“The Reflection’s Curse”

The Reflection’s Curse

The old Victorian house had stood at the end of Willow Lane for over a century, its cracked windows like tired eyes watching the world pass by. The Brennans were its newest occupants—Ellen, her husband Mark, and their ten-year-old daughter, Lily. They’d been drawn to the house by its charm and the promise of a fresh start, but they quickly discovered it held secrets far darker than peeling wallpaper or creaky floorboards.

It began with the mirrors.

At first, the family didn’t notice anything strange. The mirrors reflected their usual morning routines: Ellen brushing her hair, Mark shaving in the bathroom, Lily tying her shoes. But then, subtle oddities crept in.

One evening, Ellen caught her reflection in the hallway mirror just as a thunderstorm rolled in. Instead of showing her tired face, the mirror revealed a flash of something else—a room engulfed in flames, a shadowy figure lurking, and a faint scream that seemed to echo from the glass itself.

She blinked. The image was gone. The mirror showed only her reflection now, calm and ordinary.

Ellen shook her head, blaming the storm’s flickering light and her overactive imagination.

But the mirrors didn’t stop.

The next day, Mark saw himself lying motionless on the kitchen floor in the reflection of the dining room mirror. He gasped, but when he turned, there was no one there—just the usual clutter of dishes and crumbs.

Lily refused to look into her bedroom mirror. She claimed it showed “scary faces” that weren’t really there. Ellen tried to dismiss it as childhood fears, but the unease settled deeper with every passing hour.

That night, Ellen gathered the family in the living room. “We need to talk about the mirrors,” she said quietly.

Mark frowned. “What about them?”

Ellen hesitated. “They’re not showing us what’s happening now. They’re showing us... what might happen. Terrible things.”

Mark rubbed his temples. “It’s just our minds playing tricks. Stress from the move.”

But Lily shook her head, eyes wide. “No, Mommy. The mirrors show things that will happen. I saw you—crying. And Daddy—lying on the floor.”

Ellen swallowed hard. She’d seen the same images herself. And that’s when she remembered the house’s history—a tale she’d overheard at the local library.

The original owner, a woman named Margaret Carlisle, had vanished mysteriously decades ago. Rumors said she dabbled in dark magic, desperate to see the future to protect her family. But instead of safety, she’d cursed the mirrors in the house—binding them to show not the present, but terrifying glimpses of possible futures. Once glimpsed, those futures seemed to inch closer to reality.

“We need to break the curse,” Ellen whispered. “Before those terrible things happen.”

The next morning, Ellen took to researching Margaret Carlisle’s life. Old newspaper clippings and town records revealed Margaret’s obsession with fortune-telling and protective spells. Ellen learned the curse could only be broken by confronting the source—the original mirror in Margaret’s private chamber, now hidden somewhere in the house.

The family decided to search for the chamber together.

Hours passed as they rummaged through attic trunks and behind false walls. At last, behind a heavy tapestry in the master bedroom, they found a narrow door leading to a dim room. In the center stood an ornate mirror framed with twisted silver vines.

The air felt thick and cold.

Mark stepped forward, brushing dust off the glass. As their reflections appeared, the mirror shimmered—then shifted to show a scene of the family trapped in the burning room Ellen had seen earlier.

Lily clung to Ellen, tears streaming down her face.

Ellen took a deep breath. “This is it. The curse.”

A sudden realization struck her: the curse thrived on fear and uncertainty. If they accepted the visions as fixed fate, they would bring them to life. But if they faced the future with courage and choice, they might change it.

Holding hands, the Brennans stared into the mirror, refusing to turn away.

Ellen spoke softly, “We are not bound by this. We choose our path.”

The mirror rippled, the images blurring, then fading.

A strange warmth filled the room.

Days passed without the haunting reflections. The mirrors returned to their normal function—simple glass reflecting the here and now.

The Brennans felt lighter, freer.

One evening, as the sun set in soft hues outside, Lily approached the hallway mirror and smiled. “No scary faces today.”

Ellen smiled back, knowing the family had broken the reflection’s curse—not by magic alone, but by choosing to face the future together, no matter how dark it seemed.