Antique Mirror

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. It had my height and build, but it wasn’t me. On the other side, I saw black claws protruding from my fingers. The lower half of my legs were bent at odd angles and resembled the hind paws of a wolf. And my face…it wasn’t there. A gloomy shadow covered the entire head. Two small white eyes were the only things that could be seen. I don’t know how long we stood staring at each other. Even if it was a few seconds, it felt like an hour. The figure looked like it was breathing heavily from the way its slightly hunched shoulders moved up and down. I glanced around the mirror and noticed we stood at the end of a hallway. Behind me, I saw an endless row of doors on either side. How did I get here?

I heard creaking and quickly spun back around to see the figure pressed directly against the glass. A small cloud of condensation formed where the mouth should've been. It hasn’t done anything to me all this time, yet I’m scared to the point my body is shaking. Slowly, it reared its head back. Further and further it went till the top of its head lined up parallel to its hips. How can it bend at such an unnatural angle? It stayed like that for a while. I found myself backing away from the mirror, never taking my eyes off of it. Each step backward released a deafening creak from the floorboards. Not once taking my eyes off the mirror. Once I reached about five feet away, the most ear-splitting scream ripped through the air. I covered my ears and whined in pain; watching as the figure stood back up and slammed its head into the glass. The force from the impact knocked me flat on my back. Scrambling to my feet, I was mortified to see the figured push itself through the mirror. I ran like hell away from that monster. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever with no signs of ending. I turned my head to look behind me and screamed as I saw the figure running after me on all fours. It was insanely fast; closing in on me with each second. My eyes widened as a bright light popped up at the end of the hallway. It was an open door. I tried to pick up the pace. I needed to get away. When I got close enough to reach the door, I felt something wrap around my ankle; causing me to fall down to the floor with a loud thud. Before I could fully lift my head up, a hand firmly pressed it back down; digging into my skin. I can feel my blood trickle down past my ears. An evil laugh echoed around me. A thick black liquid surrounded me, forming a puddle. Long tendrils jutted up through the liquid and grabbed onto me; dragging me back to the mirror. My fighting was useless as they effortlessly pulled me farther and farther away from the light. I tearfully watched as my only means of escape faded from my view and the creature smiled at me with a large toothy grin.

- - - - - -

“Jacob. Jacob! Wake up stupid!” I snapped my eyes open to the sound of my sister’s annoying shrieking. I sat up in a panic, frantically rubbing my face and looking at my surroundings. Instead of the dark cold corridor, I lay in my bedroom. The natural light poured in from the open window. My body was covered in sweat and had goosebumps all over. "Good. Now get up and put some clothes on. We gotta help mom and dad put the last of the stuff into the moving van. Come on. Chop, chop.” I rubbed my face and groaned as I slammed myself back onto the bed. “Ok, just get out.” My sister clicked her tongue and left my room after she rolled her eyes.

The house was full of noise as my family and the movers hurried to transfer the last bit of our belongings out of the house. “Watch out, kid.” One of the movers grunted as they moved past my room, nearly bumping into me. “Whatever. You almost hit me, d-bag.” The shared bathroom only had a few toiletries left to get us through the morning. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, taking notice of the dark bags under my eyes. That nightmare...it's not the first time I've had it. Don't know why it keeps reoccurring, but I'm losing precious sleep over it. I spent a few moments staring at my reflection until I felt uneasy. "Relax, J. It's just a bad dream." I made my way downstairs to the kitchen to eat something. Unfortunately, when I opened the fridge, it was empty. “What the...?” Just then my dad popped up around the corner. “Sorry, Jacob. Everything was cleared out last night. We'll eat at the new place. Come help me with these boxes.” I sighed and followed him outside.

- - - - - -

The new house is much larger than our old one. My parents were the only ones to actually see the house beforehand. From what they told us, it had four floors in total. The main level, the upstairs, the basement, and the attic. The best part? Each of our bedrooms will have its own bathroom. The thought of not having to share with my messy older brother and sister did make me smile a bit. Classic wooden accents and architectural designs definitely proved that the house was old, but it had been well-kept over the years. While the movers did the heavy lifting, I carried my personal belongings upstairs. Once I reached the top of the staircase, I froze. The steps brought me to a long hallway. A hallway that resembled the one in...that place. I felt my legs get weak and my head started to spin. I couldn't get the image of the creature running towards me out of my mind. Getting closer and closer and-OUCH! "I call dibs on the room at the end!" My older brother, Michael, bumped into me; bringing me back to reality. My sister was right behind him. "No fair. I wanted that one." With a loud sigh, I continued on to find my room.

The process of picking rooms and bringing all of our stuff was painful but ended quicker than expected. All the kids sat sweaty, tired, and hungry on the couch. “Look at what we found!” We heard our mother’s cheery voice as she and our father lugged a tall box into the front foyer. “What’s that?” I asked. “This is our new hallway centerpiece.” The two of them unwrapped an old antique mirror that stood taller than my eldest brother. About six feet tall. As others stared in awe at the mirror, I gawked in terror. This was the mirror from my nightmare. The other world was very dark so it was hard to tell, but I was so sure. The engravings, colour, and shape were all the same. "Woah. It's pretty nifty?" My brother began checking himself out. The family examined the mirror and discussed among themselves where it should go. My voice, barely an audible whisper, muttered, "W-Where did you get that?" My mom responded in a cheery tone. "Hmm? Oh. It was up in the attic. Your father and I were tidying up and saw this box and its label. It was perfect! Now I don't have to buy one myself." I simply stared and trailed my eyes over the unusually dark tint of the glass. Should I say something? No. They won't take me seriously. Stop it, Jacob! It's not real. It's not...huh? My thoughts were interrupted by something in the mirror; making my blood run cold and sending fresh tears to my eyes. I could have sworn…that out of everyone’s reflection showing up through the glass…only mine stayed absolutely still with a wide toothy grin...staring right back at me.