The Purple Reign

Percy Simmons was Purplesville's top fashionista, whose purple fashions filled its clothing stores.

But there was something in the way of the fashion guru's sales pitch--critics had declared purple outdated. Old news. Garish.

Colour had become a crime.

That made customers flock to shops that had beige, black and other muted offerings. Purple was officially passe. No one could explain when it had passed.

So Percy's shop became a beige Island. The fashion magazines had issued a decree.

Percy's shop had become a victim of the fashion trend. Rather than closing it down, the resilient fashionista held a purple parade. Only six brave souls stood against mundanity, including a retired magician and an avant-garde bride in a purple dress. An influencer took the photograph, looking to give it undue influence on social media.

Percy had expected a revolution. He got one with a queue as short as one of the fashionistas' miniskirts.

The social media troll's photograph went completely viral. 100,000 views in two days!

But her troll- a famous fashion designer- lauded it as the first fashion event of its kind.

So it was that purple became the season's 'it' colour. Purple was the colour to see and be seen in. Celebrities added purple jackets to their wardrobes. Percy's shop was the site of the Great Trendsetting Battle.

Yesterday's fashion disaster was today's fashion statement. The same critics who had put it down were now holding it high.

But purple was still purple. The headlines had changed.

Fashion houses started offering Percy astronomical sums for his creations. Percy watched as his critics became instant purple gurus. Thelma Troll, of course, claimed to have spotted his talent. Percy himself insisted that the movement was his brainchild.

Everyone wanted a piece of purple, preferably with their names embossed. Meanwhile, department stores for the everyman started selling purple scarves at twice the usual prices, giving plausible reasons for the markup.

Percy's business burgeoned, though not quickly enough-grey was the season's new colour.

The experts had shifted their paradigms again. A magazine made the stunning announcement- purple was passe. Grey was IT. Percy gazed at the shop which once had beige shirts gracing its windows. Its owner was desperately substituting the beige shirts on its mannequins for purple ones.

And purple? It stayed that way.

Some mirrors show your face. Others reveal the thoughts, fears, choices and contradictions hidden beneath the surface.

Mirrors of the Mind explores those reflections through stories that look at people, relationships and the unexpected turns that make us question what we thought we knew.

Sometimes, the most revealing thing in a mirror isn't the person looking back.