Mirrors

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Lance Kell

Duchess Eliza DuPont and her Fiance, Franco Mizra are settling into their new town. Franco comes across a mirror at an antique shop, and decides to splurge a bit. The teller rings up the mirror: $4500 even. They say their goodbyes and Franco heads home to his lover. The mirror is strapped in the back seat of his Benz, parallel to the rear-view. On the drive home, He looks into the rear view mirror, and notices that the mirror has a thick, black, almost sludge of smoke emanating from it. At a red light, he looks into the mirror. The smoke is gone.

Franco arrives at his new abode: An early 1900’s mansion of a living facility which had been recently remodeled. The mirror is light in weight, so he carries it up the red velvet staircase, and into the living room, where Eliza is combing through a sea of boxes, which seem to be crying to be unpacked. “This mirror caught my eye at a local antique shop, I thought you might fancy it,” said Franco. “Oh it is most excellent!” Exclaimed Eliza, “It’s beautiful, but doesn’t it seem a bit strange to you?” “I didn’t notice anything… Wait! On the way home, I was checking in the rear view mirror, and I saw a black sludge-looking substance wandering around the base of the mirror, almost like smoke!” said Franco. They milled around the mirror, inspecting its entirety, and deemed it a mere illusion. Off to dinner they went.

While this lovely couple was off at an upscale Greek restaurant, the mirror’s poison filled the house. Its black smoke filled all of the rooms, and even the beds that they slept on. Its evil worked magic in solitude, and no one had witnessed this happening. It was like it had never occurred at all. The couple returns, noticing a strange presence in their house. Franco retrieved a nearby bat, and began searching for intruders. “Show yourself!” he yelled. But nothing responded, when suddenly there was a faint whispering. Franco, beginning to tense up, called out again. “SHOW YOURSELF!” The whispering became audible; uttering the words “You set me free.” The whispers came from behind him, so Franco swung, only to smash a vase and knock over a wall fixture to the right of him. He ran to Eliza, and asked her if he’d heard the whispering, and she only replied with a blank look and a shake of her head. “It’s late,” she said. “Lets retire.” “Yes, that’d probably be a good idea. Its been a long day,” replied Franco.

The couple slept soundly; almost too soundly. The mirror lies in a corner of the living room, mocking their fright in the previous evening. But the couple still did not know of its cruel intentions. Eliza awakes, and walks through the living room to the kitchen. A bright flash blinds her, coming from the right of her. The mirror is now facing her, reflecting the light of the morning sun into her eyes. “Leave it to Franco to put things in the worst possible places…” she muttered. She stumbled towards the mirror, and put it on the opposite corner of the room, facing away from the sun. Walking back to the kitchen, she begins to hear the whispering that Franco had mentioned. “Why did you relocate me? I was enjoying the sunrise, you know,” said the mirror. Eliza, who is completely in awe by this time, calls out for Franco. She runs upstairs and wakes him and tells him about the mirror. He throws himself out of bed, puts on his jeans, and comes to bear witness.

In this short time, the mirror had completely consumed the lower level of their house. All of the walls were reflections: they had all become the mirror! The couple walks cautiously through the house, inspecting themselves in the mirrors. “So strange…” they said in unison. And at the hilt of their words, The mirrors collapse in, on all four walls of the living room, and consume the couple. The house returns to normal, but the mirror now has the image of the two people, well in health, in the prime of their lives, immaculate.

Over time, worried relatives leave messages on their answering machines, and bill collectors knock and leave notices, with no response. The relatives inform the authorities, and a search begins. But little is known to the public about what happened to this ideal couple. Their names became conspiracies, their bodies art. Their images had been consumed deep within the mirror, and it still lies ominously to the right of the kitchen, facing east. The house is condemned, and all of the items left there. The house was forgotten. Fifty years later, the house is completely consumed by vines and brush. A young, wealthy couple comes across it on a visit from England. “I bet that house could be beautiful with a little work,” says the woman. “I’ve got a friend back home that would be more than happy to come and help us work on it. We could make it our new home!” said the man.