Can you believe what @joslud and @solperez made me do? Read carefully...

Select a recent story of your own to republish.

What? What if the scrutinizer is watching me and adds me to the list of abusers?

I'm willing to risk it all... and here I am, republishing it! 😜

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So this is the story to be republished and given a makeover.

Don't worry. It's a task requiring: Re-edit one of your stories, with ellipses, metaphors and multiple meanings and not a "violation" of any rules!

_{Twisted Words, Embarrassing Truths...}

_{The night seemed ordinary. Three friends, Ana, Raha, and Mira, sat together in a dimly lit café. The fourth one, Kiara, was absent, caught up in troubles that worried them all. They spoke in low tones, their words sincere yet cautious, as if they could feel the weight of unseen eyes watching.}

_{"Kiara hasn’t been herself lately," Ana murmured, looking over her shoulder.}

_{Raha sighed, her tone soft but laced with worry. "I know… She’s been dealing with something dark, but every time I try to reach out, she shuts me down."}

_{Ana shivered. "I don’t think we should keep pushing her. Maybe she’s… maybe she’s afraid of something."}

_{They continued talking, piecing together vague suspicions, trying to help Kiara even though she wasn’t there. Their concern was genuine, their words careful. But still, something felt… wrong. The night was becoming chilly, the kind that crawls under your skin and whispers warnings. Ana could feel it in her bones. The air around them grew heavier, pressing in as if the very walls were listening, waiting.}

_{Hours later, Ana got a message from Kiara, sent at an odd hour, with a strange tone that made her uneasy. "So, that’s what you think of me?" the text read. Ana's stomach twisted. It was unlike of Kiara to send such cryptic messages, and worse, it sounded like she was hurt.}

_{She replied quickly, trying to reassure Kiara that they only cared for her, that they hadn’t meant any harm. But there was no response. Just grave silence. And then she hung up!}

_{The next day, the three friends were each wrapped in an uneasy silence. They shared glances, wondering how their conversation could have been relayed. None of them had said anything out of line. So… how had Kiara taken it that way?}

_{They were so embarrassed and didn't know what to say or how to reassure their friend that they never meant it that way, that they were different from other people and gossipers in their friend's life. Maybe, maybe they were a little annoyed by her 'peculiar' attitude, and perhaps that showed in their conversation despite their concern. But they were her friends!}

_{So they decided to visit Kiara’s house. They knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The curtains were drawn tight, and the house had an unwelcoming stillness, as though something dark now filled the spaces Kiara had once occupied. They noticed that the house was unusually silent. Reluctantly, the three friends stepped inside, calling Kiara’s name, their voices barely breaking the silence.}

_{Then, they heard it: a faint, distorted whisper. The words were too muffled to make out, but it sounded like someone mimicking their voices. They froze in horror, their blood chilling as the whispering grew louder, like a ripple spreading through the air.}

_{"Do you think she’s afraid of something?" the voice echoed in Ana’s tone, but with a hollow, mocking lilt.}

_{Mira’s voice followed, repeating her words from last night, twisted and laced with malice: "Kiara hasn’t been herself… maybe she’s hiding something dark."}

_{Mira stifled a gasp. "That’s… that’s us! But we didn’t say it like that..."}

_{The voice shifted, becoming darker, raspier. "The walls have ears," it hissed, repeating the very words Raha had whispered in caution the night before. Followed by a sentence in a very taunting tone: "Let's not discuss it anymore." Raha had definitely not said it in this very context.}

_{They were snippets of their voices but only in a very different timbre.}

_{With a shudder, the friends realized the truth: someone something had listened in on their conversation, twisting their worries into accusations, poisoning Kiara against them. They had come to care for her, but now they were trapped in a house that held onto their words, feeding on their intentions and turning them into something sinister.}

_{They turned to leave, but the door slammed shut. Shadows curled along the walls, stretching toward them as the mocking voices continued, echoing each phrase, each pause, each sigh. It was as if the house itself was alive, built from their words, their emotions twisted into something dark and vengeful.}

_{In a final attempt to escape, they screamed for Kiara, hoping their voices might reach her beyond the haunted walls. But only the voices answered, mocking them, repeating their own words in cruel tones that clawed at their hearts.}

_{Some say they were never seen again. And if you pass by Kiara’s house, on certain nights, you can still hear their voices inside, echoing accusations that were never meant to harm.}

_{And the strangest part? No one ever saw Kiara again. Nor did anyone ever hear her voice.}

_{The End}

The link to this publication

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Task 3: Re-edit one of your stories, with ellipses, metaphors and multiple meanings.

The Walls Listen

Tucked in a corner, three friends whispered about the fourth, "She’s hiding something."

A message buzzed: "So, that’s what you think of me?"

At her house, silence. They called her name, but the walls echoed back their own voices from the night before, like snippets of a forgotten dream.

The walls pulsed with life, feeding on their fear. She wasn’t missing. They were.

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Process of Making Over the Story:

Original Genre and Word Count:

My original publication was a short story categorized as a psychological thriller, with a word count (~785) that exceeded the standard for microfiction. While it wasn't explicitly concise, it effectively laid the groundwork for a compelling narrative, which I later condensed into a microstory version with only 65 words, including the title. This abridged version retained the suspense and intrigue of the original, distilling its essence into a more compact form.

The original piece was not crafted as a microstory, so it didn't meet the brevity typically expected on platforms like Steemit. However, I realized that summarizing it while maintaining its essence could enhance its impact.

Approach to the Makeover:

Adapting an Ellipsis Narrative: In the makeover, I employed an ellipsis-heavy narrative style to create a fragmented, rhythmic, and mysterious tone. This technique not only added dramatic effect but also engaged readers by allowing them to interpret the gaps in their way.

Preserving the Central Theme: The story’s central idea—that the walls have ears—remains intact. This theme unfolds both literally (the walls echo voices) and metaphorically (consequences of secrets and whispers).

Metaphorical Elements:

I enriched the narrative with metaphors like echoes like snippets of dreams. This conveys a haunting sense of memory, where the past or secrets linger, as dreams do upon waking.

I was required to:

You must use at least: one metaphor, one ellipsis, one word or phrase with a double meaning, in the new version.

I think I achieved it. The walls "feeding on fear" serves as a double meaning, representing both the literal concept of danger and the metaphorical consequences of betrayal or mistrust.

Maintaining the original essence in new version:
The revised story distills the original into its essence, using concise language and ellipses for dramatic effect. The metaphors add layers to the narrative, creating a double meaning that speaks to both the literal and figurative elements of betrayal and mistrust.

Title: The title in the original post was influenced by the task requirements of the keyword "embarrassing," so I don't think I did anything to improve the title in my new version. Instead, I modified it to make it better because here I was freer in terms of choosing the title.

Reflection:

This makeover demonstrates how storytelling can evolve across formats. The ellipsis narrative and metaphorical enhancements align with Steemit’s preference for brevity while preserving the story’s intrigue and emotional depth.