16 years ago, 2-year-old Louise McSweeney was taken from her home, during the night.
She hasn't been seen by her family since.
The police retrieved no leads, and the case was closed after 3 years without any luck.
NOTE: THIS STORY IS 100% FICTIONAL.
AND YES, I KNOW IT'S A STRANGE STORY, I WROTE IT IN LIKE TEN MINUTES.. FOR SOME REASON, BUT HERE IT IS!
"And where can I take you to, Ma'am?"
"Oakwood Drive, please."
"Sure, hop in." the taxi-driver opened the backdoor to allow the young woman to enter.
"So...." the taxi-driver was trying to make conversation whilst keeping his eyes on the road, "What brings you to London?"
"I'm coming home." she replied, quietly.
"I see.... my name's Bruce by the way, Bruce Dagnall."
"Nice to meet you, Bruce." the woman forced a weak smile.
"And, what would your name be?"
"Ahem," she cleared her throat, "My name is Louise, Louise McSweeney."
"Thankyou very much for the ride, Bruce. How much will it be?"
"No, no, no, don't you worry about it Miss McSweeney, you run home, this one's on the house." Bruce wiped a few tears of joy from his rosey cheeks, he was glad to see the young girl returning home after all these years.
"Oh thankyou so, so much Bruce." Louise hugged the emotional man, and kissed him on the cheek and ran off down the street.
"Say hi to your mother for me!" Bruce shouted down to her.
Louise checked the grand oak door, yep it was #26, the right house. She rang the doorbell, and took in many deep breaths.
"Oh, hello" said the elderly lady behind the doorway, "how can I help you?"
"Mum.."
Mrs. McSweeney stood motionless with bulging eyes, could this be her daughter? The daughter she hadn't seen in 16 years, since she was nothing more than an infant?
She had the same colour hair as she had when she was two, a dark ginger. And her eyes, oh her eyes where just like they were all those years ago, only bigger and perhaps even more beautiful.
"Louise, honey, you're home!"
The pair found themselves locked in eachother's embrace; crying, laughing and sharing kisses and hugs.
This wide eyed, ginger haired girl wasn't really Mrs. McSweeney's daughter, but none the less she was going to spend the rest of her days acting like it.
Really, she was Liam Daniels, a young boy from Scotland who found himself on the edge of a cliff-face ready to jump after his life fell apart through a series of unspeakable events.
But, after discovering the body of a young girl who he found to be 'Louise McSweeney' on that very cliff-face he had a change of heart.
This was the young girl who went missing a long time ago, and unfortunately she was now deceased.
But what was the point in losing two lives and ruining many others?
He could fill her place, giving him a second chance at life as well as ending her parents' personal hell.
He reburied the young girl's body, deeper this time, so deep she should never be discovered. And with her body, he buried the soul of Liam Daniels, so that the soul of Louise McSweeney could live on through him.
I'm not saying what he did was right. But was it, though?
Comments
I like it
Thank you for this. A very interesting story with a twist at the end. Nicely done.
What happened
RAMI
What cuased the death of the original Louise. Obviously, she must have been older then 2 when she died, and somehow she still had the necessary documents on her to enable Liam, to take over her identity. Is this wrong? I guess we could debate that! Will the deception be found out? Only if someone decides the circumstances are too strange.
RAMI
RAMI
Good Story, interesting situation
My first thought was, is he a con artist, or a wonderful person who brought joy to another? I suppose it depends on what happened after the story. Does she become a loving, dutiful daughter, and make her Mum proud? Or take advantage of her "parents"? I hope that it's the first one (which seems to be the case, as the story says he was going to act as Louise for the rest of her days. So I think it was for the best, in the end.
Just my opinion, of course!
Wren
Very good for 10 mins. Alesha
However if the young boy was say 11-12 at the time he found Louise that would make him 27 minimum?
Still a big stretch of my imagination makes it believable.
Thank you.
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
Not the twist I was even
Not the twist I was even close to expecting, but i enjoyed it anyway...
Mark
It Doesn't Sound as Though...
...Louise was still two years old when she died. Makes me wonder whether whoever kidnapped her killed her years later because she ran away to try and find her mother. There's no indication that Liam had been living under Louise's name for long before the "reunion".
That scenario brings up almost as many questions as the other one does, of course.
Eric
Sparing others pain.
I hope that the deception is never discovered.
Nice short story.
Gwendolyn
Coming Home
How far did he go to become her? Did he have the surgery to complete the transformation?
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
If it brings joy then ...
What Liam did was not morally wrong, Louise McSweeney was already dead when he found her. Her murderer is the one who must answer for her death. The hows, the wheres and whys are of no further consequence. The myriad complicated circumstances surrounding Liam's establishment of Louise's identity are also of little consequence here.. He did and that's that.
His using Louise's identity to make a new life that will bring happiness to others and himself is a constructive act of kindness that hopefully will bring joy to others. His hardest task will be constructing a fiction to cover 16 years of absence.
As to the legal aspects, well, I for one have little love or trust of the law. It serves the needy ill whilst filling the practitioner's deep pockets to overflowing. What the law doesn't learn the law can't act upon and there is no God to answer to.
I say 'Good luck Liam!'
Nice little story.
XZXX
Bev.
A moral dilemma?
I would consider this an agreeable outcome which benefitted at least three living people.
Although I do not find suicide a solution at least Louise McSweeney's harsh decision led to the happiness of others.
Not the most satisfactory of outcomes but at least her death was not in vain.
Not bad for ten minutes of inspiration.
Where do we draw the line between a white lie and a black lie?
I will leave the moralists among us to decide. (Although I most probably would not agree with their opinion.)
Kudos.
Interesting...
...that you came to the conclusion it was suicide. Remember that her body was at the top of the cliff and not the bottom, and that it had been covered up sufficiently that her ID was available. The implication I got from Liam "burying it deeper" was that some attempt had been made previously to shield Louise's body from the elements.
Open-ended stores aren't that unusual, but this one seems to be an open beginning. So far we've had one reader assume that it was the two-year old Louise that Liam found, others thought that a teenaged Louise was murdered, and now here's one vote for her killing herself.
Eric
STRANGE
A strange little story but who is to say it was the wrong thing to do 1 life saved and a happy ending for both--HUGS -- RICHIE2