The Mirror Sees You

By Nomar Knight

The Mirror Sees You

By Nomar Knight

They say if you stare at a mirror long enough, your reflection may disappear and otherworldly manifestations may show you either past lives, or provide spiritual guidance. 

            Constance stared at the black mirror for over an hour.  Smoke from the incense coiled up past the mirror.  Two candles at opposite sides remained lit, but out of view.  Religious statues sat on opposite sides, including a pendant of the archangel Michael.  The Triangle of Solomon stood closest to her in the makeshift altar.

            She sighed, “Come on!  This Scrying stuff is hard.”

            Apprehension tied a noose around her throat.  She stretched her neck, doing her best to crack tension away.  It had been a month since her husband, Lyle, died.  She had heard from a woman in her culinary classes that this method was effective and cheaper than seeing a psychic. 

            “Take a deep breath, Connie.” 

            She inhaled and slowly exhaled.  After another twenty minutes, smoke seemed to come out of the mirror.  Triangle shapes floated inside, replacing her reflection.  She struggled to maintain her posture and concentration. 

            Constance whispered, “I need to talk to you, Lyle.  Please come, it’s important.”

            A bat flew around the inside of the mirror.  Its red eyes scowled at her, gnashing sharp teeth.

            “Come on Lyle.  You lazy…”

            A man’s image appeared.  At first, a haze revealed the silhouette of a head, but like a camera’s lens focusing to provide clarity, she stood stunned to see her late husband’s baffled expression.

            “Connie?”

            “Lyle, you look amazing.”

            “I may have been thirty years older than you, but I was young at heart.”

            Constance snorted, “You died trying to make love to me.”

            “We have mirrors here too.  I saw what you did.”

            Constance slammed a fist on the altar. 

            “Where did you put the insurance policy?”

            He shook his head and glared at her.

            “I swear…”  She bit her lip.  After a few seconds, she grinned.  “Guess who I’m going to pick up tomorrow?”

            “Who?”

            “Your precious grandson.  I have a special meal prepared for him.”

            Although she enjoyed taunting her late husband, she fidgeted and tugged at her blouse.  The room’s temperature increased.

            “If anything happens to him…”

            “What?  What can you possibly do to me?  You’re dead and useless.  Some things never change.”

            His eyebrows furrowed.  A glimmer of violet flashed in his gray eyes. 

            “The papers you need are in the attic, inside the antique armoire, taped to the bottom of the top drawer.” 

            “Thank you, Lyle.  You’ll be happy to know that I’ve met someone new.  He’s older than you and thanks to a magic blue pill; he keeps me satisfied all night.”

            “Just remember, we have mirrors on this side too.  I’ll be watching.”

            He vanished behind a cloud of black smoke. 

            She stared at her reflection, beaming.  “You can watch me all you want.”

            She hurried to the top floor of the house and pulled down the stairs which led to the attic.  She flipped a light switch, illuminating the dusty space.  She pulled the drawer, found the insurance policy with her and Lyle’s grandson named as sole beneficiaries and danced. 

            “Three million dollars!  Thank you Lyle, I’ll feed your grandson the same poison I did you.”

            Constance took the stairs with a new zest for life.  In fact, she didn’t concentrate on something as mundane as descending steps.  She tumbled, rolled, and landed with a harsh thud. 

            When she woke, excruciating pain shot up her right leg.  Her knee was shattered.  She checked her pockets and recalled leaving her cell phone on the altar below.  As she negotiated the hall, she glanced at a painting of Lyle.  The eyes followed her every move.  She thought she heard an echo.  It sounded like his voice saying, we have mirrors here too.  I’m watching you.

            She dragged herself, amid a ton of screaming, into her bedroom.  Her affliction for mirrors took on new meaning.  On every wall, a mirror showed her struggling to reach her bed.  She tore a sheet and yelled as she tied it around her knee. 

            Whispers!  A whispering wind bounced off the mirrors.  A white mist showed itself from each reflection. 

            “What’s happening?”

            At first it she thought bees buzzed, creating an eerie echo.  But then the sound became clearer. 

            “I see you.  Killer!  Killer!  Killer!  Killer!”

            “This isn’t real.  It can’t be happening.”

            Lyle’s angry image surrounded her.  On the mirrored ceiling his imaged seemed to peel through and descend upon her. 

            Just when she saw his face inches away from her nose, he vanished. 

            Constance laughed. 

            “I don’t care what you do.  You can’t hurt me.  And do you know why, Lyle?  Because you’re dead!”

            She clutched the policy in her hand and kissed it.  As soon as she looked up again, the mirrors shattered.  A busted knee became the least of her worries.  Shards of broken glass sliced into her body.  A big chunk cut through her throat.  Constance bled to death. 

            Her last thoughts: as long as you have mirrors, you’re never alone.  We can see you.  We know what you’re doing.

-          849 words

© Copyright Nomar Knight 2011. All rights reserved. 

A Knight Chills flash fiction.