The Looking-Glass, Part I

Prose was inspired by this photo on Pinterest!

“Fancy a glimpse into truth?” the faery asked. She smirked mischievously, holding a looking-glass to the face of a weary traveler. He’d wandered onto her favorite dirt road on the way out of the city.

He crossed his arms, watching her with an expression not of surprise or fear, but annoyance. “They warned me I’d run into you here. They even placed bets on it.”

“Well, you should’ve taken a different road, then.”

“I’m not afraid of the truth.”

Another smirk. “That’s what they all say.”

“They also said you won’t let me continue on my journey unless I look into that mirror.”

“That is not true,” she said, twirling a lock of her red hair with her free hand. She searched his face for the unease that was usually present when she spoke to a mortal, to no avail; he only looked at her like a pest to be rid of. “You can refuse the truth, but the choice will lurk in your memory forever.”

“Will this mirror tell me anything I want?” he asked.

She shook her head. “It will tell you what you most need to hear.”

“Then can I come back later? On my journey back, perhaps.”

The faery dropped her lock of hair, caught completely off-guard. “Well…”

“I’ll even swear on it, if it makes you feel better. I’ll be back in a week.”

She lowered the mirror, eyebrows knit in a frown. “One week, then. Though I’m sure there’s something you need to hear right now.”

“No, thank you. I don’t want to be late.”

With a polite nod farewell, he shouldered his pack, continuing on his way. Baffled, the faery sat down to wait, wondering if she’d negotiated herself into a poor deal. No one had asked to put off a reading before.

To Be Continued…

Filed under: Writing Tagged: faery, prose, writing