At first I thought the big golden object was some sort of alien device. Then I thought better of it and tried approaching the hovering thing to get a better look. It shone like the brightest of flames. It hurt my eyes to look at for too long. As I slowly walked towards it, I thought of how it could have gotten here, in the middle of the forest. I had been hunting when I saw the glimmer of this mysterious thing. It is an oval shape about five feet long. It was hovering quite high but as I gain ground on it, it seems to be getting lower. As I stand a few feet behind it, I realize what this beautiful object is, it is a mirror. I can tell by the beautifully carved top and bottom. It almost has a floral pattern or maybe it is supposed to be leaves of a twisted branch. I reach out to touch the back of the object, but then it spins around until I stand horrified at what I see. It is not me that I see in the reflection but the face of a lonely girl. She resembles me but only in the way I have always wished I looked. She looks straight at me with saddened eyes. Her eyes are so piercing it feels as though she can see into my soul. Her gaze seems to read my every thought.
The mirror lands softly on the ground raising a few crunches from the dying fall leaves and it leans against the nearest tree. I drag myself back to reality and snap my jaw shut. A slow cunning smile seeps across the face of the girl erasing any sign that she was ever saddened before. She lightly sets her hands on the perfectly polished surface and speaks muted words. I tap my ear to show her that I do not receive her words. Then she mouths out each word slowly so I can understand their meaning. It is unmistakeable, she said, " Death is coming. Step into the mirror." I looked back over my shoulder and when my gaze returned to the mirror, the girl was gone. I see my pitiful self instead. My eyes are wild and my face grim. I suddenly want so badly to look like that girl. So I shuffle towards the golden arch against the tree. Strangely enough, no noise is heard not even the sound of the leaves I crush beneath my feet. I feel myself drawn to the mirror as its surface ripples like crystal water. All my natural senses have disappeared. No more smell of autumn and no sound only the mirror, just the mirror. I can't take my eyes off the elegance of its mesmerizing surface. It beckons me like a siren calling out in the night. I reach out my palm and touch the surface. It feels like water but thicker. My reflection disappears and is replaced with swirling purple...
YOU ARE READING
Mirror, mirror in the woods
Short StoryIt was just a regular day for me. I was out hunting in the woods when I came across it, my fate that is. The mirror held great power and it fed off self-image, the way you wish to see yourself. What I didn't know was if it held great evil or good po...
