The moment I opened my eyes, I flinched and they shut close as a result of the blinding light that seemed to come from nowhere. I let them remain closed and took a few long minutes to calm myself down and prepare for what was to come when I opened my eyes again. I tried to feel, to smell that could've surrounded me. I could feel something solid beneath me and the noise that entered my ears, in some way sounded familiar. I fluttered open my eyes cautiously.
Many wires were attached to different parts of my body and bandages appeared to be present everywhere my eyes could see at the time. My whole body was aching, as if it was being squeezed and pulled simultaneously. Each muscle, each nerve, stretched mercilessly. I realized I was in a hospital bed. I saw my dad sleeping near my bed.
"Dad", I wanted to say, but couldn't. Even the slightest of efforts burned my throat. I let out a husky whisper, which I didn't expect him to listen to, but a couple of seconds later, he woke up.
He took in the sight of my face -that I assumed was covered in bandages too- and relief settled on his exhausted face. He looked at me sympathetically for a second before running out to call a doctor. There was something in his eyes that I had never ever seen in my life. Tears; which even after his hardest attempts, had managed to surface.
Till the time a doctor arrived, I was already drifting off. He didn't seem to mind it and continued his examination and a while later, gave the green signal. He left the room, and I looked at dad. I tried to speak something, but realized I couldn't. At least, not for some time.
Dad slowly came to my side, and took my hand in his, making sure to be very careful. It was as if he felt that if he exerted any force, I might break. He remained silent for a long time, before speaking,
"I am so sorry Samantha. I was supposed to protect you, but I failed. Miserably." He looked down and sighed.
"I am so sorry dear. It is all my fault. I am the only one to blame." The heaviness in his voice became detectable and he dare not look me in the eye. After a long pause, he spoke again. "Thank lord, nothing happened to you. If something had happened to you, I would've never been able to look at myself. I'm not a good father Sam..." He trailed off and let his emotions take over him.
The tears trickled down from his cheeks and landed on my hand. It was the first time in my life that I had seen him this vulnerable, and I hated that I was the reason for it.
"Dad... Dad. Look at me." I waited for him, but when he didn't, I tugged at his hand. He reluctantly made eye contact and I said firmly, "I am alright. Nothing happened to me and none of what happened was your fault. The only reason I am alive today is because of you. You never failed as a Dad and you never will."
He just placed his hand on my forehead and started caressing it with gentle, ever so delicate strokes.
"Do you know what happened?"
"Yes honey."
"Do you know about the mirror... Sami... mom...?"
"Shhh! Don't speak Sam. Here drink some water." He urgently handed me a glass of water and helped me drink it, when I started coughing due to the efforts I made to speak forcefully. The water seemed to cool down the burn I felt in the back of my throat.
"What happened to me?" I asked when I felt I could speak again.
"I found you lying on the bathroom floor. Everything in the cottage was destroyed. All the furniture was broken. All the doors, windows and mirrors were broken. The cottage was barely there."
'Oh' was the only response I could mutter out.
"When I found you, your head was bleeding profusely. Something was stuck in your head. I did not take it out until I reached the hospital."
My head started pounding again, only worsening with each passing second.
"I was so worried when I took you to the doctor. Your condition was very critical as you had lost a lot of blood by the time I reached here. The doctors took that object out of your head and revealed a small hole."
"There's a hole in my head?" I gasped.
"Don't worry honey. It's going to be alright. I have talked to the doctors. You're going to recover soon."
My head was aching very violently now, leaving no space for anything. I blacked out again.
YOU ARE READING
I SAW HER IN THE MIRROR
Paranormal"My dad was lying unconscious on the bed, amidst the mess of various things, and my mom and brother were not in the room. Instead... they were inside the huge mirror that was hanging in front of the bed, with ...with ...my sister, Sami. Their eyes b...
