The Mirror

Chapter 1

I sit there on the edge of my bed. My head wanders into the pit of darkness, my loneliness, that I always find. No, today has got to be different. I have a small bit of determination in me today. Maybe a walk will help clear my head and get me out of the pit. I get dressed, making sure to wear long sleeves otherwise people stare at my scars. I walk downstairs as quietly as I can. I see that my dad is passed out on the couch, it must have been a long night shift. My mom's car is not here so she must be at work. I put on a jacket to fight off the cool autumn breeze blowing outside. As I leave my home I make sure to close the door as quietly as I can so I don't wake my dad up, he needs his sleep. I walked for quite awhile. I point things out to myself to keep my mind from wandering back to the empty place. Then I noticed something. I notice a sign, it reads: ANTIQUE SALE. The big old fashioned house sparks even more curiosity from me. I follow the crowd of people as they look at all the odds and ends that the owners are selling. All the items are cool, but nothing really stands out to me. I walk up to one of the ladies working the tables. Her grey hair was pinned up in a perfect bun and her black slacks and dark purple top gave off a weird feeling of cold detachment, whether it was toward the items she was selling, the people surrounding her table, or life in general I could not decipher.

"Excuse me ma'am, may I use your bathroom?" I ask shyly. I feel her eyes look me up and down as if she was analyzing me. Then her wrinkled lips pulled up into a small smile.

"Of course dear, it is down the hall and the first door on the left." She says pointing to her front door. I give her a warm smile.

"Thank you." I say before turning and walking through the groups of people looking at all the different items. I make it to the front steps and push open the heavy wood door. The house has a comforting scent to it, like lavender and something else I can't identify. I follow the corridor down until I reach the first door on the left. Before I step in the bathroom I get the weirdest feeling that someone is watching me. I turn around but there is no one around me that I could see. I shrug it off and chalk it up to my own paranoia. I walk into the bathroom, close the door and do my business. As I'm washing my hands I realize the soap they had for hand washing had flowers suspended in a clear base with a floral scent that I couldn't quite figure out. I smile at these small touches as I dry off my hands. I walk out of the bathroom and run right into another older lady.

"I am so sorry" I say with an apologetic tone extending my hand in case she needs to steady herself.

"Quite alright deary. I shouldn't have been standing so close to the door" She says with a warm smile. She takes my hand, but only to shake it. "I'm Doloris Ranhart, and you are?"

"Violet Thomas, nice to meet you." I say shaking her hand before pulling back. "Do you live here?"

"Yes, I have for all my life."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why are you having an antique sale?"

"My sister wants to get rid of my home, but I won't let her. So she is trying to sell it piece by piece from under me" I give Doloris an empathetic smile. "Here before you ask any more questions, let's take a seat in the living room." She leads me into the next room. The walls were a lovely dark green with wood trim. They had a small tv, but with the amount of dust I would say it is hardly ever used. The couch had a beautiful floral pattern. The room overall had an inviting warmth to it.

"Why would she do such an awful thing?" I ask as we both sit down.

"She thinks I am not of sound mind so she wants to stick me in a home. Though, just between you and me, she is crazier than I."

"It's awful that she would ask you to leave your home for no good reason." She gives a wide smile.

"Would you like to see something amazing?" She asks with a sparkle in her eye.

"Uh, sure." I say with hesitation. I know that there is stranger danger, but something about this odd situation peaks my interest. We get up and she leads me upstairs to a room with a large oak door. She smiles at me.

"What lies beyond this door could change your life. Are you ready for this?" She asks. I give a curious look, but I nod my head yes. My curiosity is pushing me to learn more. She gives me a toothy grin as she pulls out an old skeleton key. She unlocks the door and it creaks open. In the room is one item, a mirror. The evening sun is shining through the one window that is in the room, illuminating the mirror in golden light. The room itself has wood floors and light blue walls. As I step through the door, the musty stale air makes it hard to breathe.

"So a mirror is supposed to change my life?" I ask with skepticism dripping off my voice. The mirror itself was ordinary. Both of our reflections showed back to us, making me immediately self conscious.

"That is no ordinary mirror. This mirror has been with my family for generations. It shows you the world of your deepest desires. The life you crave in the world of your dreams. If you so decide, you may step into it and live the adventure you long for." She says gesturing for me to look into the mirror once more. I glance at it.

"There's nothing special abo-"I interrupt myself as the change in reflection catches my eye. I can't believe what I see. There was a forest surrounding a small village. People were dressed as if it was a renaissance fair. My eyes fill with wonderment and I stare at a world I could only find in my imagination.

"Beautiful world you've dreamt up." Doloris remarks as she walks up next to me.

"What is this? How is this possible?" I stutter as I look up at her. She gives me a wide grin.

"The offer is up to you. If you would like to go see what your world of desires has to offer you, you may. But I just ask you don't tell anyone about this or the world you step into." She says holding out the key for me. I take it in my hands.

"Thank you." I say as I take the key. I turn my gaze back to the magical world I see in the mirror.

"To come back out of the world, find the lock with no door where you started your journey. If you need help, look to the stars and know that you are never alone."

"This is amazing, what's the catch?" I ask turning to face her.

"Every adventure has it's bumps, this would be no different. Just be careful. If you die in that world, you die for real." She says with a serious tone. I have only known her for a short time, but there is no feeling of doubt. I trust her. I look to the world in the mirror and I look down at my hands that hold the key. I catch a glimpse of the scar peeking out of my long sleeve shirt on my wrist, a constant reminder of the unhappiness I am left with in this world. That should make the decision to go that much easier. Running never solves anything, but in this case what could go wrong? If I don't belong in this world maybe I belong in that one.

"Thank you." I say hugging her suddenly with tears welling up in my eyes. She hugs me back gently. I pull away and she looks at me with a gleam in her eye, as if she were a proud mama sending her kid off to college.

"Be safe, I hope you find what you are looking for." She says putting her hand to my cheek. She leaves it for a moment. The warmth her hand left was the first time in a long time that I have felt happiness, almost a loving feeling. She pulls her hand away and the warmth goes with it. She turns away and walks out the door. I look after her longingly. She doesn't know me, but she has given me more than anyone else in my entire life. I turn to the mirror and see the busy little village. I smile at it. I take a deep breath and put my hand on the mirror. The surface ripples as though it were water and my hand goes through the mirror as though there was nothing there. I smile and step through it. At first everything just seemed overpowered by a bright white light. I shield my eyes with my hand. Oh, no. Is this a mistake?