Doppelgänger
Is there another version of you in this world, living the life you've always wanted?
1
"Nina, I'm back from my business trip! Open the door—I can't find my keys!"
Late at night, I was jolted awake by knocking. Through the peephole, I saw Sean standing outside, dragging a suitcase, looking travel-worn.
But right now, wasn't he lying in our bedroom? Half a minute ago, I'd just climbed out of bed next to him. His familiar snoring still echoed in my ears...
I was dumbfounded. How could there be two Seans?
"Nina, did you hear me? Open up! Let me in!" The knocking grew more urgent, piercing in the dead of night...
The Sean in the bedroom came out, rubbing his eyes. "Who could it be at this hour?"
I couldn't speak. I just stared at him in horror.
He sensed something was wrong, hurried to the door, and pressed his eye to the peephole. His face went pale...
2
"He says he's Sean, just back from a business trip," I stammered. "If he's Sean, then who are you?"
"He's lying—I'm the real Sean!" he fumed. "That guy's a fraud, don't let him in!" He rushed over and started dragging the sofa to barricade the door.
But it was too late. The door swung open. The "Sean" outside had found his key and let himself in.
"Why are you just standing there? Why didn't you open the—" He stopped short, staring in shock. Because besides me, there was another person in the room—and that person looked exactly like him!
The two Seans stared at each other. The atmosphere was beyond eerie.
A real-life version of the true and false Monkey King was unfolding before my eyes.
"Who are you, and why are you in my home?" The "Sean" who'd just entered dropped his suitcase and lunged at the other.
The other "Sean" panicked, knocked him down with one punch, then yanked open the door and bolted...
Yes, he ran—like a startled rabbit, still wearing his pajamas and slippers.
The felled "Sean" scrambled up to give chase but couldn't catch him. He came back with only a single slipper.
I stood there, mouth agape.
3
A week earlier, Sean had left on a business trip to another city.
He traveled frequently for work, and after years of marriage, I'd grown accustomed to his absences.
I ran a bakery, and business was decent. I kept myself busy every day, and life felt full.
That evening after closing up, I walked home as usual. But halfway there, I had a strange feeling...
Someone was following me!
At a shop entrance, I pretended to adjust my clothes while checking the reflection in the glass. Sure enough, there was a furtive figure lurking behind me...
It was late, and the lighting was poor. I could barely make out that it was a man.
I wanted to run, but I feared he'd catch me. I wanted to scream, but there was no one around. Calling 110? The police wouldn't arrive fast enough...
In the end, I ducked into an alcove. When he came close, I ambushed him with my pepper spray.
He yelped and dodged, and in that moment, I caught a glimpse of his face.
4
"Sean, it's you?" I was stunned. "Aren't you away on a business trip?"
He blinked, then grinned. "I came back early to surprise you. Wife, your vigilance is impressive—I was being so careful, and you still spotted me."
"What surprise? I thought you were a creep!" I huffed. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? If that got in your eyes..."
"I'm fine, luckily I reacted fast," he said.
"Next time, don't play games like that—it's dangerous." I linked my arm through his. "Come on, let's go home."
"Okay," he said, with a glance that seemed to carry deeper meaning. "Home. Let's go home."
For the next two days, we were inseparable. He said the trip had exhausted him and he needed rest; he told me to skip the bakery and stay home with him. Worried about interruptions, he even switched off both our phones.
Everything about his behavior seemed completely normal. I didn't suspect a thing. The only slight difference was that he seemed... clingier than usual.
Not strange, though—absence makes the heart grow fonder!
5
"He looked just like you, and had all the same habits," I said, still shaken. "Who could have guessed he was an impostor?"
"I couldn't reach you for two days, and I was worried something had happened, so I came back early," Sean said with a frown. "This imposter is really good—he even had me fooled for a moment. Let's call the police right now, before he gets too far!"
The police arrived quickly and carefully investigated the scene. They extracted hair samples from the bed and sent them for testing.
Soon, the results came back. The man's DNA was identical to Sean's.
According to scientists, no two people on Earth have completely identical genes—even identical twins have many genetic differences.
Sean and I were both dumbfounded.
"Our investigation found no trace of a third person in your home," the lead detective said, scratching his head in bewilderment. "Tell me, are you two sure you weren't just dreaming?"
"Impossible," Sean protested. "I was out of town on business all week. The man who lived with my wife for two days was definitely someone else!"
His itinerary was easily verified, and plenty of people could vouch for his whereabouts...
Even the police were stumped.
No one could explain what had happened...
6
When the police couldn't help, we had to figure it out ourselves.
Sean searched online and actually found something.
"Doppelgänger!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I've got it—it must be a doppelgänger!"
"A what?"
The word "doppelgänger" came from the German term meaning "double walker." A doppelgänger referred to another version of oneself—you could think of it as a "double." The original and the double were both independent and inseparable.
Legend had it that many historical figures had encountered their doppelgängers—Abraham Lincoln, the Japanese author Ryunosuke Akutagawa, and Catherine the Great of Russia...
"Maybe everyone has a doppelgänger," Sean mused. "But you can only see them under certain circumstances."
"You mean I have one too?" I shuddered. "That's terrifying. I hope she never shows up!" Just imagining coming face-to-face with a living replica of myself was enough to give me nightmares.
"Who'd want to see theirs? It's like seeing a ghost!" Sean grumbled. "But some things are beyond our control—just like this building's broken elevator, who knows when it'll break down next!"
7
"Why did the doppelgänger suddenly appear? What did it want?" I was perplexed.
"If I knew that, life would be a lot easier!" Sean sighed. "The doppelgänger has all the original's memories, but the original can't read the doppelgänger's thoughts! Otherwise, I'd have known about his existence long ago."
"How do we tell the original and the doppelgänger apart?" I asked.
"You can take a photo—apparently, doppelgängers don't show up in pictures. Since they're essentially phantoms, they don't belong to this world." Sean checked his phone. "That's what the internet says, though who knows if it's true. Let's try it—it might work."
I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a few shots of him.
Thank heavens—he appeared in the photos.
I thought for a moment, then held up my phone and took a selfie.
Whew—I was in the photos too.
From then on, I developed a habit of photographing everything. Whenever Sean was out of my sight for even a moment, I'd snap a photo to verify his identity. Even if I woke up in the middle of the night, I'd point my phone at his face and take a few shots...
I was terrified of being fooled by that imposter again!
8
One day, a customer came into the bakery.
It was Simon, Sean's best friend. They were childhood buddies who'd grown up together.
Today was his girlfriend's birthday, and he'd come to order a cake. He produced a ring and asked me to hide it inside, saying he planned to propose to his girlfriend of three years at the celebration.
Whenever he mentioned his girlfriend, his face lit up. Even a blind person could see how much he adored her.
After Simon left, I drifted over to the chair he'd just vacated, touching it absently, lost in thought for a long time...
There was someone in my heart. Someone impossible.
That someone was Simon.
Over the years, I'd had the same dream over and over. In it, I walked down the aisle with him, radiant in my wedding gown, the train sweeping across the red carpet like a peacock fanning its tail...
But in reality, Simon only ever had eyes for women who sparkled. As for me—just a Cinderella—I'd ended up with the equally ordinary Sean.