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101 Words

101 Word Short Stories

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Carbon Copy

July 20, 2021 25 Comments

By Kelly Louisa Balliu

“Look what’s just arrived,” exclaims my husband, pulling me eagerly into the bedroom.

I gasp at the apparition in porcelain sitting on the rocking chair. Wiry black hair is piled onto its head, the thin body dressed in her trademark bottle green. Glass eyes appear to gloat, whilst the ruby red mouth is painted into a sneer.

“It’s almost as if she never left,” he continues, as my skin prickles at the eerie replica of his mother. The attention to detail is unflinchingly accurate. A diseased heart may have seen her off, but Dolls Like Us brought her back to life.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Derek says

    July 20, 2021 at 7:27 am

    Terrifying!

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 20, 2021 at 7:35 am

      Thank you Derek!

      Reply
  2. Jeff says

    July 20, 2021 at 8:03 am

    Why would you do that? Ah, fiction!

    Reply
  3. Mary says

    July 20, 2021 at 10:54 am

    Brilliantly creepy.

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 20, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      Glad you thought so, Mary 🙂

      Reply
  4. Anna says

    July 20, 2021 at 11:43 am

    Scary wonderful ! Well written.

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 20, 2021 at 12:47 pm

      That means alot. Thanks Anna 🙂

      Reply
  5. Lesley says

    July 20, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    I was not expecting the doll! Well written. Thanks Kelly

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 20, 2021 at 12:58 pm

      Always expect the unexpected.. Thanks Lel 🙂

      Reply
  6. Liz Falkner says

    July 20, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    Truly FRIGHT-full…. congratulations!

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 20, 2021 at 4:48 pm

      Thanks Liz! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
  7. ren says

    July 20, 2021 at 5:18 pm

    creepy! I love it!

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 20, 2021 at 6:10 pm

      Thanks so much for the feedback, ren 🙂

      Reply
  8. TJ says

    July 20, 2021 at 9:49 pm

    Ahh, this could be a movie or short film!

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 21, 2021 at 2:51 am

      Thanks TJ 🙂 🙂

      Reply
  9. Maca says

    July 21, 2021 at 9:14 am

    Dolls are creepy, thanks for the well written reminder! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 21, 2021 at 3:25 pm

      Especially those resembling people you wouldn’t want to remember! Thanks Maca 🙂

      Reply
  10. Fran Scott says

    July 21, 2021 at 10:56 am

    The first line made me think the story might veer into something … romantic but you steered to something quite eerie at the end. Brilliant.

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 21, 2021 at 3:30 pm

      Thank you Fran. Glad you liked the unpredictability of it 🙂

      Reply
  11. Casey says

    July 21, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    Oh my…. So well-executed! I had no idea where that was leading. Love it!

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      July 22, 2021 at 2:57 am

      Thanks for reading and commenting, Casey! So glad you liked it and overwhelmed by all the positive feedback from everyone 🙂

      Reply
  12. Amanda Barusch says

    July 22, 2021 at 5:44 pm

    Wonderful to see that this terrific story is getting such a great reception. Maybe it’ll grow into a longer format someday.

    Reply
  13. Indra Raj Pathak says

    July 23, 2021 at 1:42 am

    What a beauty ingrained in your expression, Kelly. Selection of words is amazingly exciting.

    Reply
  14. Charly says

    July 27, 2021 at 12:43 pm

    Well, this was deeply unsettling! Brilliantly done.

    Reply
  15. Michael says

    August 11, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    Delightfully creepy!

    Reply

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