Mirror, Mirror: Part I

“No, Mom, don’t worry about it I can come wash your sheets later today,” I shivered, picturing Mom trying to wash her own bedding after her cat, Cynthia, had puked all over them. The chemo was making her too weak right now to handle even a task as mundane as that.

I rested the phone between my cheek and shoulder while one hand pulled open the door to my favorite thrift store and the other carried my wallet and keys. “I just need to run a few errands and I’ll be over, all right?” I told her as I smiled and waved at the woman behind the counter.

“Oh, all right, I’ll leave it for you to handle when you get here,” Mom reluctantly agreed. She hated being this frail, but at least she wasn’t too far in denial this time to try to do it herself.

I hung up as I began perusing the antique jewelry section on my way to the business attire. I needed a new outfit for a job interview, but couldn’t afford even a discount retail store.

I turned my attention away from the jewelry and my eyes fell upon a large, decorative, ornate mirror. It was floor-length, and the thick, intricately carved wooden frame was a deep reddish brown.

Oh my god, this is so beautiful, I thought to myself as my feet brought me closer. The caring on the frame was extraordinarily detailed with flowers and patterns that swirled around seamlessly. Upon close examination, it could use a refinish, but I doubted anyone would really notice.

“That came in just yesterday,” the woman behind the counter said as she walked over. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yeah…” I couldn’t look away from it, even my reflection seemed prettier. “How much?” I knew damn well I couldn’t afford it, but boy I wanted it.

“A hundred even,” the woman said.

Before I knew it, I was sitting in my small living room staring at the mirror. I loved it so much in the store, but in my little run-down apartment, it seemed out of place and I was starting to panic. I was already a few thousand deep in credit card debt, what the hell possessed me to buy this mirror?!

A thin plastic bag bulging with two business outfit choices sat forgotten on the couch next to me as I continued to stare at the mirror. I hadn’t had anywhere decent to put it so it was sitting directly in front of the TV - the TV stand was the only thing sturdy enough to hold the mirror up.

The abrupt slam of the front door startled me out of my scolding and my roommate pranced in carrying grocery bags.

“Hey, Leah! I got that cereal you like,” Alli chirped as she swung the bags onto the one 2’x2’ section of counter space in the kitchen.

I leapt out of my sedimentary spot on the couch and into the kitchen, which was thankfully separate from the living room, so the mirror was safely out of sight. “Hey, how was work?” I began helping to put away groceries, only half listening as she launched into a story of an inter-office affair that had shaken up the sales department at her work.

“I’m so glad I work in Marketing, I only have to engage with these people through email and- What are you doing?” she asked as I blocked her way to the living room.

“I may have made an impulse buy today,” I sheepishly admitted.

“You- What?! What did you buy?”

I hesitated. “A mirror.”

“A mirror?” The intense irritation in her face transformed to bewilderment.

“A fancy mirror.”

She brushed past me to get a view of the living room and came to an abrupt halt when she caught sight of the mirror. “What the- Why did- I don’t understand.” Her wide eyes refused to blink for several moments.

I stood as far behind her as our tiny apartment would allow, giving her space. “What don’t you understand?”

She whipped around to face me, hands on her hips like a disappointed mother catching her kid coming home after curfew. “How much was it?”

I slowly backed away from her. “Uh…well, that’s a complicated answer that...requires an in depth analysis of-”

“HOW MUCH, Leah?”

“A hundred bucks.” My back hit a wall.

Alli’s wide eyes got wider. “One…hundred. Dollars. You spent a hundred dollars on a giant old mirror when you owe me two hundred?! You don’t even have an income!”

“I know. I know it’s bad, but-”

“You are returning the mirror.”

“I got it at the thrift store. They have a jacked return policy, I’ll only get fifty back.”

“Ugh! Then you’re selling it! Put that thing on Craigslist. Now!”

And so the mirror went on Craigslist. Alli also made me move it into my room, which I deeply regretted the next morning when I jumped out of my skin upon seeing my reflection. That damn mirror took up half the wall.

I was so mad at myself for buying it, I didn’t even look at it as I gathered the two outfits from the thrift store and tried them on, using Alli’s full length mirror in the bathroom. I opted for a beige blazer with matching slacks, and pulled a white blouse out of my closet to go underneath. I looked just how an assistant at an architectural firm would look. Perfect.

I didn’t enter my room again before leaving for the interview, attempting to push both the mirror and the buyer’s guilt out of my mind.

The office where I had my interview was beautiful. It was one large room with doors to smaller offices on the perimeter, though every door was open. The theme was very modern, with stained wood and recycled metal for the walls, large glass desks, and I could see a small break room in a far corner with an espresso machine.

My interview was conducted in one of the smaller offices, which had an empty glass desk sitting just outside. One twenty minute conversation and two handshakes later, and I was Buck Brown’s new assistant, set to start on Monday!

