Nikki vs Rikky

Chapter 4 - Fantastica

Nikky walked home with a spring in her stride that her mother hadn’t noticed before. Neither did she ask to stop by at the ice cream parlour at the corner of the house, like she did every day after school. Nikky was too excited to get back home as her mind was fixated on the mirror.

As soon as Nikky reached her room, she threw her bag on the bed and barged into the bathroom. ’I’m back,’ Nikky whispered impatiently at the mirror. She held her breath, waiting for a response. There was none. She waved her hand but nothing unusual happened.

It was hard to believe that what she witnessed in the morning was a mere figment of her imagination. Was Ira right that she was thinking way too much these days? Her mind raced to make sense of what was happening to her.

She scowled at her reflection and reached for the bathroom knob when she heard a light chuckle. Nikky turned her head and looked at the mirror. Her reflection was sticking her tongue out and wobbling her head from left to right. ’Fooled you!’

Nikky wasn’t amused but the smile returned to her face instantly. Rikky’s chortle suddenly turned into shocked gasps as she tried to loosen the necktie that seemed like a noose around her neck. ‘This hurts so much,’ Rikky blared pulling at the necktie. ‘Can you get me out of this uniform?’

Nikky rushed out of the bathroom in a confused state. She picked up a pair of jeans and a blue top and had barely shut the cupboard when Ira stepped into her room. ‘Is everything alright?’

‘Yes, mamma, ’Nikky replied hastily, as she changed into her casuals and rushed back to the bathroom. Ira wanted to say something but just raised her hands in the air and left the room shaking her head.

Back in the bathroom, Rikky was playing with the ends of her pony tail. ’How was school, Nikky?’
‘It was a usual day. Maths, science, art and craft. What about you? Now that I have you for real, tell me about yourself. Do you have a home, a school, friends? Do you...’

‘Oh, stop, stop,’ Rikky interrupted. ‘You have way too many questions. I will tell you everything, but slowly. We have enough time.’ Nikky didn’t say anything and just nodded.

‘I live in Fantastica,’ Rikky continued. ‘It’s a glorious place. You get everything that you want here. Just name them. Sweets, balloons, games.’

‘Fantastica?’

‘Yeah, that’s where I am from!’

‘How come you look like me? I mean you are just like my reflection,’ Nikky asked.

‘I am your reflection but a different person altogether. One more thing, you can talk to me only through this mirror. This is a very special mirror. It’s connected to my world. Don’t ask me how because that’s a mystery. The other side of the mirror is located on a secluded hill in Fantastica that acts as a window to our amusement and education,’ Rikky said fluttering her eyelashes.

Nothing was making sense to Nikky. ‘What do you mean, Rikky?’

‘It works like this. Just like you, we too are curious about your world. So we sneak in here and take the appearance of whoever is looking in the mirror. We know that your world is a fascinating place. We come here to see how you behave, how you react. After all, the mirror is one object from which you cannot hide your true emotions and all that is in your subconscious floats freely here. Unfortunately, this mirror is stationery, so I can only understand your world through you.’

‘You can read my mind?’ Nikky exclaimed.

‘No, that’s not what I meant. We are no mind readers. Luckily, you have been too vocal for me, which is good,’ Rikky said with a smile. ’And about family, well, we belong to one big family. Yes, we have friends just like you do but there are no schools in our land. We learn from our surroundings. Nature is our teacher.’

‘Wow!’ Nikky exclaimed.

‘It’s not always wow though,’ Rikky remarked. ‘Imagine you have everything and nothing to worry about. How boring that would be. That’s why we sit in front of the mirror to entertain ourselves. Your school tales are exciting by the way.’

Nikky was thrilled talking with Rikky but as usual her mother broke the excitement. ‘Have you not been in the bathroom for too long, Nikky?’ she asked. Ira was getting tired of her daughter’s long trips to the bathroom ever since they moved to the house. She could hear her giggle and talk to herself. She wished Nikky could come out of her shell and became realistic. Ira never condemned imagination but she felt that it was about time that Nikky became realistic, responsible and had a sense of time. She was a bubbly child otherwise.

‘I am coming, mamma,’ Nikky said turning her head to the door and then back at the mirror she told Rikky that they will continue their conversation at night before going to bed. ‘See you later.’

‘See you too,’ Rikky replied with a sweet smile which turned to a smirk as soon as Nikky closed the door behind her.