The Silver Mirror Holds Secrets

Why was there a mirror in the middle of the forest? A question I've been asking myself ever since I was a little girl. I'd see it in my dreams, it waking me up during the middle of the night with horrid images. The dream would start off peacefully, myself always being in this dream would slowly walk to the mirror, but I could never get to close to it. I'd come across a small tea cup sitting on the ground, a little girl wearing a red cloak bent over it, when she noticed I was there, she turned around and exposed her half rotting face. I'd wake up screaming and the sweat would be dripping down my face.

Now being a twenty-five year old living in an old apartment hours away from that forest. I lived as a somewhat successful newspaper editor and made decent amount of money, just enough for rent and the needed things. I guess you can say I enjoyed the single lifestyle, never really getting out much due to being back up with articles.

I sat at my desk in my living room, the little clock on the wall chimed telling it was already midnight. I had to finish this paper about supposedly "crazy" cat lady, hitting the record of how many cats she had and animal rescue coming in saying they were going to take them all away as they were not in the proper living conditions. I could feel my eyes get heavy, I rubbed them and continued working til everything went dark.

I was running into the darkness, deeper and deeper into the forest till I came across the mirror. The moonlight bounced off it's silvery frame casting a shadow. With her head held down low holding the porcelain teacup stepped out from behind the mirror. She looked up at me and put the cup to her lips, took a sip and I watched as the tea poured out of the bottom of her neck. She let out a harsh laugh and began to dance around the mirror, the cloak spinning across her body. The girl stopped, looked at me once more smiling at me showing her yellowing teeth and disappeared into the mirror.

"Good morning sunshine," I felt a tug on my shoulder.

Still in my clothes from the day before and messed up hair, I looked up with half opened eyes and saw my friend Kayla peeing over me," Wha-what are you doing here it's midnight!"

She laughed," Umm darlin' its eight in the morning."

"Oh my god, I must of fell asleep!" I said jumping out of my chair and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Yeah, I wanted to see if you wanna stop by for some coffee?"

"Sure sure, let me get changed quick. I can't go out looking like this!" I said pointing to my face.

I quickly went to my room pulling off my clothes, grabbing some new ones out of my closet and heading into the bathroom. When I returned Kayla was pacing back and forth by my desk.

"I suppose you don't plan on turning these in?" She told holding my papers covered in drool stains.

"Oh no," I fell onto the couch," They're due tomorrow!"

"Come on a good cup of coffee will take your minds off things," Kayla pulled me up.

The coffee shop was about a block away from our apartment building, this being a small town and really the only place to get together and hang out. Kayla went inside and got our coffee while I sat at the little table on the patio. She came out handing mine and then sat down.

Taking a sip," Kayla, you being my best friend and all."

"What kind of trouble are you in now?"

I scolded her," No, nothing like that."

"Then what?" She asked sliding her sunglasses onto the edge of her nose.

"I had another dream again."

"You're serious? The mirror?"

"Yes," I admitted.

"Geez Ava, its been fifteen years since you had one of those!"