(Hi folks...turn a blind eye to grammar and go for the essence/theme...you might like it better in its raw & unfinished form)
I loved collecting old books. The pace was absurdly slow but the characters popped out into glorious life thanks to the extremely detailed descriptions. A slightly damp musty smell almost always would make me think only of books...the old is gold kind ;)
It was one of those typical Sundays, me casually loitereing around old book stalls. As if drawn to it by some compelling force I was drawn to a dull glint in the middle of a pile of paperbacks. Closer inspection revealed a very peculiar specimen.
It was the size of your average Reader's Digest but was shaped like one of those double sided gilted photo frames that newly married couples receive as gifts by the dozen. On opening it the left revealed what must have been a perfect mirror, now all cracked with its silver faded and tarnished. The right had what looked like an old parchment made worse by what looked like a case of bad water damage. I was hooked!
The shopkeeper looked relieved that someone could actually want the thing but true to his trade he kept haggling over the price till I finally coughed up a hundred for it. I picked up a mirror from one of the street vendors as it looked liked the perfect size for me to work as a replacement for the faded one.
I'd lost all interest in lunch as I sat down with a tin of brasso and some cotton waste and a polish cloth as I started getting some of the grime off and some of the shine back. The frame now had a regal and antique look about it making me confident the hundred was well spent. The mirror would require me to do a bit of extremely careful prying, so I decided I'd do it later. The parchment had me intrigued as I couldn't make out the language at first...
rorriM eht ni dnei(r)F ehT
devresbonu tas eH thgis fo tuo tsuJ rorrim eht fo renroc eht nI ... thgil on tsomla sees taht
tiaw gnol eht stiaw eH raey dna htnom yreve yadyreve etal dna krad si ti nehw si tseb eht raef dna tsurtsim rorroh fo emit eht
traeh fo tniaf era uoy fI trapa uoy raet lliw terces siht dlob dna evarb era uoy fi tub dlot sa od dna rorrim eht ni kooL
The stylized italics didn't make the deciphering any easier. I decided to ditch the code breaking and got back to the task of replacing the mirror. No sooner had I completed this that I realized something. The mirror was reflecting the parchement and I could actually read it....it had been a mirror image all along!
The F)r(iend in the Mirror He sat unobserved Just out of sight In the corner of the mirror that sees almost no light ...
He waits the long wait every day every month and year the best is when it is dark and late the time of horror mistrust and fear
If you are faint of heart this secret will tear you apart but if you are brave and bold Look in the mirror and do as told
I decided to be bold and brash and in the belief that life only had black and white with no shades of dangerous grey as I gazed into the mirror searching for instructions. I stared into the mirror from all possible angles. I tried it in daylight, under candle light and even under moonlight. Nothing! Not one damn thing! I was rattled! I guess it was my expectations ! I had a feeling of extreme betrayal ....of a promise unfulfilled.... I tossed the book onto the sofa and crashed down on the mattress beside it. It was 2 a.m. and I had to be up by 7! Madness! What a colossal waste of time! Sleep evaded me , a slimy beast that I couldn't grab at. I tossed and turned anger mounting, frustration doubling now that I was being denied my sleep too! I snatched up my walkman and plugged in my earphones. I shoved them into my ears and hit Play! Linkin Park's Breaking the Habit almost threatened to break my eardrums...but the sheer intensity of the music slowly calmed me down.... BEEP BEEP BEEP! What the heck!!!! Ouch it was 7 am already! When did I doze off ?! My left ear ached for having slept on my side with my earphones. Coupled with my unshaven face I looked like a drug addict, terminal patient and concentration camp survivor all at one go! I rushed through my morning essentials and was finally in front of the dresser combing my hair looking at my reflection mechanically. I suddenly burst out, " WHAT?" at my own reflection and almost fell back at the sight of my own scowl. "So what am I supposed to do?" I asked of myself and this time I detected a faint smile in the mirror! Was I smiling? Was it a true reflection of me myself? Was the smile a figment of my imagination and fatigue? OR HAD THE BOOK UNLOCKED SOMETHING SINISTER???!
