"I Saw Something I Shouldn't Have, Perhaps"

AS YOU WELL KNOW, there are all kinds of ways of telling a story, but point-of-view (POV) is unavoidably crucial in how the plot is developed. Essential information is given to the reader, oftimes in dribs and drabs, the idea being to reveal—while simultaneously withholding—facts appertaining to the story and the characters in order to enhance the impact of the tale. Poe, of course, was a master of this; today's author ingeniously adopts Poe's method to tell us a story of a crime told from the perspective of a . . .

"Loyal Companion."

By A. Rector.

First appearance: Daily Science Fiction, April 26, 2021.

Short short short story (2 pages as a PDF).

Online at Daily Science Fiction (HERE).

     "Why erase your friend of seven years?"

Does loyalty have an expiration date?

Principal characters:

~ The narrator:

  "I was reborn old, rife with years of scuff and scratches . . ."

~ James:

  "You were very upset about it, losing a dear friend of seven years. Your only friend."

Resources:

- "Loyal Companion" is told from a first-person-limited point-of-view, which powerfully impacts the denouement: "First-person narration presents the narrative through the perspective of a particular character. The reader or audience becomes aware of the events and characters of the story through the narrator's views and knowledge. As a participant in events, the conscious narrator is an imperfect witness by definition, unable to fully see and comprehend events in their entirety as they unfurl, not necessarily objective in their inner thoughts or sharing them fully, and furthermore may be pursuing some hidden agenda. In some cases, the narrator may give or withhold information based on their own experience." (Wikipedia HERE).

- Just last month we featured a robot story, Robert Bloch's "Comfort Me, My Robot" (HERE). For another tale about criminous human and robot interactions that you might enjoy see Dan Morgan's "Insecurity Risk," highlighted (HERE).

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