk soon, yeah.

I said I was sorry, just give me a call when you get this. Bye, bro. I didn't call him back, but his message certainly stayed with me. It made me really really. remember the discarded sandwich from the day before. Curious, I lend over my desk to check its position in the bin, and to my horror, saw that it

was growing unnatural pink tendrils that pulsed as they struggled to haul themselves out of the trash. Disturbed, I drove home in silence with my thoughts, and by the time I pulled into the driveway, I decided that I was going to confront my wife. she could speak and reason surely we could talk this through get it sorted out apparently

she'd come to the same conclusion as I had because when I walked through the door she was waiting for me in the lounge with her arms folded and no dinner on the table the universal sign of a pissed off wife you left today without breakfast without even saying

goodbye she said immediately Okay, yes, I agreed, but before I could continue, she did. All you have to say is, okay, yes. She yelled, offended, and as she took in another breath to yell, I took my chance. You've been taking my phone off charge and deleting my messages, and I don't even know what you've been feeding me. I blurted out without any tact whatsoever. This caused her to pause.

Her mouth snapped shut and she stared at me, I'm blinking. So I continued. What are you? I asked with dry lips. Where did you come from? Why do you look like Zoe? In response, she now smiled. She smiled a smile that grew. It spread slowly across her perfectly red lips

until her teeth were showing and then stretched out impossibly wider. I heard the skin on either side of her lips tear as her head tilted back at a right angle and her jaw began to open impossibly wide, revealing the inside of her mouth to be lined with rows of curved teeth leading down into the black abyss of her throat. From her back, her spine seemed to crack outward,

breaking the skin and allowing malnourished arms covered in a slimy red fluid to push violently out through her shards. Some men might imagine that the worst part of confronting their wives would be the possibility that she could leave them. For me, the worst part was watching her eyes bulge and split into more eyes like a rapidly dividing sound.

I stood unable to move as she transformed from the beautiful Alice into this thing. And once it was done, she seemed to turn to me. Her multiple eyes all somehow focusing on me. If balls can shrink, my did in that moment. Are you sorry now, Jake? My wife demanded in a mocking tone. Her voice no longer sweet but deep and raspy. I tried to answer her, but my mouth was too dry to form words.

Around me I noticed that the walls of my home were covered in fleshy weds. I understood then that she was a parasite grown from a putrid recipe. And finally, I was able to speak. Yes, I'm sorry. I'm very sorry, I whispered, and this time I knew what I was apologising for. I was apologising for ordering her online, for growing her in my basement, for ever daring to have raised my voister. It was an agonisingly long moment before the word came to me. Good. She purred, low and long.

A form now clicking back into place with a sickening set of cracks and snaps to return to the woman I had become accustomed to see. You'll be a husband to me. I looked like Zoe because she was your optimum match and her nutrients feed me well. She now answered my questions politely as her tattered clothes reminded me of what she could become if I displeased her. Right. Yeah, then that makes sense. I agreed, unsure of what else to do. My mind couldn't quite accept that I may have poured my ex's bones into a broth of whatever else

to make this thing that now stood before me. Oh, and Jake, if you had a problem with my cooking, you only had to say so. She said pleasantly with a smile that. made me flinch. I'll see what I can do to change it. Marriage is hard. As it stands, I have four years, ten months and two weeks of marriage contract left.

And she wants children. All I can say is that I am. Truly sorry. So once again, we reach the end of tonight's podcast. My thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories, and to you for taking the time to listen. Now, I'd ask one small favor of you. Wherever you get your podcast from,

please write a few nice words and leave a five-star review as it really helps the podcast. That's it for this week, but I'll be back again, same time, same place, and I do so hope you'll join me once more. Until next time, sweet dreams and bye-bye.