Traitor
Alex D.
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Memories fascinate me. How we trust them, how they can be manipulated, and how something so fragile defines who we are. In this story, set in a nation where both the government and the Resistance use mind manipulation without the citizenry’s awareness, Ethan, the Resistance leader, seeks to convince his wife, Vivienne, who’s still under the government’s influence, to join him in the fight. The original story is a crucial part of a larger plot I’m developing. After reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s A Temporary Matter, I returned to the piece, fleshing out Vivienne and her relationship to Ethan as I questioned how a character would deal with having her memories altered day after day without her awareness. I wanted to explore what manipulation does to not just individuals but also their relationships, and the price a person is willing to pay for what they believe in.
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Creativity is the moment in which something original, vibrant, and meaningful is made.
