THE MIRROR DARKENS: SHORT STORY COLLECTION

Abstract

Creative and speculative fiction has the potential to depict humanity in all of its glory, with beautiful and ugly honesty. In creating this thesis, I aim to explore the potential horror of isolation and guilt in a refreshing way, all while showcasing my evolution as an aspiring author. This particular short story collection - consisting of four works - is an exploration of the space between villainy and redemption, love and hate, morality and survival, and light and darkness. The collection, as a unit, is meant to show the dangerously thin lines between these spaces of being and grip the readers. And so, each story shall build upon the last and show how the character's choices have led them to their ends, or new beginnings. By the end, it is my main hope that people will enjoy the experience of reading all of the stories and find something that piques their interests. Ultimately, the goal of this collection is to humanize those affected by the darkness of their own lives, with genre elements, like horror, fantasy, mystery, and thriller. Technically speaking, this collection shall be an entry point into longer pieces and a fuller, more complete series of short stories that I plan to build on in the future.