146 Dopple Street.
The building rose up high before me, hundreds of windows glinting in the afternoon light. I looked down at the email that was open on my phone and sure enough the address matched.
I stepped into the building and goosebumps immediately ran down my arms. My heels tapped a steady beat on the polished marble floor as I made my way to the elevator. I could hardly believe that I was here. That the place was real.
When the initial email hit my inbox, I deleted it because I'd assumed that it was some sort of scam. I mean, no one just gets invited out of the blue on an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to meet the CEO of the biggest aquarium company of the decade. Yes, I just said aquarium company. Turns out lots of people want affordable fish care items.
After I'd deleted the first email, and the second email, and the third email, and marked it as spam, I got a call. For some strange reason, I answered it. When the voice on the other end of the phone was a real person, my suspicions lessened a little. The invitation to visit the company was extended once more, and this time I actually considered it.
The phone call, followed by some extensive Google searching, and the promise that I wouldn't have to give my credit card information to anyone, was how I'd ended up here in the back of the elevator line.
The doors dinged open, and I shuffled in with the rest of the people. "Top floor," I said.
It was only when everyone else also announced the top floor as their destination that I finally took in the scene around me, which consisted entirely of, well, me.
The expression of shock on my face was perfectly mirrored back to me from the other six people in the elevator. We stared at each other, speechless, until finally I blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"Is that really what my nose looks like?"
All of the versions of me gasped and touched their (our?) noses in tandem. It was quite honestly the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen. I turned away from my doppelgangers, but it was in vain. The elevator was reflective, and everywhere I looked I saw myself. Of course, the longer I looked the more I saw the little variations. One version of me was taller than I'd ever dreamed I could be. Another one had dyed their hair black, a look I never thought I could pull off. It turns out I can. But in every case, the face was the same. Mine.
"That can't be what my hair looks like from the back," the tall doppelganger proclaimed.
I subconsciously reached for my ponytail and twirled it a few times. A nervous habit that was strangely applicable in the moment.Â
"Wait, did all of you get the email?" I asked.
Six pairs of blue eyes widened at once, and I had my answer. It would seem that we'd been assembled for some reason.
Just then the elevator arrived at the top floor and the doors whooshed open once more. All of the versions of me stepped out into a large office, where we were greeted by none other than another one of us.
The final me stepped forward with a smile and said, "Finally, all eight of us are together in one room. I've been waiting for this for years."
"Is this real?" the black-haired me asked.
"Of course," CEO me said. "I've spent years tracking all of you down, and when I finally found all of you, I invited you here to meet with me. I'll admit, it was hard to convince all of you to come, but that only encouraged me in my endeavor."
"And why exactly did you gather us here?" I asked.
"Excellent question, me number three. You see, I've built this company from the ground up, and it's finally time to expand. I intend to bring the love and proper care of aquatic creatures to the world at large. I assume you're all familiar with the phrase, if you want something done right, do it yourself?"
All seven of me nodded and a sense of understanding settled over the room. I looked around at myself, and myself looked back at me, and all of us shrugged together. CEO me had a good point, and I respected that. After all, I was pretty smart.
Hey! Thanks for reading this tiny tale. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe it surprised you a bit. I originally wrote this based off a prompt from Reddit. Here is said prompt if anyone out there wants to give it their own spin!
They say, on average, each person has 7 other people who look identical to them somewhere on earth. Today, you met all 7 in an elevator.
Until next time!
So good! (I'm so glad I came across your page!)
A very enjoyable and fun interpretation of the prompt. Nicely done... :)