Two-way Mirror, Odin III ~ Gold Options

[Guest_Nina_*]

Two-way Mirror

I wanted that mirror. Gazing into the antique shop's window, I absorbed its beauty. The mirror's shape reminded me of draped curtains; pointed at the top, curving down, tied at each side and falling to a rectangular base. Its frame was intricate; the workmanship superb. Miniature female figures were overlaid onto gold filigree. It was a pity there were a few missing at the bottom, marring its perfection. Even so, I still wanted to buy the mirror. Stepping through the door, I thought it strange that I’d never noticed this shop even though I walked down this road every day.

The interior was dark, cramped and smelled of sandalwood and incense. I negotiated my way round antique furniture and other bits and pieces. An old man, in a frayed shirt and worn three-piece suit, stood behind an old fashioned wooden counter. His white beard and hair contrasted starkly with his dark skin. Behind him hung a mirror; twin to the one I’d seen in the window. As I approached, I could feel his dark eyes upon me, piercing deep into my soul.
“You’re interested in the mirror.”
“How much is it?” I asked unnerved that he knew what I wanted. I reasoned that he must have seen me standing outside.
“For you, £250.”
I gulped. It was a lot of money for a mirror. Pete would have a fit. Common sense told me to leave; yet I found myself handing over my credit card. Almost without realising it, the mirror was mine.
“You’ve made the right choice,” the man said, so quietly that I thought I must have imagined it.

My purchase was delivered later that evening and was hung in the lounge above the fireplace.
“What did you buy such an ugly thing for?” Pete asked when he came home. “I thought we’d agreed to put a plasma TV on that wall.”
“You agreed to a TV. I wanted a mirror and it’s not ugly, I love it.”
“Okay, maybe not ugly but it dominates the room and is intimidating. How much was it?”
“Just over £200.”
“Blimey! Two hundred quid! They saw you coming.”
“It’s an antique.”
“Antique! White elephant more like. There’s something about it that I don’t like. Still, as you do, we’ll leave it there for now. We can always move it when we buy the TV. Now, what’s for dinner, I’m starving?”
“Thanks.” I said, giving him a hug. “I’m making your favourite; steak and chips.”

I carefully polished the mirror till it gleamed and went to bed contented. That night my dreams were strange. In one, I was wearing a long, white nightdress trimmed with lace and buttoned to the neck and wrists. I floated downstairs, hovering a little way above the ground, my bare feet dangling in the air. Scents of sandalwood and incense greeted me as I was drawn into the lounge. Standing in front of the mantelpiece I gazed at my reflection. The pale face staring back at me rippled as if someone had dropped a stone in the centre. Curious, I reached out, brushing the surface fluidity with my fingertips. Pressing harder, my palm sank through the glass. A whirling vortex appeared, sucking me into its depths. I slipped through opaque liquid. Laughter echoed around me as I fell into nothingness…

I awoke with a jolt, relieved to feel the bed’s solidity beneath my body. Still disorientated, snippets of my dream still lingering, I opened my eyes. Morning sunlight dazzled me. I sat up, confused. The window was in the wrong place. It should have been beyond the base of my bed, not to the side. I shivered. The curtains that framed it, hung in the same shape as my antique mirror. Then, I noticed an identical window directly opposite the first. Looking round the room, I realised it was nothing like my bedroom. The lilac walls and mauve carpet had been turned clinical white. The only furniture in the room was the bed I was sitting on. I padded over to the window; almost tripping over the long voluminous nightgown I was wearing. Instead of seeing my garden or even the road, I was looking out into my lounge. I touched the glass, hoping to sink through but it was a solid barrier. I ran over to the other window, somehow knowing that I’d find the dusky interior of the antiques shop there. Hundreds of questions flooded my mind. As I stared out of the window, the old man swivelled round to face me. His eyes penetrated mine and a smile formed on his face. He moistened his lips and moved towards me, his hands reaching through the glass.


781 words

© Nina 2006