by Melanie Palacio (Fiction Editor)
“Exposures” by Matthew David Perez was initially published to DiN in 2013, but it harbors an underlying idea of a perpetual connection from birth until death between twin sisters Delia and Ophelia. Though the piece is set in a time in which the twins have passed away, the way it was written made it feel as if the events were current—the girls picking out dresses, meeting up with Larkin, and eventually drowning in the pond. While this story focuses mostly on when tragedy struck the twins, the way it is depicted in the writing is rather beautiful. Both of the twins were very well-developed as characters, each having their own personality and quirks, like Delia being a shutterbug, and Ophelia loving the color green; it brought about feelings of nostalgia, especially during the quick flashes to their funeral. The connection these two young girls had was also quite endearing, even down to the moment when they “held hands one last time.” That particular moment at the end of the story really encapsulated their relationship in a way that almost haunts readers—they were brought into this world together, they lived in it together, and they left it together. Though it is initially heartbreaking, it adds a different level of artistic meaning to the story, more so than if only one of them had passed away.
To read the story and relive Delia and Ophelia’s tragic end, click here: https://web.archive.org/web/20131205190316/http://dinmagazine.nmsu.edu/issue4/prose%205%20Mathew%20David%20Perez%20.html
Melanie Palacio is an aspiring writer from Las Cruces, New Mexico hoping to find her way in the world of publishing and authorship. She is currently majoring in Creative Writing at New Mexico State University and hopes to graduate with her Bachelor's this spring. During her free time you can catch her reading, composing various drafts of stories and poems, or taking naps with her dog.
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