Forum: Lost Stories

First, the story in question may not have been posted here. I truly don't recall where I read it initially. If references to works posted elsewhere is verboten, my bad.

Second, my memory is utter shit, so the details might not be entirely accurate. With any luck, they'll be close enough that someone recognizes the story I seek.

Plot synopsis: A husband is persuaded by his wife to stand in as a masked dancer/stripper at a party of some sort. His daughter(s) were in attendance, and somehow, his identity was discovered. He was humiliated, incredibly unhappy with what he considered a betrayal by his wife, and feels despondent that he may never again have a good relationship with his child(ren). The fallout is that he hides himself away for some length of time (a couple weeks or months, maybe - I don't recall), until they find where he's been staying. Then there's the obligatory big talk between all the involved parties, after which, I believe the couple reunites.

Thanks in advance for any helpful info.

I don't know if this is going to be helpful or not, but most of those elements sound as though they could be from https://storiesonline.net/a/The_Wanderer or his alter ego https://storiesonline.net/a/Denham_Forrest

The only plot element which does not really match his style is the MC being a masked dancer/stripper.

I've read this story, too. I think it was in Lit.

I am another who thinks its on lit. Unfortunately the title and author are blanks in my mind.

@Dinsdale - You're right that it seems like something he'd write, but based on a pass through his story lists, no dice. Thanks anyway, though. I do appreciate it.

@tangoperu - So you remember it, too?! Oh, thank Christ. For a while now, I've wondered if it was an amalgam of multiple story fragments that fell together in a neglected corner of my mind. Or an incredibly specific hallucination.

@Radagast - I've come to agree with you and tangoperu above that it was posted on Lit. Also like you, I have no recollection of the author or title. But there are three of us who know it is (or at least was) a real thing, so that's a damn good start.

It's been three weeks (give or take six hours) since my last post, so I'm bumping this sumbitch back to the front page with hope that someone can help solve this mystery.

I've asked in the Lit forums, which, disappointingly (yet not at all unexpectedly), proved pointless. And all attempts to search that site via its own search function, as well as two other search engines, were in vain.

So... yeah. Anyone?

I FOUND IT! It was an accident, mind you, but I FOUND IT!

It seems I fucked up some of the details, which made it that much more difficult to find.

For those interested, the story is called "Clown No More," and the author is MichaelFitzgerald. It can be found elsewhere; not sure if he ever posted here or not.