FOREVER AND BEYOND

You are my light

A small hand reached out to me through the mirror. I looked around, only to find nothing but darkness. Like everything around has been covered by Pitch velvet fabric. And a hand emerged from the folding, to reach out to me. I could see the outline of the mirror, in the shimmery black light coming out of it. It looks like the mirror I had in my room, back when I was a kid, when I used to live with my parents. As I tried to adjust my eyes with the surroundings, more things started getting clearer. I can see a silhouette of a kid behind the mirror. Confused, I looked down at my arms, my body. It's usual- the adult me in a deep green dress. This dress looks familiar. Something is not right. I should not be wearing this. I looked in the mirror again. The child in the mirror is clear now. I gazed at the mirror in shock. The 10-year-old me, staring right back in the exact green dress. She was smiling at me. No.. no...you cannot wear that dress. That.. Run..you need to run now. Go away. Don't. Before I could open my mouth and warn her, I saw a hand. A big hand approaches the kid through the darkness.

"Behind you. Run! Now!" I screamed.

The little girl stopped smiling and tried to look behind. But before she could turn her head, the hand pressed down on her mouth.

Her hand instantly lifted, to the hand, trying to pull it away from her mouth. I saw her eyes widened and becoming red, as she struggled with her little tiny hands, to break free. I tried to walk to the mirror. I need to save her. I need to. I-

I was surrounded by water. I emerged into a black ocean. The mirror was floating too. I swum towards the mirror, as I watched big droplets of tears, welling from her eyes. My heart sank. It squeezed as I watched a man appear behind her.

"Leave her alone! Don't you fucking touch her", I yelled as I swam faster to her.

One of her hands was stretched towards me, trying to reach me, her final plea of help.

I will save you, I will save you. I am here. Nothing will happen to you. I will.

As I struggled to swim to her, my whole body jerked and halted to a stop. Something grabbed my feet. I looked down. There was nothing. I tried to swim again. But another pull with inhuman force, forcing me in my place. I looked at the little girl. She was crying so much.

Her hands on her sides now. Not struggling anymore. She gave up.

You cannot give up. I will be right there.

I fluttered my feet and forced my body forward again.

Another pull at my feet. The sudden force descended me a few feet down.

There's no time! I ignored whatever it was, and tried to move forward. I stretched my hand into the water. I need to save her. But something around my neck pulled me down. Instinctively, I put my hand around my throat. A burning pain was piercing through my skin, as something started closing in around my neck, like a hot red chain. Tighter and tighter. I coughed, as I struggled to breathe.

Instead, water gushed inside my throat and nose, restricting my airway. I was tearing up from the pain. The chain dug in, forcing out the last bit of air inside my lungs. I could feel myself crying, and losing strength, slowly. I still tried to fight, as I stretched my hand towards that girl in the mirror. She stared at me with lifeless eyes, drops of tears still pouring down her cheek, and stopping on top of the man's hand, that pressed on her mouth. Then it flowed over the hand, through the creases of his fingers.

Everything was becoming blurry, as the chain around my neck finally released, but I was already out of strength. Everything is becoming darker. Like someone was painting a layer of black over everything. And just before hitting the ocean floor, I saw a glimpse of the man's face.