the mirror never lies - part 1

The fog was everywhere, surrounding all in a cold, clammy white blanket. Wisps of smoke and clouds created an eerie scene to the already desolate forest. The trees were tired, without leaves, their ghostly branches moving silently as if avoiding the air and one another. In the deafening silence footsteps could be heard. They were quick as someone was running. The young woman ran as fast as she could, her heart beating like a hammer in her chest. She didn't know what was following her, but the instinct of escape was too powerful to ignore. Her white shirt was wet from her sweat and stuck to her thin body like a second skin.

When she felt she couldn't run anymore, the forest opened in a clearing. The sunlight did not manage to penetrate the thick fog so everything was a dull grey. As her heart started to calm down, she could hear soft noises, as if water was dripping. Following the sound, she saw a mirror, located in the center of the clearing. It looked ancient. It was black, made of what looked like carved marble, with engravings on the side, though she couldn't understand the symbols. Approaching the mirror an image appeared, but was surprised to find it wasn't her reflection. It showed a cliff above a foamy sea, with a grey sky just like the one above the forest. On that cliff, a man was standing in the grass, looking at her. He was about her age, with piercing green eyes, long brown hair moving in the wind, and dressed in black clothes. He came closer and closer and reached out to her, whispering "Ramona!". She reached for him as well, and when she touched the cold surface of the mirror a cruel laugh pierced the air. Turning around, she saw the fog has disappeared. The sky has turned ink-black and the moon has risen. What she saw made her gasp. The moon was red. Panic seemed to settle on the young girl's heart once again. When she turned to the mirror, the man has disappeared and where their fingers almost touched, a crystal-clear crack appeared, spreading like a spider's web, and in a flash the mirror fell to pieces. The laugh could be heard once again, this time much nearer. Where the mirror was, a figure now stood. The cold, evil laugh came from the creature in front of her. She felt fear, pain and anger, all at one. "YOU!!!" said accusingly.

At that moment Deanna woke up, startled. The same dream again. It has been haunting her for the past month now, and each night the dream evolved. At first she dreamt the forest and heard the sinister laughter like an echo. But now she discovered its source. Looking out the window, she saw it was almost dawn. The apartment was cold and her t-shirt was soaking wet. Since she couldn't go back to sleep, for fear of continuing the dream, she crossed her tiny bedroom and headed for the kitchen to prepare some herbal tea. A soft meow let her know she was not alone. Her cat, Peppermint, came graciously at her feet.
'Hey Minty, have trouble sleeping? Want some herbal tea?' and she chuckled at the cat's curious look.
'OK, how about some warm milk then?' This time her question was answered by a meow which could only mean 'yes, please'.

She heated some milk and let her pet delight herself, while she enjoyed a steaming cup of tea.

Feeling somewhat relaxed, she decided to take a walk, since the sun began to release its first rays over mankind. Walking down the narrow streets she remembered her recurring dream and several questions invaded her mind: 'was does it all mean? why was she running? who is the man in the mirror? why did he call her Ramona? and who was the creature with the cold laugh and why was he following her?'. She wanted some answers and knew just who to ask.

Getting home, she went to the phone and dialed the numbers. On the second ring, somebody picked up.

'Hi Mom!'

- to be continued -