Mirror Mirror

Day One

The mirror sat out by the curb, leaning against a Green plastic trashcan, just waiting for someone to come by and snatch it up.

Jamie Beaumont might have driven right by it, might not even have seen it, except that just as he turned the corner onto Dawson Avenue, as the car started along the street, the sun glinted off the silvered, smooth surface, and, just for a moment, threw a shaft of light directly into his eyes.

He slowed and pulled over, easing the car to the curb. This would be his third find today. God bless summer time in Boston. School would be out soon and the students were either finding new digs, graduating and moving on, or going home for the summer. That meant all the stuff they couldn't be bothered to move or sell was out in the street, a treasure trove of freebies for those not fortunate enough to have rich parents that could bankroll a college degree.

Jamie hopped from the car and inspected his new find. Sometimes things looked good when you saw them, but then, when you got up close, they were nothing more than junk. Not this time though. The mirror was old. That much was evident. In fact it was very old. The frame was ornate, delicate. Carved bunches of grapes crept up the sides, the vines and leaves intertwined and twisting around to the top until they met in the middle at a thin, strange looking face carved with bulging eyes and a gaping, downturned mouth. The whole thing was covered in gold leaf, worn in places to reveal an undercoat of red primer. Dirt had collected in the spaces between the carvings, turning the cracks and crevices black. The mirror itself had seen better days. While most of the surface was still bright and reflective, the edges were tarnished, with copper colored flecks creeping in toward the center. In one spot near the base, the silvering had worn away completely and the surface was dark and dull, a black void that seemed to suck up the light. Still, beggars could not be choosers, as his grandmother always said, and besides, the imperfections gave the mirror some character. Jamie didn't know why, but he liked it.

He gripped it by the sides and lifted it up, surprised by how heavy it was, and struggled back to the car, leaning it against the wheel arch while he opened up the back, grateful that he had a station wagon. Soon the mirror was sitting comfortably between a weathered oak nightstand and two mismatched dining room chairs.

When he got back to his apartment he parked up at the rear of the building, grateful that there was actually a space. He took the mirror, the heaviest of the items he'd scored, and entered the building, grunting as he heaved it up the two flights of stairs to the third floor, cursing the fact that the elevator was out of order yet again. He'd told the landlord at least three times over the last few weeks, but it had still not been fixed, which was typical.

By the time he reached his apartment and pushed the key in the lock, he was sweating and breathless. He paused for a moment to regain his composure and then wrestled the mirror across the threshold, leaning it against the hallway wall with a sigh of relief. He was about to make his way back down to the car to grab his other finds, lug them up the stairs while he still had some motivation left, when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and punched the green button to answer.

"Hey."

"Hey you."

He recognized the voice of Cassie Roberts, his girlfriend of two years, instantly. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Thought you might want to get a pizza and watch a movie tonight."

"Sure. My place or yours?"

"Gee, I don't know." She giggled. "You have the bigger bed, so what do you think?"

"I thought you wanted to watch a movie and eat pizza."