THE INVISIBLE DOUBLES [a conceptual story]
by Raymond Federman


Every human being -- or for that matter -- every living creature on this planet has an invisible double -- that double can either be benevolent or malevolent -- but the visible creature does not know if his or her or its invisible double is benevolent or malevolent -- the visible creatures of this planet -- as history has shown -- are either benevolent or malevolent - though it has been recorded in history books that on rare occasions a malevolent creature can suddenly become benevolent -- a case in point herr schindler -- and a benevolent creature can without any visible reason become malevolent -- for instance the case of a pet dog that suddenly bites the hand of his kind mistress while she is feeding him -- visible creatures have no way of knowing whether or not their ID is benevolent or malevolent -- but one day in the future a scientist invents a gizmo that reveals if an ID is benevolent or malevolent -- now the real story begins -- an organization known only as O is formed - under the leadership of the scientist -- known only as S -- who is a malevolent creature -- this O that controls the gizmo sets out to exterminate all the benevolent IDs so that it can be used by all the malevolent IDs to enslave all the visible creatures -- benevolent as well as malevolent -- but of course two visible human creatures -- known only a P6 & R9 -- have discovered what the O is doing and are trying to save the visible creatures of the planet from being enslaved -- P6 & R9 set out to destroy one by one the members of the O who have the gizmos that destroy the benevolent IDs -- the problem -- or rather one should say the crisis -- is that the O has discovered what P6 & R9 are doing and is pursuing them to destroy them before they destroy all the destroyers of IDs -- the great moment of suspense of this story -- the climax one should say -- in the fullest sense of the word -- comes when only one member of the O is left with the last gizmo -- of course the malevolent S -- and P6 & R9 -- who have fallen in love with one another in the course of their adventure -- are closing in on him -- but S is aware that they are coming for him -- and now comes the denouement -- however the outcome of the confrontation between S and P6 & R9 will not be revealed at this point so that the reader of this story can invent it --


Pub. March 2000

DRC