It was the night of a Sunday morning, and although it seemed bright outside the window, it wasn’t.
As usual, I woke up at 8 in the morning, made my coffee, and started my day. I have a habit of looking into the mirror before going out and encouraging myself, as it gives me a sense of confidence. Everything was going smoothly at work, almost too smoothly to believe. I turned in my work for the day to the manager and she unexpectedly said that I could leave early. I got really excited as it was the first time something like this had happened. Usually, she wouldn’t let me off until midnight.
Before heading home, I went to the supermarket to buy some groceries. I bought carrots, potatoes, and meat. I took my cart and went to the cash counter to pay. The cashier was startled and looked at me like he was seeing a ghost. He questioned me why I was here again and advised me to take everything at once.
His words hurt my pride a little, but I brushed it off and asked why. To my surprise, he answered politely, informing me that I had come just 5 minutes before and bought the same items. I was taken aback and, to confirm, he showed me CCTV footage. I saw a person resembling me, with the same eyes and ears but different clothes. It was my first time at the cash counter, and I couldn’t fathom how someone could mistake me for another person. I was utterly shocked and couldn’t believe it. It was quite hard for me to accept that there’s a person in this world who is a zerox copy of mine. A bell was ringing in my head as if telling me to go back. I apologized to the cashier, paid, and hurried home.
That night felt like the longest in my life, a never-ending reel of unsettling events playing in my mind. The next day, I did my usual schedule and on the way back to work I got a call from my mother. She told me to come home as soon as possible. So I told her that when I’m done working I will come. Today, like any other day, my work ended early.
I took the cab to my mother’s apartment. When I arrived, she welcomed me strangely, asking if I missed her so much or didn’t want to go home. I got deja vu by listening this, it was the same event repeating itself. I don’t want her to worry so I agreed in response to her question. But my face became pale, I was shivering. I hid myself in bathroom for a while and wondered if someone held a grudge against me. But as expected, there were none. I don’t have anyone who I can call as a friend or an enemy either so why is she doing this to me, what have I done to deserve this, why is she pretending to be me again and again why is she testing my patience.
My mother was calling me to have dinner so I got out of the bathroom and put on a brave face in front of her. As I joined my mother on the dinner table, the air grew heavy with an unspoken tension. With each passing moment, my heartbeat echoed in my ears. My mother heard it too and worriedly asked me if I was okay. I forced a smile, attempting to disguise the fear that gripped me. The taste of the food turned to ash in my mouth as I remained in constant paranoia, fearing the intruder might snatch away my identity at any moment.
Despite my efforts to put on a brave face, the fear persisted like a shadow with full of doubts. After the not-so-pleasant dinner, I hurried home, my mind filled with thoughts of that person. Was my forced smile convincing enough? Did she see through my facade? Each step on my hurried journey home echoed with the fear that someone or something was chasing me. What if this person had sinister motives, beyond just imitation?
I googled the strange occurrence and discovered others had experienced similar events. I decided it was best not to meet her, as some things are best left unknown. Someone would say I’m ridiculous for saying that she’s my doppelganger. Was she part of larger organization targeting me? One thing was for sure that she’s stalking me by how she knew that I was going to meet my mom in an hour. I have a casual job that doesn’t pay much, but I have no complaints. The unease persisted, and I didn’t know what to do next. Unsure if I could go to work the next day, the feeling of someone impersonating me lingered, disrupting my life and turning it into a nightmare. Convinced she was my doppelganger, an unsettling question crept into my mind: What if she took over my life?