Fall into the Mirror

Prologue

It was almost nine o'clock and it was raining hard. A silhouette of a man was seen running through the darkness toward nowhere. For people who were out in the rain and seeking for shelters, the man was invisible. He was like a ghost. But to people who were sitting down by the window, reading some good books, or perhaps warmed their bodies up next to a fireplace, they might catch a glimpse of the man, wondering what kind of person who ran in the rain.

An old lady was knitting her granddaughter's red cap. Her vision was blurred, but she looked up and felt like something was going really fast near the trees, far from her house. A greyhound that sat lazily next to her upheld its head. He paid attention to the fast-moving silhouette as if it was something that might harm its owner. Deciding that the silhouette was running away, the dog sat down again. This time, it closed its eyes. The old lady thought that it might be a cat or a fox and decided not to make a big deal out of it.

But the man was real. He was soaking wet from sweat and rain. His thighs sore and his calves felt like they could get detached from his legs anytime soon. But it didn't stop him. He just kept running. In his arms, something peculiar rested calmly. He covered it with both hands to keep it dry and to prevent anyone seeing it.

He had never thought of stopping. Even though his pace grew slower, he kept on running to the edge of the town. He kept on going until one moment when he saw a silhouette of a big house behind trees and bushes. He ran through the thick bushes and pushed through it. His hands and legs that weren't covered with his coat got scratched, but he didn't mind the scars. All he had in mind was how to get to the house as soon as possible.

It didn't take him long to reach it. He, soon, stood unsteadily in front of the porch of the small hut. He was panting and he suddenly dropped his body. He was shocked, not because he didn't have the control over his body, but mostly because he was afraid that he would break the thing in his hands. Having no power left, he crawled over the porch and opened the front door with a lot of hassle.

A man with a prosthetic arm almost jumped off of his chair when the man was practically fell into the house. The prosthetic-arm man got up and walked over the running man. "Come on, Jacob." He said as he helped Jacob, the man who was running through the town. He was thin and his face was pale. He looked like someone who starved himself out of anxiety that a single tap on his shoulder could break him and turn him into a pile of dust.

"Albert, I'm terribly sorry that I'm late." Jacob said to his friend who had been waiting for him all alone inside the house in the forest. Albert, the thin and pale man, didn't say anything. They both walked to the center of the empty house where a pot was located. Something green was bubbling inside the pot although there was no fire that warmed it beneath it. Both Jacob and Albert sat across each other in front of the pot.

"Albert," Jacob shook his head. "I can't do this."

"W-what do you mean?" Albert stuttered. His pale face grew paler.

Jacob took out something from under his coat. "I want you to bring it to Sarah," he said. It was an envelope, and he handed it over to Albert who took it with his shaking hand. "I want you to go across the portal together with Sarah."

"No! You can't do that! You promised that all three of us would cross together, and we would live like we used to, when we were in school."

Jacob gave him a sad smile. "I can't. I don't want to risk your life, Albert. You are my best friend. Please take a good care of Sarah.

"Listen, Albert. They only knew that I made the portal. They had no idea that you were involved in this. You have a better chance of life out there than here with me." Tears started to form in both man's eyes. "I can hold down the portal for an hour. That should be enough for you to go back to my home and for Sarah to read the letter."

"You don't have to do -"

"Yes, I have to, Albert. Now please, I want you to live better life."

Albert pursed his lips and he stood up. He walked toward the front door and before he swung it open, he turned his back to Jacob. "Good bye, my friend. You will be missed greatly."

Jacob smiled. This time, it was genuine. "Good bye, my friend."

And Albert walked away.

***

Albert opened the front door to a small, comfortable house really quickly. He was panting. His prosthetic arm was shaking. He also made the woman that was sitting anxiously on her couch almost fell off. She stood up straight the moment Albert walked in. She walked over him with a face that was ready to burst out tears. But Albert only shook his head.

"He didn't make it, Sarah." He muttered.

The woman, Sarah, covered her lips with one of her hands. She cried silently and she looked away. "And he wanted me to give you this." Albert said, handing over a piece of envelope. Sarah opened it and both of them read it together.

Dear Sarah,

I am writing to you because I am not sure whether or not I will make it to our dinner. I would like to apologize for the difficult times I had involved you into. I would love to apologize for my absence throughout your life. I was not a very good husband and you were right that I did not give my best effort to make things right. I apologize for not making you happy.

I am writing to you because I know I have messed up really big. Therefore, to show you how serious I am, I am going to destroy my master piece. I have transported enough people to live happily and I assume that Albert has taken good care of you while moving out. I may not survive during destroying the portal, but you have to. Please take good care of our baby and don't ever let him know about my masterpiece. Don't ever let the generations to come to ever figure out about my master piece. They should never know, in order to restore peace and faith in humanity, as we had dreamed of once.

In case something happened, I had created five littler versions of my master piece and spread them all around the world - both worlds.

My dearest Sarah, I want you to destroy this letter too once you have read this. I want you to be the only who knows about this. I love you very much dear, and I apologize for not letting you know how much I love you. I have left something that might be useful in the future in our cabinet. Please use it wisely.

I love you, Sarah, more than anything in the world.

Yours Truly,

Jacob Huntington

Sarah's eyes were full of tears and she cried out loud. Sadness overpowered her and there was nothing she could do. "Alright. Let's move out, just the way Jacob wanted us to do." Albert nodded his head and Sarah wiped her tears.

"Albert, please take Ben and all his equipments. I will take whatever he had for me in the cabinet." Sarah said calmly. Albert nodded once again.

Sarah walked to the kitchen and quickly opened the kitchen cabinet. Inside it was a brown envelope. She took it and when she opened it, there was an amount of money that made her gasped the moment she saw it. But there was another unfamiliar thing inside the cabinet. It was a key and she immediately put the key inside her dress' pocket.

"Sarah, are you ready?" Albert asked from the kitchen's door with a-year-old sleeping baby on his prosthetic arm.

Sarah took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Yes."

And off they went.