The Other Side of the Mirror

Black Robes Trailing

Their footsteps were light as they frantically descended the stairs. I padded down the stairs after them, making sure to have the flashlight shining on them at all times. I was not going to lose them this time.

The wooden floorboards of the downstairs hallway creaked with every step they took. I hoped the sound wouldn't wake up my grandparents. They would not be pleased. Thankfully, I had long ago learned which floorboards creaked and which didn't depending on where you stepped.

Not that I did this sneaking around at night thing very often.

They took a sudden right and disappeared into the kitchen. I advanced forward to follow them when my flashlight began to flicker. I hit it against my hand as quietly as possible to try and get the light to stay on, but sadly this didn't work and the light went out. I rolled my eyes at it. Of course this is when the batteries run out.

I sighed heavily and flicked the light switch on, figuring finding out what I was following was worth the risk of my grandparents awakening and noticing the light beneath their door and getting up to turn the light off.

I crept into the kitchen, the room had an eerie glow from the light in the hall. I quickly looked around for the shadow on the walls. It was nowhere to be seen.

I sighed again and exited back into the hall thinking it must have left the kitchen when my flashlight went out.

Seeing as our house is pretty big, I decided to simply stand and listen out for any movement in the house as otherwise I would have search every room to find it. But apart from the familiar soft snores of my grandfather coming from upstairs, there was nothing to be heard.

I was about to head back upstairs and accept defeat when I had one final idea. Maybe if I turned the lights off and hid somewhere, they would think I had gone back upstairs and come out from wherever they were. It may have been a bit of a long shot, but it was worth a try.

I chose to hide under the stairs, pushed up right against the pale yellow wall under the lower steps so there was no way I could be seen. I sat for a few minutes under the cover of darkness before I heard footsteps coming from somewhere in the house. I held my breath and clasped a hand to my mouth as the footsteps got louder and louder.

It wasn't until the footsteps began to descend the stairs that I realised they in fact belonged to my grandmother. I saw her slippered feet stop on the step directly above me and for a split second I thought she had somehow seen me. I kept my hand pressed over my mouth as her feet started moving again and she walked away from the stairs and towards the kitchen.

I let myself breath out as I heard the tap running. I listened as she got a glass from the cupboard and held it under the water. A few seconds later, she left the room and headed back upstairs to bed. The minute I heard her bedroom door click shut, I breathed a huge sigh of relief that she hadn't noticed me or even turned on the light.

I waited a few more minutes before silently crawling out of my hiding place. I brushed off the dust which now coated my silk pyjamas and pulled a few stray pieces of fluff from my unruly curls. I grabbed the wooden banister of the stairs and quickly glanced down the hallway before pulling myself up the first step.

I stopped.

I slowly went back down the step and looked along the hallway again. There was a faint outline of what looked to be a person there. It took all my willpower to not scream there and then. Instead, with a shaking hand, I reached out and flicked the light on.

I began to tremble slightly as the head of the stranger whipped round and their fearful eyes met mine.

It was a girl who looked to be about my age. Her curly hair cascaded down her back, it was very much like mine except hers was vanilla blonde as opposed to copper red. Her skin was very pale which contrasted the dark eyeliner which outlined her eyes.

Those eyes, they were so bright and such deep shade of purple. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

She was wearing a black dress which reached almost all the way to the floor. Several silver bangles lined her forearms and they clinked together as she moved. She also had a black robe draped over her shoulders which trailed on the floor behind her.

We must have stood with our eyes locked for a good thirty seconds, none of us knowing what to do. Suddenly, she seemed to snap back to reality. She grabbed the hood of her robe, her hand covered by a lace glove, and pulled it over her head and took off running, her robe billowing behind her, looking almost magical.

She was very fast, considering she was wearing what looked to be heels, and it was hard for me to keep up with her while doing my best to be quiet. I was so glad the noise of her heels on the floor didn't wake anyone up. Or at least if it did, no one came downstairs to investigate.

She took a sharp left and ran the whole length of the hallway until she came to the door at the very end on the right hand side. I came to a sudden halt about five paces behind her and simply stood, watching her, not sure of what to do. She looked back at me, her eyes now a paler shade but still unmistakably purple. She looked back at me and titled her head slightly, as though wondering why I had stopped. She returned her attention to the door before turning the handle and pushing it open.

It was the door to my mothers room.

I held my breath as she slipped inside and closed the door quietly behind her.

I didn't know whether to follow her or not. I hadn't been in my mother's room in many years, but I wanted to know who this mysterious girl was and what she was doing in my house.

As if making the ultimate decision for me, my legs began to move almost of their own accord and pulled me towards to door. I imagined this was how a moth felt when it was drawn to the light. Or how a coin would feel when placed near a magnet.

I stood outside the door for a few moments before my hand reached out, turned the handle and pushed it open slightly. I peeked my head around the door and looked around the room. It was pitch black.

Should I venture into the room, or walk away and forget everything?

Arguments for each swarmed around in my head before my curiosity took over.

I had to know who she was.

I just had to.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and entered into the dark room.