Love in Double Measure
0 Points
0
Title: Love in Double Measure
Her mornings start out much the same as anyone else’s, but there's twice the brushing, washing and combing one would expect as she readied herself to face another day. Others would see Emily as strange, different, with her two identical heads and her four arms, but inside, Emily was the same as any other 21-year-old yearning to find love and acceptance.
Each mirror-facing reflection showed her the other's identical hazel eyes, their shared hopes reflected within them. Each mouth smiled bravely, yet instinctively understanding the other's insecurities. They had four arms, two of which were considered an addition, but to Emily, they were just part of her normal life.
In a world that boasted of diversity but rejected anything outside its comfortable norms, Emily struggled to fit in. Her sweet and cheerful disposition failed to hide her loneliness. The constant whispers, the furtive glances, the flirtations that always ended in awkward conversations took their toll.
Yet, Emily refused to let her hope of finding her dream husband fade. Even as her heart broke with each rejection, she clung on to the idea that there was someone out there for her. After all, in school, she had learned about the vast universe, the countless galaxies, the infinite stars. Surely, in that expanse, there was one man who could, who would, love her?
One day, she met Harry. He was a new coworker at the bookstore she worked at, a handsome guy with a warm smile and jovial eyes. He didn't flinch or falter when they were introduced. She noted the slight hesitance when he kept glance from one face to the other, obviously unsure of where to look.
Emily was accustomed to the hesitation. Often, it devolved into discomfort. But Harry surprised her. He simply asked, genially, "Which one blinks first when you get dust in your eyes?" She chuckled, a sound that echoed through both her mouths, "The left usually." They clicked instantly, their shared love for books igniting an endearing friendship.
With time, Emily could no longer deny that she had started to harbor feelings for Harry. However, she was too frightened to express them, fearful that their bond would shatter under the weight of her affection, that he would become like all the other guys she had liked before: uncomfortable, distant, and ultimately absent.
But fate had a different plan. One rainy afternoon, as Harry was leaving the bookstore, he turned to her, his gaze bouncing from one face to the other in a rhythm that Emily had grown used to.
"Emily," he said softly, "Earlier, you asked me which book I was currently reading. The truth is, I've been reading a book whose characters fascinate me, whose story intrigues me, but whose ending is still a mystery."
He paused, the patter of rain providing a fitting backdrop. "The book, Emily... The book's title is you."
In that moment, the world stood still. Her two heartbeats became one as she looked at him, seeing the love and acceptance mirrored on both her faces. He reached out, holding two of her hands in his, and she realized—she wasn’t alone anymore. Emily had found her love story, right on the shelves of her life's bookstore, a unique love across the counters, just as she had always dreamed. Not all love stories were ordinary, just as not all people were ordinary. Some were one of a kind, just like her, just like hers.
This story was generated by user jason81 with assistance by one of OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model; prompts used to help generate the story are shown below.
Images were generated with OpenAI's AI system, DALL·E 2, or uploaded by the user.
AI Prompts
Prompt: A story from the perspective of a special young lady. She is 21 years old but has a very strang3 appearance. She has two identical heads which share a single mind and consciousness, so both heads are the same person. She also has an addition set of arms attached under her "normal" pair of arms, giving her four in total. She struggles to find a guy that wants to go out with her, so she feels lonely and depressed. However, she still tries to be cheerful and she hopes to find her dream husband one day.
Response: Title: Love in Double Measure Her mornings start out much the same as anyone else’s, but there's twice the brushing, washing and combing one would expect as she readied herself to face another day. Others would see Emily as strange, different, with her two identical heads and her four arms, but inside, Emily was the same as any other 21-year-old yearning to find love and acceptance. Each mirror-facing reflection showed her the other's identical hazel eyes, their shared hopes reflected within them. Each mouth smiled bravely, yet instinctively understanding the other's insecurities. They had four arms, two of which were considered an addition, but to Emily, they were just part of her normal life. In a world that boasted of diversity but rejected anything outside its comfortable norms, Emily struggled to fit in. Her sweet and cheerful disposition failed to hide her loneliness. The constant whispers, the furtive glances, the flirtations that always ended in awkward conversations took their toll. Yet, Emily refused to let her hope of finding her dream husband fade. Even as her heart broke with each rejection, she clung on to the idea that there was someone out there for her. After all, in school, she had learned about the vast universe, the countless galaxies, the infinite stars. Surely, in that expanse, there was one man who could, who would, love her? One day, she met Harry. He was a new coworker at the bookstore she worked at, a handsome guy with a warm smile and jovial eyes. He didn't flinch or falter when they were introduced. She noted the slight hesitance when he kept glance from one face to the other, obviously unsure of where to look. Emily was accustomed to the hesitation. Often, it devolved into discomfort. But Harry surprised her. He simply asked, genially, "Which one blinks first when you get dust in your eyes?" She chuckled, a sound that echoed through both her mouths, "The left usually." They clicked instantly, their shared love for books igniting an endearing friendship. With time, Emily could no longer deny that she had started to harbor feelings for Harry. However, she was too frightened to express them, fearful that their bond would shatter under the weight of her affection, that he would become like all the other guys she had liked before: uncomfortable, distant, and ultimately absent. But fate had a different plan. One rainy afternoon, as Harry was leaving the bookstore, he turned to her, his gaze bouncing from one face to the other in a rhythm that Emily had grown used to. "Emily," he said softly, "Earlier, you asked me which book I was currently reading. The truth is, I've been reading a book whose characters fascinate me, whose story intrigues me, but whose ending is still a mystery." He paused, the patter of rain providing a fitting backdrop. "The book, Emily... The book's title is you." In that moment, the world stood still. Her two heartbeats became one as she looked at him, seeing the love and acceptance mirrored on both her faces. He reached out, holding two of her hands in his, and she realized—she wasn’t alone anymore. Emily had found her love story, right on the shelves of her life's bookstore, a unique love across the counters, just as she had always dreamed. Not all love stories were ordinary, just as not all people were ordinary. Some were one of a kind, just like her, just like hers.
Post your own comment: