I gouged through my pocket to find the key to my apartment door. After ten seconds, I was convinced my pocket transported the keys to another realm, and just as I was about to pat down my jeans from the outside, my fingers miraculously touched metal.
I just felt a strong feeling of oddness for some reason. The broken light above me certainly added to that but it was more than just that. All of my interactions today had been just a little bit off. My boss stared at me after greeting me for a bit too long. Occasionally, something inside of me screeched at me to check behind me, and when I did there was always nothing. And, I had to work late today.
It was almost midnight by the time I stood in front of my door. So, I couldn’t wait to get in, throw my clothes against the ground, and jump into the bed like a corpse. I shoved my key into the keyhole. It made a loud noise that I swear was much louder than usual.
I knew I’d turned off the lights when I went out in the morning, but I found them on. It made me freeze. Has somebody else been here? I thought, and then a second after I couldn’t help but feel paranoid at my behavior. I knew paranoia was a sign of sleep deprivation, but I hadn’t been awake that long.
In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to care. I just wanted my bed. Locking the door, I stumbled through the hallway to my bedroom. Even here the lights were on and it bothered me. There was something more to this. I knew that much. Something I was missing.
My gut started acting up. It came from nowhere but I couldn’t brush this off. It was the type of feeling I’d get when there was something terribly wrong around me, something that threatened my safety like a tiger lurking in a bush.
My eyes scanned the room and found a small white note in the middle of my paper. I walked towards it and focused my sight. It read, I’ll be back my tomorrow.
Who’ll be back? I checked the backside of the paper, but it was just blank. The letters had been written as if a computer had done it. They were perfect. I couldn’t spot a single bent line or letter which was a little bit larger than the others.
My sight jerked around the room. It took me a second but my mirror was gone. Whoever it was had taken my mirror with them. It was just so strange. My laptop was on the table beside the letter. It was certainly much more valuable. Why had they not taken that?
I heard a noise coming from the kitchen, and all sense of tiredness washed out of me. My breathing quickened and I felt the urge to crouch down. I didn’t know why but I felt my body act on its own, protecting me from something that I just didn’t understand.
Slowly, I crept towards the kitchen, and my head peeked around the door frame, only showing my left eye. The sight made me question reality. I had to be dreaming.
Standing right in front of the stove was my mirror. The bacon sizzled on the heating pan, and the mirror grabbed it and flipped it over. I could see drool almost escaping the mirror’s lips. It reached out for the salt and ran it over the bacon, then it tried picking one of them up with its fingers, but after touching the bacon, it’s fingers quickly jerked back, and I heard it release a loud yelp.
“What are you doing?” I said, having gotten out from behind the wall.
“I’m cooking baco-“ the mirror glanced back at me. “Oh.”
A terrified expression took the mirror’s face. It took one step backwards, and then another. I approached it quickly, not wanting it to get away. The mirror grabbed the handle of the frying pan and tossed the bacon towards me. The bacon flew at me at a blurred speed. They sizzled when they hit my skin. I screamed quickly getting them off me, but in that time the mirror had shuffled past me and ran for the door. It unlocked, opened, and jumped out of the apartment, but I was on it’s trail.
But when I opened the door it was nowhere to be found. It must have broke out to a full out sprint the second it had exited the apartment, maybe even running on all fours. I immediately knew which direction it was headed.
There was two ways out of the elevator, but the stairs were too slippery for the mirror’s small legs. It must have entered the elevator. At the moment, it was probably waiting for doors to open. I could make it if I hurried.
Without locking the door behind me, I sprinted to the right towards the elevator, and I reached them just as the doors were about to close. Fortunately I managed to get my hand between the closing door and inside I saw an old lady and a taller man dressed in a robe and with a brown tophat.
The mirror must have reached the bottom. I walked in and saw that the button for the bottom floor had already been pressed. I leaned back and waited for a minute. The tall man gave me a curt nod and I nodded back. The doors opened and the tall man walked out ahead of me but just then the hat slipped and I saw that it was actually the mirror!The damn bastard! I started off after him but he was also running now. He pushed the doors leading out to the street with such force that they rebounded right into my face. It knocked me down but I got up quickly and chased after him.
The mirror ran into the alley and I chased after him, but when I turned the corner I only saw three thugs standing there. It was the mirror. Somehow, he’d found clothing that matched theirs and also a cigarette which it was in the middle of smoking.
I stomped forward. “What is your damn problem?”
“Don’t you talk to Mr:Reflect like that,” one of the thugs said, and the mirror gave me a sly smile. I felt a large urge to just punch the thing. Damn mirror, thought it was being so clever.
“Mr:Reflect I’ll beat the shit out of your gramps,” another said, then the mirror.
“Go back to where you came form Gramps,” It said, and I’d had enough. I punched it right in the jaw, sending it hulkering backwards. Before I knew it the other men were on top of me.
They punched me down onto the floor, and then they kicked me. One of them took a knife out from their pocket and started stabbing me. The last thing I remember before I passed out was the sound of the ambulance.
When I woke up a doctor stood staring at me. It was the damn mirror!”Damn you mirror!” I said out loud. “You belong to me. Go back to your original space.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the mirror said. There was a nurse in the room. She stared at me as if I’d gone insane, but couldn’t she see? The doctor was clearly a mirror. I could see my own face in its torso.
I bit my tongue, before I cursed the mirror out further. The last thing I needed was to be sent to a psychiatric hospital. I was just silent, and eventually got checked out, and went home a defeated man.
I laid down on my bed and when I woke up I found the mirror in it’s original space. There was another note on the table. I checked and felt the tremendous urge to punch the mirror. Sly bastard.
Sorry about last night. I’m going through a terrible breakup with the chair.