Never Alone in the Mirror

 

When she looks at herself in the mirror, she doesn't see herself, not alone anyway. Behind her, slightly obscured by the darkness she sees two other figures standing. One is a small child with long brown hair and wide hazel eyes, sparkling and yearning for love and friendship. The other is slightly older then the first, with short cropped brown hair and hard brown eyes that are colder then any iceberg and twice as unrelenting. In them shine a fire fueled by hate and distrust. Alabaster skin is marred with scars and traces of blood.

Turning eyes back to herself she's older then the two with semi long brown hair and hazel eyes that shine with confusion. She takes in her stocky body, masculine appearance…and frightened feelings. Every time she looks in a mirror she sees these things. Never is she alone, these two are always just outside of her light, stepping in occasionally before retreating back.

"Child," She whispers. The youngest comes forward, smiling widely at being called.

"Hi Figure, I missed you." Child smiled widely, looking up at her. Figure nodded, studying the young one. Innocence radiated from her in waves, filling the older girl with pain that threatened to send her to her knees.

"Or to the knife, right Figure," The gruff voice made Figure's head snap up.

"Middle!" Child cried, running over and hugging the other character. For a brief moment the hardness falters as she gazes down at Child before slamming back into place.

"Hello Child," Middle steps away and towards Figure. "You didn't answer me, Figure. Or to the knife, right?" A pale arm snaps up to show the red angry cuts on her bicep. Figure knew if she looked down she would be able to see other cuts peeking out from below her shorts.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, shaking her head. This is what she saw every time. And she hated it.

"Well…at least you haven't gotten weak enough to off yourself." Middle scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I'm never going to do that."

"Right."

Figure turns away, back to the mirror. She sees this every time she looks in the mirror, ever since she was young and HE happened. Shaking her head something in the corner, right in between Middle and Child catches her eye and she sees a light with someone coming towards her. A warm smile is on their face and a caring hand is reaching out. "Katy," Figure whispers before turning to look at Middle. "I see you every time I look into a mirror…every time I close my eyes.

"But now I see her too…and that's all I need to." For so long she only saw the parts of herself that the hatred of her life had created or that she had locked away. But lately the love of one had created another, one that was trusting of others and willing to love. That was the one she loved to see.

Reviews

[Prudence Desideria]

Oh I read this a while back and now again and it still touches so deeply. There's so much angst and darkness, and such a sweetly innocent yet extreemly dark and tortured tone in it. It's a tricky and personal subject, it's something that pamphelts in school dont' really touch upon.

Alot of people try poetry formats for these subjects, but you did it through a story format thing and it works so well. The metaphorical (?) use of the various mirror images, the tauntings and then the possibility at the end, it all molds together very nicely.

Well done. There's some grammar things and missing words I think, but apart from that I say get it betad and then send it in to contests (you know, magazine ones). Polish it up a little around the rougher edges and you've got something really intense here.

[Pauline Ramsey]

I really enjoy these characters. :)