Loss of Control

So…a few years ago I wrote a story called “The Song and Dance Man.” I submitted it to Ichor Falls, this nifty horror story website, they posted it and then I promptly forgot about it.

Today, on a whim, I googled “The Song and Dance Man” and my name together to see what would bounce back. I was a little startled. I saw it popping up, here and there, in places I had never put it. Then I googled the story without my name and I saw it pop up a few MORE places. I saw references to it, as though the story was some dark legend that should never be talked about and, if you had to mention it, whisper it.

The internet had stolen my godamn story.

It was on gaming forums and “creepy pasta” sites. I didn’t even know what a creepy pasta was until tonight, which made me feel old. And I was a little shellshocked. “My story!,” I cried, loudly and repeatedly until Emily had to check on me.

To hell with the fact that people found it good enough to repost. To hell with the fact that there was plenty of good feedback about it. Actually…that’s all pretty cool. I do like the fact that it’s bouncing around. I do like the fact that it’s making the rounds. I wish I got credit for it. I wish people would say, “That Dylan Charles, I wish I could give him five hundred dollars for permission to publish his story.”

If you want it on your blog, go crazy. Post it a dozen times. You haven’t affected my profit margins one iota, because my profits have been 0 up to this point.

But, throw me a bone, put my name on there somewhere. “That Dylan Charles sure is a hack. Look at what he wrote”. Or, conversely, “That Dylan Charles is a goddamn genius. Here is his well recognized work:”

Either way is good.

Dylan Charles