The splendor of himself. His limbs, his hair, his eyes, his voice — perfection.
Edmund had always been taller. He was admired and broke the heart of his first girl at fourteen.
At fifteen he was invincible, at sixteen he only listened to himself.
Unnoticed by everyone; his twin brother Luke stayed silent and let himself be trampled on,
But roads diverged. Luke went to university; Edmund started making money in any way he could.
They didn’t meet again, until Edmund, out of rehab, came to stay with Luke and his family.
Edmund still only craved a full length mirror.
The image this week made me think in more symbolic ways, and of course Narcissus came to mind. But what if Narcissus had a twin brother, who later surpassed him in beauty? What if this brother grew up to be a great and humble man? Maybe it would have been like Edmund and Luke.
I also take the opportunity to market the collaborative collection of short stories that is now finally on Amazon. My story is one of fifteen, and we are all writers local to the Stockholm area.
Friday Fictioneers is a blogging group of authors who write 100 word flashfiction every week under the leadership of Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
—
February 10, 2016
An interesting read as always.
Thank you.. it’s so much fun trying to do it in 100 words.
Stunning write. I have to say I felt this as I did a post about the effects of my illness and what the eyes see isn’t always what’s there.
I just read about your illness… and indeed there are so much that is different from what it looks.
Great take on the prompt! I hope Edmund learns something in the future.
I hope he does… I really do.
Beauty can be so blinding …
I think beauty is a little scary in a way….
Hmmm…
Had me thinking of the myth beginning at the title. Sad lessons here.
The great myths are really a great inspiration to write…
Ha. So because Edmund’s vain, he’s thereby a useless alcoholic who can’t make any money … and sweet, humble Lukey is Mr. Perfect? Hilarious characterization.
Why does everyone think it’s so wrong to think your own body is attractive and to enjoy your own company and your own mind?
You are right… I think there is nothing wrong in being happy with yourself… I think Edmund here thought himself superior to all his friends, and that might have moved him in the wrong direction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superiority_complex
I agree with Adler.
So many ways to take a photo prompt, I wonder will Edmund ever learn.
I think it’s hard to learn that…
ah….the switch in terms of life’s realities Two brothers….and one has only the full length mirror. Excellent take on this!
Quick note Bjorn: Typo – “The didn’t meet again,” — think you want “they”.
Oh yes… A small typo – rushing to correct.
All in good friendship…. You are one fabulous guy!
Love this, Björn, clever, creative and spot on.
Thank you Penny… Did my best finding something new.
Wonderful read! Especially enjoyed your explanation.
DJ
Thank you.. I love finding myths and modernise them
Quite a family story you have drawn!
Familiar family..
I take the last sentence to mean that Edmund hasn’t really changed and he craves the mirror to reinforce his sense of superiority. Well done story.
But maybe he’s harmless when he’s just absorbed by himself
Very succinctly told story, Bjorn! Thanks. k.
Thank you.. 100 words is a nice limit.
in real world humble people rarely succeed
Neither the vain nor the humble will win the world.
Interesting take on the prompt. Sad that Edmund still craves only the mirror.
I think it’s the only thing giving him confidence.
I suppose it’s alright to have a mirror until, like most other things you let it take control of your life.
Nothing’s wrong with mirrors really, until you spend most of your time in front of it.
What a great, thought provoking story, and congratulations on the book!
Ha, enjoyed finding something like a metaphor in the image,
Dear Björn,
Quite a story. Having known a couple of Narcissists in my lifetime, I’d say that Edmund will never crave anything but the full length mirror. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
I think you’re right… But a mirror is better than having to find a mirror in someone else.
Edmund has a real problem, but Luke’s is worse – the responsibility will overwhelm him. Thanks for explaining how you got there from here!
I think Luke will always worry for his brother.
Some people will never learn, no matter what happens to them.
I think it’s hard to learn…
Interesting take on the prompt Bjorn. And interesting studies of the different characters. Well done.
Finding a new angle on the image is fun.. But for me this came out as the most obvious.. After all the daffodil is a narcissus
Great twin story (the second on FF this week). Love the way you used the pic as the metaphor.
Sometimes the metaphor is the one that strike me most in an image.
Ah, quite a Narcissus, indeed, your Edmund! Poor chap! All that beauty sure was a liability. In the end, all he wanted was a full-length mirror!
Truly, it’s better to be plain and unregarded — one can go about invisibly doing what one wants.
I do see the resemblance between your story and mine in terms of Narcissus! Nice connection, and thanks for stopping by my blog again!
And I loved your story, as I always love your stories!
🙂
Thank you.. It’s so fun to find those less obvious connections in a story,
Yes, indeed!
Outer beauty is such a fickle ally. It’s all downhill for poor Edmund, I’m afraid.
Maybe he’s a Dorian Gray and has a portrait aging somewhere.
This is great, Bjorn. I really like the symbolism of the full length mirror. It says so much. It’s not just any mirror. Only a full-length one will do. I think people like Edmund are never happy, because they’re looking in the wrong place. Excellent!
I think he would love to have yet another mirror if he could…
It doesn’t always work that way. Good guys don’t always get the breaks while the bad guys pay through the nose. It’s always a good idea, though, to reinforce that image in people’s heads in order to remind them of how things work out ultimately.
I think in reality Edmund could continue bullying people…
I’ve seen this play out. People who were so popular in high school and voted “Most Likely to Succeed” often flop, and the unnoticed wallflower goes on to become the next Bill Gates or Stephen King.
I think there are a lot of hidden late bloomers in a classroom ..
So often happens… not in MY case of course! 😉
Seriously, Anyone who puts his own beauty first and foremost will be the most disappointed in life.
I think he might also be the most insecure …
True…
Interesting.
😉
That’s actually one of my favorite archetypes.
Indeed.. Very easy to recognise
This is perfect. I’ve also been briefly thinking of Narcissus when I saw the picture, but then did something else. I love how you describe the two characters. There’s quite a difference between loving and accepting oneself, and ONLY loving oneself. I admire how you turned the theme of the mirror upside down by showing the exact opposite in his twin brother, like a mirror image he is similar, but not the same. And, like the picture of Dorian Gray, one will grow uglier with passing time and the other one will not, Luke will show true beauty, the beauty that comes from within.
I’ll stop now. 😉 And congrats on the book.
Thank you.. And yes I thought a little of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde must have been inspired by Narcissus…)
quite an intriguing take on the prompt. well done.
It seems like Edmund is addicted to mirrors and needs to rehab that addiction as well.
Really interesting modernization of a classic.
I love your take on the picture prompt! Intriguing tale! I also was intrigued by the title of your collaborative book and bought it. I look forward to reading your story as well as the others 🙂
That’s a very interesting idea – a twin for Narcissus. It’s perfectly structured. Very nice.
I hope Edmund gets over his excessive love of self. It certainly hasn’t brought him happiness. Well done, Bjorn. All the best on the sale of your book. 🙂 — Suzanne
A nice take on the prompt.