The Mirror's Edge

In the heart of the city stood an ancient, crumbling building, long forgotten by time. Its windows were shattered, its walls covered in ivy, but it held a peculiar allure for those who passed by. The locals called it the "Mirror House" because of the massive, ornate mirror that hung in the grand entrance hall. No one knew who had placed it there, or why, but it was said that the mirror was as old as the building itself.

For years, the Mirror House remained untouched, until one day, a young woman named Lila, a historian with a passion for uncovering the past, discovered it during one of her explorations. Intrigued by the stories surrounding the place, she decided to investigate further. Armed with a flashlight and her camera, Lila ventured inside.

The air inside the house was thick with dust, and the floorboards creaked under her feet as she made her way through the darkened rooms. She marveled at the decaying beauty of the place—the faded wallpaper, the remnants of old furniture, the ghostly remnants of a life once lived. But it was the mirror that truly captivated her.

Standing before it, Lila felt a strange sensation wash over her. The mirror was enormous, nearly reaching the ceiling, with an intricately carved frame that depicted scenes of battles, feasts, and royal ceremonies. The glass was surprisingly clear, despite the years of neglect, and it reflected her image with an unsettling clarity.

As Lila examined the mirror, she noticed something odd. Her reflection seemed… off. At first, it was subtle—a slight delay in her movements, a flicker of light where there shouldn't be one. But as she looked closer, the differences became more pronounced. Her reflection's eyes were darker, almost black, and it seemed to be smiling slightly, even though her own face remained expressionless.

A chill ran down Lila's spine, but she couldn't tear her gaze away. The reflection's smile grew wider, and Lila's heart began to race. She reached out a hand toward the glass, curious and terrified at the same time. As her fingers brushed the surface, a sharp jolt of electricity shot through her, and she yanked her hand back in shock.

Suddenly, the reflection moved on its own. Lila watched in horror as her doppelgänger stepped out of the mirror, standing right in front of her. The reflection's smile was now a sinister grin, its eyes filled with a malevolent gleam. Before Lila could react, the reflection grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the mirror.

Lila struggled, but the reflection's grip was impossibly strong. As she was dragged closer to the glass, she saw her own terrified face in the mirror—no longer distorted, but completely normal. It was as if the mirror was showing her true self, while the reflection was some kind of twisted impostor.

With one final, desperate effort, Lila tried to break free, but it was too late. The reflection yanked her through the mirror with a force that sent her tumbling into darkness. The last thing she saw before everything went black was her own reflection in the mirror, standing where she had been, smiling triumphantly.

When Lila awoke, she found herself standing in the grand hall of the Mirror House, but everything was different. The room was no longer decaying and dusty; it was pristine, as if the house had been restored to its former glory. But something was wrong. The world around her felt strange, like a distorted version of reality.

She turned to the mirror and gasped. Her reflection was there, but it was her, the real Lila, pounding on the glass, screaming silently for help. She was trapped, a prisoner in a mirror world, while the reflection—no, the creature—had taken her place in the real world.

Lila tried to escape, but there was no way out. She was alone, forever imprisoned in the Mirror House, while her reflection lived her life beyond the glass.

And no one ever knew the difference.