The email arrived at precisely 3:17 PM, a time forever etched into Elias’s memory. It contained the side-by-side comparison. His short story, “The Crimson Quill,” alongside Alistair Finch’s best-selling novel, “Whispers in the Wind.” The similarities were...unmistakable. Rage coiled in Elias's gut, a hot, metallic taste. He slammed his laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in his sterile apartment.
He decided that tomorrow, he would begin to gather his evidence. He had a plan.
The next day, Elias meticulously compiled everything: the email thread, the side-by-side, the dates of publication. Then, he bought a sleek, expensive pen with a crimson ink – the same color as the quill in his story. He went online and looked at Alistair Finch's upcoming book signing event. He would be going.
At the signing, Elias, with a forced smile, approached Finch. He held out his copy of "Whispers in the Wind". "Could you sign this for me?" he asked, his voice smooth as silk. As Finch scribbled his name, Elias pointed to a specific passage, the one that mirrored his own. "A beautiful turn of phrase, wouldn't you say?" The author's smile faltered, replaced by a flicker of something that could have been fear.