I could hardly wait to call Mom and tell her the news, but I kept my pace calm and casual as I made my way to the exit (though I couldn’t keep the grin off my face).

I pushed open one of the double doors, walked out into the sunshine and right into a man walking into the office, making him drop his briefcase.

“Oh! I am so sorry…” I trailed off as he bent down to pick up his briefcase and looked up at me. This guy was gorgeous.

“Don’t worry about it,” he straightened up and smiled before continuing through the door.

Maybe this job came with more perks than I thought.

I got to my car and immediately dialed Mom. She answered on the second ring, “So?!”

“I got the job!”

“That’s fantastic, congratulations! I want to hear everything about the interview. What’s your new boss like?”

I launched into telling her every detail of the interview: the rustic, modern office, how nice my new boss, Buck, was and how he told me not to call him Mr. Brown, all the smart answers I gave to his questions, the firm handshakes I gave him, and even running into Mr. Gorgeous as I was leaving.

“That sounds like a great interview!”

“And it seems like such a cool place to work, the feel of the office and how happy the people seemed is super promising,” I gushed.

We talked on the phone as I sat in the parking lot for a half hour, at the end of which Mom told me that her doctor told her today that she’s officially in remission. This day was turning out to be the greatest day of my life.

I was in a happy haze as I walked into my apartment with the intention of making a good dinner to celebrate all the improvements to my life and stopped short when I got to my bedroom and saw the mirror. I’d almost forgotten about the stupid mirror.

I scowled as I changed out of my work outfit and checked my email to see if the Craigslist ad had gotten any hits. It hadn’t.

It also didn’t get any hits through the weekend, which I found odd, but didn’t think too much of it as my focus was on the nerves and excitement surrounding the impending start of my new job. I eventually grew used to the mirror in my bedroom and even used it to review my chosen first-day-of-work outfit on Monday.

I found on Monday that I didn’t need to be nervous for my first day on the job. The friendly atmosphere I’d sensed during my interview turned out to be spot-on. The people were all very nice, my boss was excellent at describing my daily work operations, and I got a full hour for lunch, even though the job description said it was only supposed to be thirty minutes.

The cherry on top was the cute guy I’d run into at the end of my interview. I’d come back from lunch a few minutes early and was sitting at my desk playing around on one of the new computer programs I needed to learn and he materialized in front of me.

“Hi, I’m Justin,” he confidently held his hand out for me to shake.

My hand hesitated to take his out of surprise. “Leah.” His hand was warm and comfortable to hold onto. I was just as shocked as last time by how attractive this guy was – tanned skin, light brown and wavy hair that curled at the base of his neck, straight, white teeth framed by an impressive jawline, and bright green eyes. I mean, damn.

“Were you who I ran into outside the other day?” he asked.

“Heh, yeah, that was me. Sorry about that.” I felt myself blush.

“Hey, that’s okay. I never mind it when a cute girl runs into me, feel free to do it again if you’d like.”

“Thanks, but I typically try to keep the chaos in my wake to a minimum.” This is awesome, I never flirt this well, I marveled silently.

“Fair enough. So is today your first day? How do you like it so far?”

“Yeah, it is. And it’s great! All the people are really nice.”

“Yeah, the people here are great. I’ve been working here for about a year and half and I love it,” his gaze swooped around the office like a king admiring his kingdom. “In fact, a few of us are getting drinks tonight after work. Care to join us?”

“I’d love to!”

“Great, I’ll come get you at the end of the day and we can walk together.”

“We’re walking?”

“Yeah it’s just a bar around the corner. See you then,” he smiled one more time and made his way back to his own desk at the far end of the office.

And just like that, it was like I was in with the popular kids. Mostly assistants, secretaries, and assistant architects made up our group walking to the bar together. Everyone was very interested to know how my first day went and learn more about me, and I had more fun than I’d had in months.

Once again, I floated back to my apartment, happy as could be and went to sleep that night with a smile on my face.

“Can I borrow your blue dress?” I swung my head into Alli’s open bedroom door.

“Oooh for your daaate?” Alli sat up from her lounging position on her bed and set her book down on her nightstand, open and face-down to hold her page.

“Yes, I don’t have anything suitable for a guy this good-looking.”

She swung her legs off the edge of her bed and marched to her closet. “Here you go, don’t spill anything on it.” She took the dress off the hanger and tossed it to me.

“Thank you!” I sang as I strode back to my own room.

I slipped on the sky-blue dress and turned to look in the mirror as I adjusted the top. For a moment, I thought I saw a figure standing behind me. I whipped my head around to inspect my bedroom – empty except for me. I shrugged it off and looked back into the mirror to check my makeup. After a few moments I once again caught sight of a person, but it was clearer this time.

A transparent woman in a white dress stood behind me. As soon as I looked directly at her, she shook her head.

I spun around to once again witness my empty bedroom.

“ALLI!” I bolted for the door, needing a witness to this madness.

