Reflections of Alice

REFLECTIONS OF ALICE

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn`t my own. But that wasn`t the only strange thing that was happening right now. As, not for a single minute could I figure out how my bathroom mirror could detach itself from being screwed into the wall to now being broken exactly into two pieces on my bathroom floor. Not another crack anywhere in either side of the mirror, no splinters of glass anywhere in sight. Just, what was once, a rectangle shaped mirror, which is now split almost exactly down the center in two.

People often say that it`s seven years bad luck when you break a mirror, but as far as I`m concerned, my whole life is now one big losing streak since the day that I lost Alice. I sit on the floor, and carefully as I possibly can, slide the two pieces of glass together to see Alice looking up at me and despite the crack going vertically down her face, she still looked as beautiful as ever. With her impeccable straight blonde hair, her green eyes sparkling like emeralds as they always did.

“You`ll catch cold sat there.”

“What? What was that you said?’ I ask as I could swear, I just saw her lips move but couldn`t quite hear what it was.

“I said, you`ll catch cold sat there.”

Again, I could see the lips move but couldn`t hear a thing, no matter how much emphasis she was putting on her words, so all I could do was guess to what she was saying and answer appropriately. “I`ll be fine honestly, don`t worry.” She shakes her head gently in disapproval with her face a little screwed up, but couldn`t help smile. “Are you going to be watching over me from now on?” I ask to which, and still with a little smile, she nods very firmly. From the bedroom, I hear my mobile begin to ring. “I`ll be right back” he says, Alice winks and nods as I waste no time in answering it and hear a familiar voice.

1

“Hello Richard, how are you coping?”

“Hey Lilian…Yes, okay, I think, just doing what everyone says, taking one day at a time.”

“Yes, suppose that`s all we can do really. Just want you to know that I`m always going to be here for you, and if you need any help arranging the funeral, please call me.”

“Of course, Lilian, you`ll be the first one that I`ll call okay.”

“Thanks Richard. I know that you loved her dearly, but I couldn`t have wished for a better daughter. I just want to do what`s right for her now.”

“Yes, of course you do Lilian, I totally get that. And you will, I`ll make sure of it.”

“Thanks Richard, you always were a good lad, I`m glad Alice chose you. We`ll talk soon okay, goodbye.”

“Yes, we will, take care Lilian, bye for now.”

I hung up and made my way back into the bathroom and looked straight down at the

bathroom mirror. But Alice had gone, of course I was disappointed, gutted in fact, I just wanted to see her. I had so much more that, I needed to say to her. Maybe now I`ll never get the chance to, and that prayed on my mind all night as I hardly slept at all especially with all the frequent trips to the bathroom to look at the mirror, which was still on the floor, to see if Alice was there. But she wasn`t, no sign of her all night. All throughout the next day, and the day after that, in fact I didn`t see her until I had just got of the phone with Lilian again whilst I was at the funeral home making the final arrangements for her funeral and there she was, no doubt about it, staring back at me when it was meant to be my reflection in the window.

2

Of course, it took me completely by surprise, as the young girl behind the reception desk couldn`t fail to notice as I literally jumped, not just because of the fact that it wasn`t my reflection, but the way she was looking at me, far different from the other day, more cold, somewhat stern looking as well. I wanted to say something but obviously I couldn`t, not here, and definitely not right now, otherwise the young girl would, quite possibly, be straight on the phone to the nearest psychiatric unit to have me taken away.

No. I must get home, and quick, and hopefully she`ll be back in the bathroom mirror again which I have, for now, I`ve refused to move from its spot on the bathroom floor. So, I got home as fast as traffic dictated that I could and wasted no time in running up the stairs and into the bathroom where I kneeled down next to the still broken bathroom mirror. No sign of her. I waited and waited, but nothing, maybe now she had gone for good, which was the last thing that I wanted to happen for as I said before, I still had so much that I needed to tell her. Things that she must hear from me.

3

Yet again, it was going to be a restless night of very little sleep. As looking again at the broken bathroom turned out to be a waste of time, I tried to, somewhat desperately, to sleep again. But all I could do was toss and turn which was then I literally leapt out of bed when I saw, the mirror of the wardrobe door, Alice was stood there, glaring at me, seriously not happy as she points an accusing finger at me before vanishing into thin air.

