The Ethics of Imagined Stories.

I am facing a dilemma. I once read (and I swore it was on a lunch break at work) a short story by Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) about a bar, and a girl, and a Dashiel Hammet-esque mistery involving a glassed in chimney. And it was amazing! It was one of the best shorts I've ever read. The atmosphere he created was just so perfect. And it was so unlike his other things. But, I'm starting to think it doesn't really exist. See, the book I swore I read it in doesn't have any stories by Daniel Handler. And any of the other collections I've read that might have had it turn up completely Handlerless. But I'm so convinced he wrote it, and I'm just missing it.

See, I've fabricated false memories in the past. Really vivid ones. Sometimes I still think my mom is fucking with me by telling me they never happened, but everyone else agrees with her. So it's entirely possible that I dreamed up the whole thing, and he never wrote that story. I'm wondering then if it's fair game... I want to read it again, and if it doesn't really exist I suppose I'll just have to create it. But it still feels a little underhanded. Like I'm stealing it. Also I doubt I could write it as well as Dream Handler wrote it.

Maybe I should just write to Mr. Handler and ask if he ever actually wrote that story. I wonder how well he responds to mail.



Edit: Oh thank goodness I've found it! It really does exist! I definately wasn't up to the task of repeating it, and Hooray another little notch in the "Megan Isn't Crazy" count.