
It Must Be A Twin Thing
Elaine was four the first time I took her to the beach. She was utterly captivated by the experience. Elaine danced across the wet sand, staring down at her reflection as it mimicked every one of her moves. She loved the rock pools, spending hours searching for the prettiest shells, pieces of sea glass, and ammonites. She loved throwing pebbles into the water and watching the ripples expand in ever-widening circles.
On our fourth day, we stayed on the beach until later in the evening. The beach was quiet other than the gentle shushing of the waves against the shore. I was content reading my book while basking in the evening sunlight.
I became aware of Elaine chattering to herself and realised that her conversation was one-sided. Was she talking to someone I couldn’t see?
“Look,” she said, “This one is so pretty.”
A pause.
“Yes, yours is pretty too. Do you want to swap?” Elaine placed a shell in the pool and giggled. “That tickled!” she laughed.
She fumbled in her pile of treasures and pulled out a piece of green sea glass. “This one is the same colour as our eyes,” she said.
Curiosity got the better of me. I dropped my book onto my towel and crossed to the rock pool where Elaine played.
“Who are you talking to, darling?” I asked.
“Jenny,” she said and pointed to the pool.
The blood went cold in my veins. “Who’s Jenny?” I asked tentatively.
“She’s my friend,” she said, “And she looks exactly like me. She’s the best friend I ever had.” She passed her hand over her gently rippling reflection with affection in her eyes.
I sat heavily on the sand, pulling Elaine into my arms and burying my face into her hair to hide my tears. Memories flooded back to the day of Elaine’s birth. Her birth and that of her identical twin sister. Jennifer had never taken a breath.
I’d tell Elaine one day when she was old enough to understand. But in her heart, I believed she already knew. It must be a twin thing.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleTo give you a chance to read the culmination to Elaine’s story, I have put the 3000 word short story ‘The Book’ on Kindle Unlimited for a while. For those who don’t have KU, I have put the story on free promotion from tomorrow, 3rd April, until Friday 7th April. These are the Amazon links: UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Carrie-OLeary-ebook/dp/B08QW9Q2RK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BGP086OHBGGK&keywords=The+book+carrie+oleary&qid=1680448476&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+book+carrie+oleary%2Cdigital-text%2C97&sr=1-1 US: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Carrie-OLeary-ebook/dp/B08QW9Q2RK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2XSMPIGYE9VWQ&keywords=The+book+carrie+oleary&qid=1680448455&sprefix=the+book+carrie+oleary%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1 If you do read it, I’d be so grateful if you do a… Read more »
Carrie, this is a lovely, touching story. I’ve always believed that twins have a very special bond that others may not understand. This was a pleasure to read.
Thanks, Marianna. I don’t know whether or not you remember my short story, The Book, but Elaine and Jenny share an even more special bond than other sets of twins. This prompt was the perfect opportunity to explore how Elaine first met her ‘imaginary friend’.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleHello Carrie – This story is one of your best! I could just see the little girl dancing with her own reflection, playing with her imaginary friend. The ending was really surprising – and a great revelation! I haven’t read your short story about the twins – is it published somewhere else?
Hi Fuji, thank you, it’s a bit of a story that’s close to my heart as it came together after talking to several patients who had lost a twin sibling during my nursing career, witnessing a twin stillbirth as a student nurse, and learning about conjoined twins. ‘The Book’ is currently published as a standalone short story on Amazon. It’s only 3000 words, but was one of the stories that was highly… Read more »
Carrie, you effortlessly describe a child’s simple joy and nature and then wham, a scary realisation for the Mum.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you, Margarida, it was certainly a startling revelation for my protagonist, one that she will have to live with for most of Elaine’s childhood.
Carrie, this is very touching and moving. The twin still connected to each other in a very special way. Your ending also surprised me. Awesome read.
Thank you, Lotchie. This story was inspired by a short story I wrote a few years ago. This prompt was a good way to explore how Elaine first met Jenny. Jenny actually calls Elaine ‘Laini’ all the way through childhood and although Jenny is aware she’s her twin, she never reveals it to Elaine until she feels it’s important later on in life. The short story, although only 3000 words, took me… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleYou’re always welcome, Carrie. I wish to read more stories of Elaine in the future.
Hi, Lotchie. I don’t know if you saw my pinned post, but I’ve put my short story ‘The Book’ on Kindle Unlimited for a while and it should also be free to buy on Amazon until tomorrow. This is the end of Elaine’s story—it’s only 3000 words, but it was one of the highly commended stories in the Michael Terence Publishing competition in 2020, so it’s one I’m quite proud of! I… Read more »
Hello, Carrie. I am so sorry for the late response. Thank you so much.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThis story really pulls at the heart strings, Carrie. I’ve read ‘The Book’ and thoroughly recommend it.
Thank you, Linda, and for the recommendation. It’s always gratifying when someone enjoys a story that’s close to your heart 😶
My friend is a twin whose sibling brother died at five days old. Her parents nor anyone else in the immediate family told her. She found out when her estranged godfather died when she was 42 years old. She said she had always felt empty and. was constantly searching for ‘something’ but didn’t know what. Her mother was unable to talk about it but her father did and both he and my… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThanks for commenting, Cosby. That is just the type of story I used to hear when talking to other ‘left behind’ twins; that sense of something missing. Those who knew they had a twin from a young age could understand the feeling of loss. Those who didn’t know had feelings that they could never understand unless they were given the information that would fill the gaps. It’s a fascinating subject, and perhaps… Read more »
I always love stories that center around twin bonds. It’s so fascinating that one person can be so connected to another, even when one of them is no longer there! Beautifully written!
Thanks, Emily. Of course you already know the end of the story and the true extent of the bond between Jenny and ‘Laini’, but it really is a fascinating subject and there have been studies done around it.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI enjoyed the idea in this story Carrie. As identical twins split from the same egg they must each have a bit of the other in them.
Thank you, Julian. If you have have KU you can read the original 3000 word story ‘The Book’ that inspired this story and see just how close the link is between the two girls. I don’t want to give anything away here in case people do want to read the original story. The links are pinned at the top 🙂
I read your story with great interest, Carrie, partly because I am an identical twin myself. It’s strange and fascinating that a twin who has lost their sister/brother still can sense their presence and communicate with them. You illustrated that in a very powerful way. If one of us brothers wouldn’t have made it, it would have been me, since I was so weak that I had to stay for some time… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you so much for your comment, Christer. One thing that I picked up from talking to twins was the need to put space between them as they grew up and to find their own individuality. I do hope that you enjoy ‘The Book’ if you do pick it up, not that it’s a happy story, more of an emotional journey!
Carrie, I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet tale, entailing Elaine’s connection to her unknowing twin. I loved it.
Thank you, Deborah, I’m glad you enjoyed this one because Elaine’s eventual story was a lot of years in the making. It’s one that is close to my heart.
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