“Alice, no, don`t go! You`ve got to listen to me!” I cried out, but to no avail, she`d gone, but I can only hope and pray, not for good.

“Thanks very much, I mean that honestly, you`ve been great about all of this and I`ll never forget it. I`ll just get the funeral out of the way, and I`ll be back, I promise. And thanks again. Yes, I`ll definitely let you know. Okay, bye.”

Can`t deny work have been brilliant about all of this, so supportive, which is what I really needed to hear. But not half as much as I need to see Alice again, to talk to her, to explain to her. There`s no sign of her in the wardrobe door mirror and the bathroom mirror, still exactly where it is, has showed no sign of her for a while now. Maybe I should think about finally moving it. Shouldn`t be any maybe about it, really think I should because with people coming back here after the funeral, they`re bound to think it`s a bit odd, to see it down there.

“Now Richard, are you sure that you`re going to be alright. You gave us all a fright earlier.”

Gave you a fright Lilian, you should have felt my heart nearly burst out of my chest when I saw a reflection of Alice, looking like she was screaming on the teaspoon that you used to stir your tea with. Obviously, can`t tell her that though. Imagine the look on her face if I did. She`ll strap me into the straight jacket herself.

4

“Honestly Lilian, I`m going to be fine. Not sure what exactly came over me, but I can assure you that I`m okay now. Promise.”

“Well, alright then, as long as you`re sure. Also, please don`t forget that even though Alice may have left us for a better place, there`s always going to be a warm welcome for you at my house, so please do not be a stranger, alright.”

“I won`t Lilian, and thanks, that really means a lot to me” I tell her as Jeff then leads her out of my home, echoing her sentiments exactly as suddenly, there is nobody else here, only me, and as I close then lock my front door, I`ve got the feeling now that that`s it. Everything in my life is now over. No friends, no family, but most importantly, no Alice. Can`t remember if I`ve ever felt this lost and alone in my entire life. That`s because I probably haven`t. Maybe if I cleared what`s left of the food away and done the dishes, that would help me take my mind of it. On second thoughts though, I`ll do all that tomorrow. But they all seemed to enjoy the food, not bad, seeing how that`s the first ever buffet that I have done.

Well, she`s definitely not in the wardrobe door again, think she would have been here by now if she was. Time for bed try and finally to get some sleep, well, hopefully, but before I do that. Let`s give the bathroom mirror one last try.

Now the question is, do I leave it on the floor, where it worked before or, do I try somewhere else, seeing how she hasn`t appeared here for a few days either? Let`s try back on the wall, from the spot it fell down from which I still can`t work out how the hell that happened. Anyway, so place them on the wall, slide them gently together and still nothing, no sign of her at all.

5

“Hello Richard”

“Alice! Alice, is that really you?” You could have knocked me down with a feather as I saw her looking right back at me again.

“Yes, Richard it`s me? Don`t you recognize me anymore?”

“Yes. Yes, of course I do. It`s just been quite a few days since I`ve seen you, was beginning to think that I never would again.”

“Well, here am I. I would say larger than life, but I don`t think that would be appropriate.”

“Why not?”

“Why not? What do you mean why not? Because I`m dead, or have you forgotten that?”

“How could I have forgotten that Alice? Especially…

“What, especially how it was you that killed me!!”

“It wasn`t like that Alice and you know it.”

“You deliberately pushed me down the stairs because you thought that I was cheating on you! Didn`t you? Well, didn`t you? Mind you there have been plenty of time when I wished that I had done.”

6

“No, it wasn`t like that, you tripped and fell, it was an accident, you know it was.” She knew that I would never do anything to harm her. I loved her, I worshipped her. How could she even think like this, let alone say it.

“No, it wasn`t. You killed me, deliberately killed me, so how could you embrace my own mother today and act like she`s family to you!”

“You saw that?”

“Of course, I saw that, I`ve been watching over you these past few days and I`ve seen everything. If only she knew the truth about what you did.”

“What truth. The truth that I loved you and never wanted to lose you.”

“No. The truth that you`re a murderer.”

“No, I`m not.”

“Yes, you are! Oh, yes you are, and you`ll pay for what you did.”

“Pay? What do you mean, pay?” I ask, but that was the thing that I remember as now, I`m looking down on myself, as a corpse which looks clearly like my neck has been snapped, and in each hand, still holding, one half of the mirror before I look across, and a very satisfied Alice, looking right back at me.

7