Short Nightmares

Jared stood staring at the funhouse sign. The light bulbs blinked on and off again and again and again. He was thinking back to a childhood memory of getting dragged into one of these by some of his friends. They left him behind at the carnival because he couldn’t find his way out of the mirror maze. His friends made fun of him for weeks while he suffered nightmares… fun times. Kathy’s voice brought Jared back to reality.

“You coming?” The carnival sounds were all around him. The pop of balloons, alarms and sirens, children screaming, rides roaring… maybe it would be nice to go inside and get away from the noise for a while.

“Right behind ya.” Jared fakes a smile as he follows her into the funhouse. They make it through the first two levels without much issue. The first level consists of blacklight rooms where camouflaged people jump out. Kathy jumped into his arms a few times which Jared definitely didn’t mind. A strobe light room that almost makes Jared puke. A tiny, dark hallway you need to squeeze through. Jared did get a little anxious in this space but he knew it would end eventually. It was all pretty typical. The second floor tried to bring more of a horror vibe with tacky decorations and masks and of course clowns.

“I never understood people’s fear of clowns.” Jared says as they pass through a circus themed room.

“Uhh… they are creepy as fuck.” She replies. “Didn’t you ever watch IT?” A clown pops out and scares her. Jared chuckles to himself and admires how cute she is. As they approach the entrance to the third floor, Jared stops. Dim and dusty light-bulbs barely flash “Mirror Maze” overhead.

“What’s the matter?”

“Uh, nothing.” Jared smirks. “I just don’t do well in these things. I’ve always had some sort of weird mirror phobia.”

“Hmm. I wonder why?” Jared shrugs. “Maybe we can analyze you once we are out of here. For now, don’t worry about it. I’ve got you.” She extends her hand. Jared stares at it for a moment, his heart’s rhythm increasing. “Well?” He takes another moment before reaching out and grabbing it. She dives into the maze, almost yanking Jared off his feet.

“This is crazy, not going to lie.” He says, as they travel deeper into the maze. Seeing so many reflections of himself was becoming disorienting at such a fast pace. The lighting effects had begun to mess with Jared’s eyes. He could handle a blacklight room, or a strobe light room, but putting them all together at random moments in a maze of mirrors was extreme. It took them some time but eventually Kathy found the exit. As she races forward Jared loses his grip on her hand. He stumbles and falls, smacking into one of the mirrors. Jared collects himself, eyes glued to the ground in embarrassment.

“Are you okay?” Jared hears Kathy ask as he continues to pretend that didn't hurt like hell.

“Yeah.” He chuckles. “I’m fine.” Jared looks up and what he sees takes a moment for his brain to register. Standing in front of him, is another Jared. He watches as Kathy runs over and begins to apologize.

“It’s alright, Kathy.” The other Jared replies. He glares into the mirror with an evil grin. “I got exactly what I wanted.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about spending time with you. That’s exactly what I wanted.” Kathy blushes lightly. Jared begins to panic as he looks for a way out.

“Kathy. That isn’t me.”

“Are you sure you’re alright? You’re kinda making a weird face.” Kathy asks with a little chuckle.

“Oh, yeah, I’m totally fine. Just letting that mirror know who is boss.” He snickers. “Come on, let's go.”

“Kathy, wait.” Jared cries out. He begins to pound on the mirror. “Kathy! Kathy, please. Don’t leave me here!” The other Jared looks back and makes eye contact with him one last time before disappearing from the maze forever. Unfortunately Jared starved to death, as he watched endless amounts of people wander by, looking for the exit just ahead. He thought about Kathy and the other him quite often. What happened to them? Was Kathy even alive anymore after walking off with that thing? He tried to escape to no avail. No matter how hard he pounded… no matter how loud he shouted… nobody ever noticed he was there. He watched as endless amounts of people strolled through the exit. He prayed and he pleaded. The flashing red letters mocking him with every blink as he wasted away. Lost in the mirror maze forever. Just like his nightmares when he was a kid… fun times.