Reflection

Yeah it’s time for this week’s Picture it & Write! And again I’m inspiring myself from a short story I’m progressively building at random, depending on the picture Ermilia hosts every week, called ‘Unpredicted’.

NB: the progress of the story itself relies on the pictures given.

Read what happened previously in the story:

1. Your Eyes… And Mine

2. An Escape Attempt (keep scrolling for this one, it’s at the very end of the post!)

3. The Love Key… Among Others

4. This Is Your Life. And It’s All You’ve Got.

5. Destructive Yet Inspiring

Now, here’s this week’s picture and contribution:

I stared at my reflection in the mirror of the big dressing-room. My performance was over too soon. My white dress hung loosely around me. My cheeks were red, still excited by what I had just done on stage. My bare feet had transported me into another realm. Dancing and acting had felt magical. My loose hair floated around my shoulders, still vibrating with energy. I was not tired yet. I wanted to perform again.

A young girl of about ten glared at me from the surface of the mirror. She smiled. I smiled back. It was me, a few years ago, when my dream of becoming a famous actress was far from reality, but very close to my reflection. I remembered that I used to talk to myself and move as if I was acting on stage in front of the large mirror in my bedroom.

At that time I almost had nothing, nothing but a little bed near the window, some drawers, a small table… and a mirror. It had belonged to my mother… before she died.

“It’s yours, now.”

My father’s voice still hung in my mind. These were the last words he had said to me before leaving me with Aunt Maria. I had never seen him again. I knew that he had died too.

But then, the mirror made me remember my parents. When I played in front of it, the images of my mom and dad appeared to me and I could almost hold their hands and we would dance together…

“Hey, Clare, you were awesome on stage.”

I abruptly came back to reality. I turned around to see Caleb and the girl who hung around him all the time. A quick shadow of anger darkened my heart but it quickly went away.

“Thanks,” I replied.

“Oh and by the way, I’d like you to meet my sister, Karen.”

I managed to hide my relieved surprise. “Nice to meet you.”

Karen shook hands with me. No wonder Caleb and her were related. Her hair was as dark as Caleb’s. It was so pretty. She was totally beautiful…

“Oh! I have to get back to mom and dad, Caleb,” she said to her brother. “I want to watch the next act with them.” Then she turned to me. “It’s nice to meet you too. I hope we’ll see each other again soon.”

And she went away, leaving only Caleb and I in front of the mirror and surrounded with various kinds of costumes and dresses.

“You are truly born for this, did you know that?” Caleb said as he approached her. “The stage, the acting… everything!”

My heart began to race. “Uh… thanks.” My eyes met his. “But nothing would have been possible without your script.”

“You were the one who rendered it alive.”

I smiled. And I saw the mirror being reflected in his eyes. The conversation kept flowing but I all was truly aware of was how the reflective surface pictured the two of us together… Our bodies fitted next to each other. My head perfectly met his shoulders. It was all as if… as if the mirror was trying to…

As if we were just meant for each other.

 

An Evil Nymph.