HOW I MET MYSELF
By : David A. Hill
Synopsis
This story is about a man who met his doppelganger; a ghostly double of a living person.
John Taylor was an English computer programmer who worked in Budapest,Hungary, and lived there with his wife, Andrea, and daughter,Kati.He was walking home from work one day when he bumped into his doppelganger.John believed the doppelganger had come to give him a message.
John did some research and found that a man, with a name similar to his, had lived in that area many years ago along with a wife and daughter – whose names were also Andrea and Kati.The person's wife and daughter were killed in a tragedy.The timely warning from John's doppelganger saved John's wife and daughter from a similar fate.
Setting
Time:-
This story is set in the modern are.However,reference are made to events that had happened during World War II in 1945
Place:-
This story takes place in Budapest,Hungary.The places frequently mentioned are John and Andrea's flat, the address 7 Felka utca and a cafe at Gergely utca.Other places mentioned are John's office, the Budapest City Library, the Public Records Office,the Hungarian countryside and John's parent's home in a village near Swindon,England.
Plot
Exposition:-
John was walking home from work one everning when someone ran into him,causing him to fall into the snow on the ground.When John looked up, he saw that the person looked exactly like him.John felt very afraid.He decided to follow the person but was unable to track him down as he seemed to have disappeared.John also realised that the person did not leave any footprint in the snow.He did not know what to do.
Rising Action :-
John began having dreams about that evening.This resulted in him losing concentration at work, staying out late and having arguments with his wife, Andrea.Finally, John decided to tell Andrea about the incident. At farst, she was supportive. However, once their daughter ,Kati, was born, Andrea was constantly angry at him for paying more attention to his doppelganger than to his family.John had no choice but to find out more about his doppelganger on his own.
John discovered that not only did he look like his doppelganger, they also shared the same name.Even the names of their wives and children were the same. John felt uncomfortable with these similarities, especially when he learnt that his doppelganger's wife and child were killed in a cellar that was destroyed during the war.
Climax:-
A similar incident that had happened to the doppelganger and his family years ago occurred exactly on the same date. When John heard a very loud noise that sounded like an explosion, he realised that Andrea and Kati were at the same cafe where his doppelganger's wife and daughter were killed.He rushed over and saw that the place had been destroyed again.
Falling Action :-
John tried to get into the ruins of the destroyed cafe to find and rescue his wife and daughter but a fireman prevented him from going in.The place was full of gas and was too dangerous.John was told to go home as there was nothing else he could do to help.He was heartbroken.He realised that he should have paid more attention to the message his doppelganger was trying to tell him.
Resolution:-
As was walking home, he saw his doppelganger again.His doppelganger pointed to two figures at a distance.John was overjoyed to see that his wife and daughter were alive!Andrea told John that his doppelganger had saved them by preventing them from entering the cafe.
Themes
Determination:-
When John first met his doppelganger, he was very afraid . He did not know whether what he had seen was real or he was imagining things.However,when John became convinced of the doppelganger's existence, he became determined and persevered to solve the mysteries of the doppelganger.
Even though Andrea did not support John and thought he needed to see a doctor, John did not give up. He knew his doppelganger had appeared for a reason and was trying to tell him something. He was focused and determined to do all he could to find out what the message was about.
Fear of the unknown :-
From the moment John first saw the doppelganger, his life changes and he lived in fear.He was afraid because he could not understand what was happening to him and his thoughts were constantly on the doppelganger.At work,his performance suffered as he forgot important things that he should have remembered. Furthermore, his fear took a turn for the worse when he started having nightmares about the doppelganger. He began to feel terrified and so did Andrea. This fear of the unknown caused a strain in their relationship and their marriage suffered.
Being open-minded
John was open-minded. This encouraged him to search and gather information from various sources to solve the mystery of his ghostly encounter with someone who looked like him.It was this attitude that forms the basis of the story.When John first met his doppelganger, he did not feel that it was just an illusion.His willingness to accept new ideas and information provided him with the knowledge that doppelgangers do exist and that they appear to forewarn people of danger.
Moral values
Persistance:-
We should always be persistent in our endeavours and not give up whenever we face obtacles. It is only with persistence that we can achieve what we want.
John was an extremely persistent person.No matter what obtacles stood in his way or what difficulties he faced in his marriage , he never gave up trying to find out more about his doppelganger. He did a lot of research and questioned several people to get the information he needed. In the end, his persistence paid off and he found out a lot about his doppelganger.
Family support and trust :-
It is very important that members in a family support and trust one another, especially in times of trouble.
If Andrea had supported and trusted John wholeheartedly, she would have co-operated with John and this might have prevented Andrea and Kati from getting into danger.
Thinking outside the box:-
A person must be able and willing to think beyond their usual ways and look at things from different perspectives.This would enable them to find answers or solutions.
John took every opportunity to question and find out why the doppelganger appeared.Finally, he managed to solve the mystery because he was willing to think outside the box.
Characters
Main characters:-
John Taylor:-
*An English computer programmer
*34 years old,
*nearly two metres tall\
*Light brown hair with a moustache
*Working in a multinational company in Bristol
*Sent by company to head a young Hungarian team at Budapest office, Hungary
*Met Andrea, a pretty teacher and married with her 18 months later.
*Met his doppelgänger - initially had difficulty understanding the phenomenon
*Feared for wife and daughter but finally relieved they were safe.
Andrea Taylor :-
*John’s wife and a teacher of Hungarian
* Pretty with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a beautiful smile.
*Taught John and fell in love before getting married 18 months later.
*Did not understand John’s problem – feels John too obsessed with thephenomenon - eventually understand message of doppelgänger – grateful
Minor character:-
Kati Taylor :-
*John and Andrea’s cute baby daughter,
*born on 16 th September
*Saw John’s doppelgänger at Zsolt’s bar
*Recognised and told Andrea it was not John who was blocking their way to the cellar bar.