“What?!” Alli stood in her doorway. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my room, planting her in front of the mirror.

“Look!” I pointed into the mirror at the spot where the woman stood. There was nothing there but my Game of Thrones poster on the back wall. “She was just there…”

“What the hell are you talking about? Who was where?” Alli’s confused eyes darted around my bedroom, both the literal one and the reflection. “What am I supposed to be seeing?”

“There was a woman…in the reflection of the mirror, she was standing behind me. Maybe if we wait a few minutes she’ll come back.”

Realization and irritation sparked in Alli’s reflected eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me? This isn’t gonna work.”

“What isn’t gonna work?” I turned to look at her real face.

“You trying to scare me with your idiotic impulse buy,” she huffed and turned to leave.

“I’m not kidding! She was there!”

“Uh-huh, oh yeah, I’m sure.” She continued into her room, turning at the doorway. “Nice try, have fun on your date!” She winked at me before closing her door.

My date! I checked the clock and realized I needed to leave in five minutes. I quickly double checked my hair, makeup, and outfit in the bathroom mirror before going back to my bedroom for my purse.

Without looking directly into the mirror, I grabbed an old sheet from my closet and threw it over the whole mirror. I made a mental note to re-list it on Craigslist, and maybe Facebook Marketplace later that night and headed for the door.

Maybe I can have Alli call with a fake emergency, I thought as Justin launched into another mansplanation, this time about how wine was made. Notably the cabernet he’d just spilled all over Alli’s dress. He was nice enough to pause his tirade just long enough to apologize before continuing in his unwanted lecture.

I’d already been lucky enough to learn about how restaurants operate, the value of his car, and a remarkably arrogant account of why men should be paid more than women. No wonder this jackass was single, we hadn’t even gotten our entrees yet.

He obnoxiously swirled his wine in his glass and gave it an audible sniff as though the glass was an oxygen mask. “The type of barrel the wine is kept in actually has a lot to do with how the wine tastes…”

The sudden vibration of my phone interrupted a picturesque fantasy in my head about the waiter spilling a whole plate of food over his head. Thank god, I thought, seeing the word “Mom” on the caller ID.

“Hi Mom!” I suppressed a laugh at the look on Justin’s face from being cut off mid-sentence, however my satisfaction over his reaction didn’t last.

“Leah—” Mom began before erupting into a violent cough.

“Mom?”

“I need you to come take me to the hospital.” She finished when the coughing subsided.

I sluggishly made my way to my apartment shortly after 5AM and sluggishly crept in, careful not to wake Alli.

I slept until noon, only waking briefly at 7AM to call and tell work I wasn’t coming in, only for my boss to tell me I was fired if I didn’t. I returned to the hospital and tried to calm the smoke escaping from my ears at my return to unemployment. I couldn’t stop thinking about how everything went so sideways so quickly, like the universe said “Nope, that’s enough good fortune for you!” Well fuck you too, universe.

I bought a cup of coffee and sat in a stiff, unevenly worn chair in Mom’s room to wait for a sign of what to do next. A sudden ding from my phone jerked my attention back to alertness. My coffee had grown cold and my ass was numb, indicating that I’d been sitting there zoning out for a while.

I looked at my phone, which flashed a bright 6:47 at me. I’d been sitting here for almost 6 full hours. I had received a text from an unknown number: Is the mirror still available?

The mirror.

A realization hit me so hard it nearly knocked me over. Things started going well after I bought the mirror, and horribly after I covered it. Could it be my numbingly sleep deprived mind putting those two things together? It sounded completely crazy! Mirrors don’t control things like that.

But...what about the woman? I wasn’t sleep deprived when I saw her, and I was positive that I had seen her. I’d been so freaked out at the time, I hadn’t stopped to think about why she might have been shaking her head at me.

After a doctor came and told me Mom wouldn’t be waking up any time soon, I decided to test my theory. A quick search on my phone had me driving to a gas station about fifteen minutes from the hospital before speeding home.

I practically ran to my room and uncovered the mirror, looking intently into it. I didn’t see the woman anywhere, but if I was right, that didn’t mean she wasn’t in there.

I picked up a penny from my nightstand and pulled the scratch-off lottery ticket that I’d bought at the gas station from my back pocket. Before I started scratching, I looked at the mirror. Still no woman. I stared at the ticket, and immediately decided on a symbol to scratch off, so I put the penny over a different one and looked at the mirror.

There she was. Shaking her head, just like last time. I moved the penny over the one I picked first. She nodded.

I scratched off that section of the ticket to reveal a sparkly Winner! $100,000!

My eyes returned to the woman, who gave the slightest hint of a smile before she vanished again.

TO BE CONTINUED….

Find out just how dangerous this mirror is in Mirror, Mirror: Part II

__________________________________________________

Thanks for reading! If you liked what you read, please hit the heart, share with your friends, or consider leaving a tip to support my work.