Doppelganger
I just passed myself gliding by in a black gondola.
The unimaginable has happened. I, Carla Adelasia Menotti, just encountered an identical Carla Adelasia Menotti, smiling menacingly at me from a black-draped gondola. She was not l’imitatore, the impersonator who has become famous for imitating me. She was not an adoring fan dressed up as me. She was – and I do not and cannot lie – me. I was close enough to touch her. When our boats were side by side, she lunged for me, but I drew away in horror. If she ever succeeds in touching me, I am fini.
As soon as she passed us, I start with the questions. “Did you see her?” I ask my gondolier Marco, a family friend who doubles as my bodyguard. He looks at me in surprise. “I saw nothing,” he insists. “Who wants me dead?” “No one, signora. You are beloved by the world.” He has been trained to flatter me, but this time I want the truth. “Perhaps that evil man, my husband? He has always been jealous of my popularity. Perhaps he wants the fame for himself.” “He is devoted to you. As we all are, bella.” Sometimes Marco is too familiar, but right now I could use a little adoration. I give him a radiant smile.
I relax a little, trailing my slim, elegant fingers in the water. We’re on our way to a private film screening. Everyone who matters will be there. As always, I will be the unsurpassed star. Perhaps I’m just a bit nervous, imagining things. That gondola – it didn’t exist, did it? I look up and down the canal and see nothing but the usual tourists and city travelers. I breathe a sigh of relief. We’re almost to the landing. Then, from nowhere, a splashing of oars, my own throaty laugh.
“Holy Mother of God! Faster, Marco, faster!” He tries, but cannot escape the black spectre, my dark twin. The funeral-draped gondola is inches away.
Carla Adelasia Menotti leans forward to touch me. “Padre nostro, che sei nei cieli,” I pray frantically, pleading.
Comments without a personalized avatar will not be published.
To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThe final lines (“Then, from nowhere…”) spur the imagination and abruptly refigure the narrator, intimating a person deeper than the public personality. Does death restore us to ourselves and thus arrive in the guise of the self?

Wow! I absolutely loved this tale of the adored diva who will succumb to herself. One wonders if the doppelganger exists or it’s just her fame about to devour her. Her final prayer is a touch of genius. Will it be answered?
Let’s just hope God hears Italian, Greene. Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback! It just made my day.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleLo sentira’ Fuji! After all God invented languages after the Babel tower right?
Chuckle. Certo, certo, Greene! I was kidding. ?
A powerful story, Fuji. Like Greene, I wondered if the doppelganger was really there or just her own fears. Perhaps she will be fini, or maybe she will learn a lesson in humility. Well done 🙂
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThanks for your comment, Sandra! I read Daphne du Maurier’s “Don’t Look Now” as a teenager and never forgot the terrifying horror of the secret stairways and canals of Venice. I didn’t consciously think of that story until I had finished mine, but then I saw how I had carried Venice in my bones so to speak for all those decades, wanting to write something scary in that atmosphere. It’s up to… Read more »
As always a thoroughly and masterfully executed story by your hand, Fuji. The ambiance of the Venetian setting, the Italian Bible quotations and the successful star with her thoughts are all there, so well pictured. I also love it that you leave the outcome and explanation of the situation to the reader’s imagination. It’s kind of Hitchcock-ish.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comments, Christer. Yes, I feel strongly about not saying what happened next. This is not a story that is begging for a continuation. Thanks above all for the comparison to Alfred Hitchcock, one of my heroes!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleAfter I wrote my comment to you, Fuji, I saw a quotation by Alfred Hitchchock that you might enjoy too. He said: “There is no terror in the bang. Only in the anticipation of it.”
I thought that first sentence was absolutely gripping – the diva seeing her own funeral. I also got the reference to that haunting story and film ‘Don’t Look Now’. When I finally travelled to Venice I saw so many sinister corners and hints at long buried or drowned secrets that reminded me of them. You really nailed the atmosphere!
Thank you Clare! That first sentence was kind of a gift from the muse. I knew I wanted to set a mystery in Venice, and also knew I wanted to write about a Doppelganger, but I had thought the twin would be chasing her through those sinister corners and narrow streets. When I sat down to write, however, the black gondola typed itself. How wonderful that you’ve been to Venice. I’m thrilled… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleLike Greene and Sandra, I also wonder if there really is a doppelganger or is she just having an illusion of fear. But whatever the answer is, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that she did not forget to pray and ask for God’s help. That’s wonderful. Good job.
Well, Lotchie, each reader can decide what they want the story to mean for them! Thanks for reading, and thanks for wondering.
You’re welcome, Fuji.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleWhat a cliffhanger this is Fuji. I would absolutely love to know what happens nest. Great atmosphere and pacing throughout, I particularly love that moment of apparent calm, just before it picks up for the finale. Well done.
Hello Carrie. As I told Lotchie, whatever happens next is up to you, the reader. There may be dozens of different endings, depending on the readers imagination and hidden desires! ?
Congratulations Fuji, great story.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThanks, Carrie.
Congratulations, Fuji! This is so scary. It leaves so many questions.
Congratulations Fuji. A gripping story and I love how you leave so much to our imagination.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThanks, Linda, and special thanks for appreciating the value of leaving so much unsaid.
Congratulations on your win, Fuji.
Thanks, Lotchie.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleYou’re welcome.
Well done Fuji! I am thrilled for you and it’s truly deserved so many congratulations!