"Invisible" by Steve Rasnic Tem

Most of us have felt invisible from time to time. But what would it be like to really be invisible? That's the question asked by the latest short story from SCI FICTION, "Invisible" by Steve Rasnic Tem.

Ray has realized that his lack of interaction with his coworkers is more than him just not fitting in. In fact, they don't even notice him. And it hurts his feelings, a bit. It's even worse for his wife, Janice. The unintentional shunning of her by coworkers is sending her all to pieces. Ray and Janice are at the center of a world that simply cannot see that they even exist, even though this doesn't really disrupt their own world. But it does leave them friendless and lonely.

"Invisible" explores the harsh world that Tem sets up; the pain Ray and Janice feel; the joy Ray feels when it appears their daughter will escape their own fate; the hope Ray feels when he hears there might be others with the same problem. The story proceeds to its emotionally grey ending.

Well written, "Invisible" follows a rich vein of science fiction that warns of the curse that is invisibility.  Only Ray and Janice weren't actively seeking it out.