I stared into the dark abyss below me. It glared back, pouring deeply into my soul. A shiver sparkled up my spine. Closing my eyes and tipping my head back, I inhaled deeply. The cool air stretched down my throat and expanded my lungs. I whooshed out a steady exhale.
I pounced down the steps to the unfinished basement of my childhood home. Approaching slowly, much like an animal hunting its prey, I cautiously eyed the concealed object in front of me. I grasped onto the brown tarp covering the piece of my family’s history. It fell to the dusty floor in a heaping pile.
The lonesome lightbulb that swung in the middle of the room illuminated my target. I gripped the stone in my hand until I felt its jagged edges bite into my palm. I focused on the zap of pain and took a deep breath. Despite my family’s warnings, I launched the rock and shattered the mirror.
The mirror groaned in agony as the rock tore it to pieces. The reflective glass split in the center, carving out a spider web of intricate cracks. The lines crept closer to the antique frame before the tension was released, and pieces fell to the concrete floor. They exploded into stardust upon impact, and constellations painted the floor at my feet. The mirror continued to fracture along the edges of the bronze metal frame. It was detailed, but ancient; the deep metallic shade had been rubbed away, and splotches of lighter metal adorned the corners. Standing tall in front of me, glass continued to spill from the cursed family heirloom, as if it was crying over what I had done.
My great-grandmother told us stories of the demon her mother had trapped in this mirror. She said it was a prison crafted through intense manifestation and hope, but I always knew that there was a darker art at play. The women of my bloodline protected this relic with their lives; and I was just doing the same; my duty. The thought of a demon inhabiting my basement became too much for me, especially once my life became cursed with bad luck. It was easy to blame the supposed demonic entity that sat trapped in my own home.
I saw my eerie reflection in the dilapidated corpse that stood in front of me. I knew I shouldn’t have inched closer to examine what I saw in the only remaining glass of the prison vessel. But a pull of energy beckoned me closer, a force far out of my control. I tiptoed around the twinkling pieces of glass around the floor, cautiously dancing around the sparking shards around my feet. I leaned closer. The eyes that glowed back at me were black, with only a pupil of stark white to indicate they were human eyes at all. My long hair was disheveled, and a winding smile snacked across the bottom of my pale face. I squinted to get a better look in the shadows, which would be the last mistake I ever made.
A hand flew to my neck in the cracked reflection. Hues of blue and purple spread through my doppelganger’s fingers and infected my neck. I clutched my own throat in fear, clawing at evil hands that weren’t within my reach. There was nothing to grip onto on my side of reality. The air escaped my throat with ease. My eyes widened in disbelief that she had the power to do this, despite being confined to this reflective prison for centuries. Maybe this was the moment she had been waiting for all along; a moment to show off her incredible strength and command. She continued to hold on like her freedom depended on it. And it did. I dropped to my knees and flailed. I could feel the dull pain of glass slicing into my legs, but it was nothing compared to the suffocation.
Before my vision went completely black, I saw her pale leg extend from the mirror. Despite the crooked edges of the glass, she forced herself through. The crystal pieces stuck out of her skin as she contorted her limbs to make it through the looking glass. I watched her gaze upon me as she slinked towards the stairs.
I shattered the mirror. And now everyone will pay for my mistake.
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