Feel-Good Story 단편 소설 & Hypocrisy Detective 소설

A group of anglers organizes a night fishing trip to a mysterious reservoir. The entry fee is 500 dollars per person, with a guarantee of reeling in a massive catch that's at least 100 pounds. Feeling the lone ten-dollar bill in my pocket, I put on a pitiful act in the group chat. "My mom keeps me on a tight leash. You guys go get rich." That night, my social media feed is flooded with their posts. Photos of wild catches that are as big as a grown man's arms, as well as stacks of cold, hard cash from their so-called haul. Chowing down on cheap street-side tacos, I scoff. "Even the gods can't make the fish bite at high noon. Careful you don't trade your life for that payday." Come next morning, a hysterical mob of wives—seven of them in total—descends on my front door, screaming and wailing. "Was Vince with you last night?" "They're all gone! The men, their cars, everything—gone! Their last known location was right by your apartment!" The lead detective slaps the cuffs on me. As it turns out, that reservoir has been completely dry for the last 30 years.

My stepmother insisted that she was a mermaid. I first saw her at my mother's funeral. She wore a glittering fishtail dress and bright red lipstick. "Your mother was beaten to death by your father? How pitiful. "I'm not a pushover like her. If your father lays a finger on me, the sea will help me kill him." At first, my father was completely obsessed with her. She loved water, so the house was filled with humidifiers, and the mold growing on the walls was horrifying. She also ate fish with every meal, leaving the entire house reeking of fish. One day, I couldn't take it anymore and complained to my father about my stepmother. He kicked me so hard that I flew across the room. But later, my father cheated on her. My stepmother took me by the hand and went to demand money for our living expenses, but he beat her viciously. I saw a murderous hatred in my stepmother's eyes. The next day, my father was found dead in his room in a gruesome state. All that surrounded him was a puddle of water and fish scales scattered across the floor. My stepmother had vanished without a trace.

There are certain things one should never mess with. Like someone else's final exam revision notes, for example. Or a life-saving online calculus course. And a chicken curry meal ordered by a college student who has been starving for eight whole hours.