A Fractured Fairytale

Chapter 6-Mirrors

The carnation pink pattern on my wellington boots was replaced with a sludgy brown as I slipped into the sand, pebbles dancing around my feet as they became captured in the sea. Like an excited puppy, the sea jumped up at my ankles leaving the scent of salt to linger on my boots. I wished the sea had the talent to cleanse you from everything, you could become happy again after one wave splashed you.

I looked out to sea, wondering how far this endless water stretched and where it led. The sea was a dark shade of turquoise by my feet, however overhead the water shimmered gold from the sun’s reflection where its rays had belted down from the sky. Fishing boats dotted the horizon, their sails waving like flags of distress in the merciless wind, as gulls called for their families beyond the spacious clouds. The sky was a calming blue meeting seamlessly with the lively water.

However much I loved Phoebe and her family, I just wanted to go home. I wasn’t willing to lose my dad over alcohol. I needed to tell him the truth as soon as I got home, there would be no more lies. Tell him how I knew mum would die.

 

I felt a hand close around my shoulder and a high-pitched voice in my ear, “Hey Elsie, you’re it!”

“Since when were we playing it?” I laughed recognizing the voice to be Phoebe’s and racing after her. She was very skinny making her very quick and incredibly difficult to catch.

“Since now!” Phoebe panted in reply.

My hair battled with the wind as I ran, following Phoebe as she dodged around the secluded beach, her boots flicking up sand. Phoebe scrambled up a grassy ledge on the beach, leaving only an uneven line of footprints behind in the sand for the tide to wash away. “Nanananana!” Phoebe chanted triumphantly, “you can’t catch me now! I am the king of the castle!”

As Phoebe stood on the edge of the hill, she reminded me of a little bird about to take flight and the impact of the wind against her was so forceful it caused her feet to shuffle backwards. Phoebe didn’t need to prompt me before I took the place of her shadow and followed her up the steep hill. I lay down in the grass, completely worn out and Phoebe joined me, plaiting the stems of a couple of daisies together to form a chain. The grass tickled my arms as if it were really alive as I stared up at the sky, squinting as the sun shuffled into sight.

“It would be so fun to start a bonfire here and cook marshmallows and everything!” Phoebe exclaimed, thrilled by the vision she had conjured up. “We could put up a tent and lie here watching the stars until morning comes.”

I closed my eyes, imagining a beautiful fire blistering the logs beneath and gradually cooking marshmallows. The fire would make the cool air of the night humid and would toast our cold silhouettes, as stars scattered the sky like fireflies.

“It would be best if it were just me and you,” Phoebe carried on, “but then again I guess if we were completely alone we could be eaten up by a bear!”

I couldn’t help a smile paralyzing my lips, “That is very likely Phoebe, especially with all these bears wondering about here!”

 

Our vision was forgotten, planted at the back of our minds as something sharp stabbed me in the arm. I rolled onto my stomach peering around to see shards from what looked like broken glass, laying in the grass in an intricate pattern. I lay a large piece on my palm, looking down to see a girl with hair the colour of caramel and a thick fringe halting just before her eyes which were the gentle colour of a robin’s wings. The girl’s nose was lightly dusted with freckles, which were only visible if you looked closely into her face. It was part of a mirror. It was my reflection. But it didn’t look like me because half of my face had merged into a huge purple bruise from where I fell down the stairs. I turned away from my reflection, drawing the confidence to unwind my grip from the mirror and carry on walking as I heard Julia’s shouts, “Time to go!”