(Archives are on the website, if you want to read the offerings of past weeks)
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Mirror, Mirror
(c) 2008 by Maura Anderson, all rights reserved
She blinked her eyes, reaching up to rub the grittiness of sleep from them. Finally able to see clearly, she stared into the old oval mirror, trying to force away the swirls of magic that flowed through the glass like tendrils of fog twirling in eddies and wakes. The unseen currents of power made visible.
Oh so slowly, shapes began to form in the chaos. Areas of darkness and light separated into vague forms.
She trailed her fingers along the gilded edge of the mirror’s frame and willed the image to appear. What secrets would the mirror show her this time? What faces would she see?
Color seeped into the miasma, first pale and pastel but then enriching and darkening until she realized she was looking at the back of a woman’s head with dark, curly chestnut hair pulled into an elaborate braid and entwined with sprigs of violets and baby’s breath. The mirror cleared until she could see the woman bend over, almost disappearing from view before she sat back up, shoulders hunched in a semblance of defeat. Suddenly, the woman threw what appeared to be a fancy white shoe toward the far wall.
She nearly flinched back herself with a hiss of shock. What the hell was going on? She’d never seen anything like this in the mirror before. “What’s happening?” The question was purely rhetorical, she’d long ago given up hope of any real answer. Staring as if transfixed, she smoothed her hair back from her face.
The woman in the image threw her shoulders back and stood. Now it was clear she was wearing a slender, simple white dress. She reached her arms awkwardly behind her back and fumbled for the tiny zipper. A few fumbles and she managed to get enough of a grip on it to pull it down, revealing lacy, delicate underthings.
But instead of treating what must be a wedding dress with the loving care she expected, the brown-haired woman let it drop down her body and stepped back a little before giving it what looked like a vicious kick. Just a flutter of what looked to be expensive material could be seen at the edge of the mirror before the woman turned and threw herself down onto a seat—facing the mirror at last.
The face was similar to her own – the same green eyes and slightly hooked nose—maybe she was another relative of some sort. The mirror tended to show blood relatives. The other woman’s full lips were pursed and made her look tense and unhappy and her lashes were clumped with tears, the remains of mascara staining her eyelids.
The other woman pushed her hair back with no regard for the flowers or careful pinning of her curls, dislodging some of the violets and baby’s breath. A tear traced down her cheek as she stared at her left hand, rotating the large star sapphire ring on her ring finger. Finally the sad woman worked the ring off her hand and tossed it onto the vanity, out of the mirror’s view.
“Oh, what happened?” She couldn’t stop her question. Sympathy flooded through her. “Been there, done that. You’ll be better off without him if he betrayed you!” So what if the woman in the mirror couldn’t actually hear her.
The other woman looked up and seemed to meet her eyes directly. As if they had a connection. What was going on?
The woman in the mirror looked puzzled, then shrugged and reached her hand out, flipping the mirror over to face the wall. Its focus gone, the mirror clouded over with fog again, until the surface was an even grey and she was trapped within it again, sightless and alone.
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Great job, Maura… Leaves us wondering what’s going on. *grin* And also who’s the one actually in the mirror!
by Esther Mitchell April 18th, 2008 at 6:06 amInteresting. I wonder what’s up
by Jet Mykles April 18th, 2008 at 8:15 amexcellent!
I’d love to see more. You’ve captured my interest!
by Michelle Hasker April 18th, 2008 at 9:45 amGreat Flash, Maura :) Very intersting story.
by Ali April 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pmI just love the majic in your stories
As always, you’ve whet my appetite for more! I’m thoroughly intrigued to find out what’s going on with the woman in the mirror and the woman whose wedding was obviously destroyed in some way.
by Robin Snodgrass April 18th, 2008 at 12:56 pmExcellent work!
That’s so wrong….just left us hangin’ like that
by Julia April 19th, 2008 at 7:59 amWhat happens next dammit!
by Erin the Innocent April 19th, 2008 at 8:49 amI have to admit that I’m not sure where to take it. The original thought was to turn the tables on the “scrying in the mirror” so the POV character is stuck IN the mirror and she’s looking out at the world.
Obviously paranormal and magical but I’ll have to think about the whys….
Thanks for the compliments - I’m still working on the descriptive “setting the scene” parts, as you can tell :) I love magical worlds.
by Maura Anderson April 19th, 2008 at 9:22 amHI Maura,
Definitely interesting little story :)
Sascha
by The Dark Wolf Prince April 19th, 2008 at 12:27 pm