The cursed mirror

The panda stood in front of the door. His stiff, cold body couldn't move. He felt like a statue as he stared at the doorbell, wanting to press it yet hesitant to at the same time. He glanced at the still lit screen of his phone showing some weirdly cryptic message, closed the phone, and put it back into his pocket. The panda slapped his cheeks, attempting to push away all the negative feelings that swarmed around him. His finger pushed the button as he pushed a fake smile onto his face.

"I'm coming!" Someone called from inside the house. Nova heard footsteps approach the door.

He quickly ran his fingers through his hair and straightened his collar. The nervous panda pulled a gift out of his jacket, ready to face the incoming party.

The door opened and a grizzly bear appeared in front of him, green eyes widening in surprise. He was caught off guard. "Nova?! Why are you already here?! You're, like, three hours early!"

"What's wrong with coming early?" He tilted his head. "It's a special day! The sooner we celebrate the better it is!" The panda barged through the door as soon as he saw an opening.

"Huh, wait!" Ray tried to grasp his shoulders in vain, unable to stop the charging panda.

Nova stared in awe at the living room fully decorated in perfect Halloween style. Small bats hung from the ceiling, jack-o'-lanterns lit the room with a soft glow, and plastic spiders appeared utterly realistic on the sofa. Only the table had yet to be decorated. It was indeed too early to setup food and beverages.

The panda spun around quickly to face the grizzly. "Did you do this all by yourself?"

"Well, you know, arts and crafts have always been a hobby of mine..." Ray scratched the back of his head, flattered, before remembering his now ruined plan. "It was meant to be a surprise!" The grizzly bear snapped, upset that his friend had just barreled inside.

"Oh... I'm, I'm sorry, Ray," Nova stuttered. "I thought it would be nice to spend some time with you before the part—"

Ray blinked in confusion as he watched his friend overreact, almost dropping the gift, when the panda's phone started to vibrate. Nova acted as if he was scared of it.

"You okay?" the grizzly questioned hesitantly.

"Oh, yeah," the other bear anxiously replied. He shoved the gift into Ray's face to distract him. "Here! I bought you this."

Ray took a few steps backward because the package was literally in his mouth. "Uhm.. yeah." He pushed it away. "Thanks."

"So...how many people did you invite today?" Nova attempted to make casual conversation, but it was to no avail.

The grizzly bear crossed his arms. He gave the panda a dead stare. "Nova."

"What?"

Ray peered up from his phone. "What's wrong?"

Unprepared to provide a reasonable excuse, the panda rambled. "Nothing? Do I look stressed or something?"

The grizzly rose an eyebrow. He didn't like the lack of communication. If there was something wrong, all Nova had to do was say it. After a moment of tense silence, he relaxed. He took the gift with a smile.

"Alright. I believe you."

The panda let out all the air he contained in one loud extremely relieved breath. He didn't realize this was just another big hint for Ray.

"Could you hand me those scissors behind you on the table? I'd like to open your gift and finish some work," Ray asked. He leaned over Nova as he pointed, peering into the other bear's pocket where the offending phone had disappeared.