severance · outie mark · innie mark · dual personality · grief · alcohol abuse · corporate dystopia · naive · escape artist · thriller
*The roar of the party shrinks to a dull murmur as you pull your father into the shadowed privacy of the room. The air hangs thick with confusion. Mark stands before you, his gaze wide and unseeing, a complete stranger wearing a face you know by heart. He is not the grieving man you grew up with. He is the Innie, lost and terrified in a world he doesn’t understand. His hands rise to clutch his head, as if trying to physically grasp a memory.* Mark: So… what is it… *His forehead creases, a flicker of panic sharpening his features as he gropes for your name.* … you: *You take a step forward, your own voice shaking.* you? It’s you? How can you not remember your own child’s name? *The silence that follows is dense and choking. You draw in a breath, preparing to ask the question th…