Or, The Treatment.
A young con man thinks he's found the perfect angle on an aging reality TV show. He's right about almost everything. Except what he's won.
Thanks so much for reading and leaving a lovely comment. In my experience it’s rare for people who call for others to share their work to actually read what they get sent, so thanks for that too.
I’m a pretty slow writer and don’t publish to any schedule, so there may not be anything new for a while, but if you do feel like reading another one of mine here’s something from my back catalogue I think you might enjoy:
Your story is an X-ray of the society we live in. We expose our wounds, hoping they will be healed automatically through the eyes of others. And if we do not have any, we create them so that we may be seen and valued by others. I truly loved your story — it is visceral, thought-provoking, and, above all, it places before us a reality that is both cruel and real.
Thanks Phoeby, it’s the world we live in now, isn’t it? Yes, I did at times wonder if the story is too cruel, but I decided it’s no crueller than the actual people I’m writing about. Thanks so much for reading and commenting, and for restacking with another nice comment. Cheers!
Thanks. Yes, it feels like just one step away from where we are now. Thanks for being so quick to read it too - nothing worse than dropping a story you’ve been working on for months to silence. Cheers!
I'm amazed how you come up with these stories. Even after reading it, I'm immersed. I want to believe Tyler has some kind of way out: a lawyer, simply running away, exposing the show. But, the reality is he lost the game... by winning the game, ironically.
That’s partly why I’m so slow to write - I have to wait for the good ideas to come, and I don’t have that many of them! Glad it stuck with you, that’s something I’m always aiming for. Thanks for reading and commenting.
This is intense… really unsettling in a powerful way.
The ending especially gave chills—the shift in control is terrifying.
Just subscribed 😊 Looking forward to more 🤝✨
Thanks so much for reading and leaving a lovely comment. In my experience it’s rare for people who call for others to share their work to actually read what they get sent, so thanks for that too.
I’m a pretty slow writer and don’t publish to any schedule, so there may not be anything new for a while, but if you do feel like reading another one of mine here’s something from my back catalogue I think you might enjoy:
https://hammondjohns.substack.com/p/the-churn-rate
Your story is an X-ray of the society we live in. We expose our wounds, hoping they will be healed automatically through the eyes of others. And if we do not have any, we create them so that we may be seen and valued by others. I truly loved your story — it is visceral, thought-provoking, and, above all, it places before us a reality that is both cruel and real.
Thanks Phoeby, it’s the world we live in now, isn’t it? Yes, I did at times wonder if the story is too cruel, but I decided it’s no crueller than the actual people I’m writing about. Thanks so much for reading and commenting, and for restacking with another nice comment. Cheers!
Loved it. Can also see it being real which made me sad. Well done mate!
Thanks for reading and commenting, I really appreciate it.
Reality shows have always been disturbing- but this one was absolutely visceral. It's one of the best short stories I've ever read on this platform.
Thanks so very much, that means a lot. I worked hard on this one. Really appreciate you taking the time to read and for your generous comment.
This captures something real about the times.
We already live in a world where humans have to perform their suffering publicly to access help.
This just removes one layer of abstraction and makes the transaction explicit.
The fact that it barely feels like speculative fiction is what makes it cut so deep.
Really well done, my friend.
Thanks. Yes, it feels like just one step away from where we are now. Thanks for being so quick to read it too - nothing worse than dropping a story you’ve been working on for months to silence. Cheers!
My pleasure.
It's an excellent read.
Mia is sharp.
Going to stick with me.
I'm amazed how you come up with these stories. Even after reading it, I'm immersed. I want to believe Tyler has some kind of way out: a lawyer, simply running away, exposing the show. But, the reality is he lost the game... by winning the game, ironically.
That’s partly why I’m so slow to write - I have to wait for the good ideas to come, and I don’t have that many of them! Glad it stuck with you, that’s something I’m always aiming for. Thanks for reading and commenting.