Deep Thoughts

A Peculiar Perception of Beauty

Cold. Freezing even. Frigid and pruned, my hands caressed my long face. My cheeks sagged in an undesirable manner. Creases etched my every slight movement, accentuating my unattractive age. Strings of gray laced with white failed to reach my shoulders. Everything about my appearance was disgusting. But I was beautiful in the eyes of glass. The mirror showed a young lady, maybe in her late twenties, relishing in her youth. Luxurious brunette locks framed my apple shaped head perfectly. Rosy cheeks made my already glowing skin radiate. Bright green eyes wished for an equally bright future. The image caused me to smile.

I was unbearable to look at, but the mirror erased my flaws. The glass, framed with polished gold, reflected a wonderful figure. The essence of perfection. But the mirror was not magic. It was only a treasure I had discovered recently on a spree. It stood out among the dusty counter tops, creaky doors, and rotted wooden walls. It made me happy to possess such a gift in my own home, but there were others like it. All mirrors saw someone beautiful when I entered their view. They were unlike everyone else. They were unlike me. They were unlike--

A gentle knock on the door sent vibrations through the brittle walls and caused the mirror to shake.

"Pauline?"

I refused to answer

"Pauline, please talk to me dear."

Again, he received no response. In fact, I was surprised I even heard him with my determination to forget him. I would not acknowledge a man who referred to me by such an ancient name. A name that should have put the parents to shame who granted the name to their own child.

"Pauline, say something. Say anything. You haven't spoken in a while...I miss you."

The man at the door continued to wail for me, but I did not want to converse. The man was once gorgeous with a head full of thick, blonde hair and dazzling blue orbs to go along with it. I once called the man my husband. And now he could barely see with his graying eyes. He reminded me of the devastating truth shown in my gray hair. He reminded me that I was old. In his hoarse voice he called to me again. Silence greeted him.

After some time, he accepted his non-existent response and sighed in exasperation. It was truly shameful how he reached for someone so far out of his league. He trudged away with a repulsive hunch in his crooked back and a terrible limp sported by a cane. I was grateful I did not share this issue. So I continued to admire my youth and allowed it to engulf my mind. I lightly tapped my cheek to test its buoyancy. It bounced right back. A smile graced my lips and I began to chuckle in a high and youthful pitch. I was so enraptured by my beauty that I did not hear the door slam. I was only brought back to reality when the force of the front door closing caused a crack to appear in the mirror. My beauty disappeared. And my decrepit face screamed.

(A/N):

Although most of you readers cannot yet relate to this story, it will apply to all of us one day. We will eventually feel insecure about our capabilities, strength, health, and of course, appearance. And since we all will feel this, it is really pointless to be insecure because we all know that we have flaws. The best way to address them would be to realize that we've always had quirks and made mistakes. But those do not define us. And our age does not define us. Young children can have great ideas even though they have not completely matured. And elderly people remain as wise as ever even if they have diminishing health. My character Pauline refused to believed this and tried anyways to return back to a time in her life when she was "beautiful". She finds consolation in mirrors because they are inanimate objects that in no way can reject her. And it just so happens that it reflects an image too. She becomes so obsessed with her younger image that she only sees her past self in her mirror. She practically goes crazy with the idea that she needs to look like that for people to accept her. But little does she know that her husband loves her despite any of her flaws. And when Pauline fails to realize that, her husband leaves. The crack in the mirror is like Pauline's reality check because her husband was proof that people still loved her despite her age, her looks, her everything. But when he walked out, he gave up on her, and Pauline had to face the truth of her age with no one to live through it with and support her.

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