I loved collecting old books. The pace was absurdly slow but the characters popped out into glorious life thanks to the extremely detailed descriptions. A slightly damp musty smell almost always would make me think only of books...the old is gold kind ;)
It was one of those typical Sundays, me casually loitereing around old book stalls. As if drawn to it by some compelling force I was drawn to a dull glint in the middle of a pile of paperbacks. Closer inspection revealed a very peculiar specimen.
It was the size of your average Reader's Digest but was shaped like one of those double sided gilted photo frames that newly married couples receive as gifts by the dozen. On opening it the left revealed what must have been a perfect mirror, now all cracked with its silver faded and tarnished. The right had what looked like an old parchment made worse by what looked like a case of bad water damage. I was hooked!
The shopkeeper looked relieved that someone could actually want the thing but true to his trade he kept haggling over the price till I finally coughed up a hundred for it. I picked up a mirror from one of the street vendors as it looked liked the perfect size for me to work as a replacement for the faded one.
I'd lost all interest in lunch as I sat down with a tin of brasso and some cotton waste and a polish cloth as I started getting some of the grime off and some of the shine back. The frame now had a regal and antique look about it making me confident the hundred was well spent. The mirror would require me to do a bit of extremely careful prying, so I decided I'd do it later. The parchment had me intrigued as I couldn't make out the language at first...
rorriM eht ni dnei(r)F ehT
devresbonu tas eH
thgis fo tuo tsuJ
rorrim eht fo renroc eht nI
... thgil on tsomla sees taht
tiaw gnol eht stiaw eH
raey dna htnom yreve yadyreve
etal dna krad si ti nehw si tseb eht
raef dna tsurtsim rorroh fo emit eht
traeh fo tniaf era uoy fI
trapa uoy raet lliw terces siht
dlob dna evarb era uoy fi tub
dlot sa od dna rorrim eht ni kooL
The stylized italics didn't make the deciphering any easier. I decided to ditch the code breaking and got back to the task of replacing the mirror. No sooner had I completed this that I realized something.
The mirror was reflecting the parchement and I could actually read it....it had been a mirror image all along!
The F)r(iend in the Mirror
He sat unobserved
Just out of sight
In the corner of the mirror
that sees almost no light ...
He waits the long wait
every day every month and year
the best is when it is dark and late
the time of horror mistrust and fear
If you are faint of heart
this secret will tear you apart
but if you are brave and bold
Look in the mirror and do as told
I decided to be bold and brash and in the belief that life only had black and white with no shades of dangerous grey as I gazed into the mirror searching for instructions.
I stared into the mirror from all possible angles. I tried it in daylight, under candle light and even under moonlight. Nothing! Not one damn thing!
I was rattled! I guess it was my expectations ! I had a feeling of extreme betrayal ....of a promise unfulfilled....
I tossed the book onto the sofa and crashed down on the mattress beside it. It was 2 a.m. and I had to be up by 7! Madness! What a colossal waste of time!
Sleep evaded me , a slimy beast that I couldn't grab at. I tossed and turned anger mounting, frustration doubling now that I was being denied my sleep too!
I snatched up my walkman and plugged in my earphones. I shoved them into my ears and hit Play! Linkin Park's Breaking the Habit almost threatened to break my eardrums...but the sheer intensity of the music slowly calmed me down....
BEEP BEEP BEEP! What the heck!!!! Ouch it was 7 am already! When did I doze off ?! My left ear ached for having slept on my side with my earphones. Coupled with my unshaven face I looked like a drug addict, terminal patient and concentration camp survivor all at one go!
I rushed through my morning essentials and was finally in front of the dresser combing my hair looking at my reflection mechanically. I suddenly burst out, " WHAT?" at my own reflection and almost fell back at the sight of my own scowl. "So what am I supposed to do?" I asked of myself and this time I detected a faint smile in the mirror! Was I smiling? Was it a true reflection of me myself? Was the smile a figment of my imagination and fatigue? OR HAD THE BOOK UNLOCKED SOMETHING SINISTER???!