MIRROR|ЯOЯЯIM

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own. My hair was very light brown, yet the image in the mirror had black hair. Maybe I was still waking up, and my mind was playing tricks. It was very early in the morning, so that was a definite possibility. Perhaps I was still sleeping, and this was just an odd dream. I think I would know if I was dreaming, though. Just the fact that I was thinking of dreaming was a pretty good sign that I wasn’t.

I run my hand through my hair, and the reflection does the same. I wish I hadn’t cut my hair so short. I’d like to see it without using a mirror. How can I see myself without using a mirror? My phone, of course.

Leaving the bathroom, I go to my bedside table to find my phone. It was right where it always was in the morning, sitting on the charging pad. Wait… didn’t I just buy a new charger? This one looks dirty and old. I really am out of it today. I must not have opened the new one yet. I’ll have to find it later.

A frustrating surprise when I look at the screen; my phone is dead. I’ve always said that my phone could never replace my good old-fashioned alarm clock next to the bed, and this is why. Too bad you can’t use an alarm clock to take pictures of yourself.

I return to the bathroom and find the same black-haired doppelganger staring back at me. Is it possible for a mirror to be broken? Not like actually broken, but it like shows the wrong things? I immediately realize how stupid that sounds. That’s not how mirrors work.

Staring into the mirror, deep in thought, leads me to only one conclusion; I must have changed my hair color. It sounds dumb, but it’s the only explanation. Mirrors show reflections, and the mirror was showing me with dark hair. What if one of my friends is playing a trick on me? How would they change my hair color without me knowing? Each question I come up with leads to more questions, and they all make me seem insane. Maybe I am. That’s a possibility I hadn’t considered. Maybe I had, or am currently having, some sort of mental breakdown. No, that seems wrong. I think I’d notice other signs if that were happening.

A frown appears on my face as I notice another inconsistency in the mirror’s reflection; the shower curtain is black. My shower curtain has always been blue. It’s my favorite color. When I turn around to confirm the curtain is still blue, I’m shocked to find it really is black, just as the mirror showed. That’s not possible. It was blue. It’s always been blue.

“Jessica?” I call out, hoping my friend is somehow hiding nearby, waiting to jump out and explain I’ve been the victim of some strange prank. Why would she change my shower curtain? If she went to the trouble of changing my hair color, a shower curtain would be pretty insignificant. What am I thinking? There’s no way someone could sneak into my bedroom and dye my hair without me noticing.

Opening the shower curtain, I am disappointed to find the bathtub empty. I was hoping Jessica would be standing there, waiting to scare me. A sigh escapes my lips as I turn back toward the mirror. That sigh quickly turns into a startled scream when I see two reflections looking back at me. One is my regular self, complete with my brown hair, but the other is my black-haired duplicate, and she’s standing in the shower behind me.

I spin around to face her but find the shower as empty as it was the first time I checked. I turn back to the mirror, and this time I only see myself, but once again with dark hair. I can’t help the small whimper that finds its way out of my throat. What just happened? I pinch myself, hoping there’s some truth to all the times I’ve heard that’s how you wake from a dream. Nothing happens. I’m still standing in my bathroom, looking at someone who may or may not be me.

I wave my arms and stick out my tongue, watching as my image does the same. I’m not sure what I expected. My eyes widen as I finally notice that the shower curtain in the mirror is no longer black, but only because it is no longer there. It’s gone, vanished without a trace, and it’s taken the entire shower with it.

Afraid of what I might see behind me, I turn as slow as I possibly can, preparing myself to admit that I’m losing my mind, only… I find the shower and curtain right where they should be. The curtain is still black, but at least it’s there. Why is it closed, though? I know I left it open.

I pull it open again, once more thinking this is all a joke and hoping I’ll find one of my friends. I don’t know what else to do but let out a shriek of terror when the open curtain reveals a reflection of myself, this time without a mirror between us.

She lunges forward, reaching out with hands I recognize as my own. It’s the last detail I notice before I fall back and hit my head on the sink. Everything fades to black.

I have no idea how long I was out, but when I eventually wake from my injury, I am alone. I’m lying on the bathroom floor with a crazy headache, but at least there’s no one else here with me. I manage to stand, and although the room is spinning, I somehow remain upright. I don’t even care what’s going on anymore. I’m not going to look in the mirror. I’m heading straight to bed.

I stumble toward the door and reach for the doorknob, but… where is it? Wait, where’s the door? I find nothing but a bare wall where there should have been a door. I look around the bathroom and see that everything is gone. There’s no shower, no toilet, no sink, and, worst of all, no door.

I shouldn’t say everything is gone. The lone remaining item is that damn mirror. Despite every bone in my body telling me it’s a bad idea, I look in the mirror. There I am, as expected. I’ve still got that black hair, though.

Hold on… something’s very wrong. I can see all the missing bathroom fixtures in the mirror. I double-check that they're not in the room with me and then look in the mirror again, finding everything where it should be. I look at myself in the mirror and watch as my reflection copies my every move. As I watch my hands, I suddenly get an idea. Even if I am losing my mind, I can still see everything in the mirror. I reach out toward the spot where the door should be and carefully follow my hand in the mirror as I try to grab the doorknob. My hand is only inches away when it freezes in place, or rather, the hand in the mirror freezes. My own hand continues to move.

I watch in frightened confusion as my reflection remains frozen, regardless of what I try to do. The fright turns to horror as my doppelganger slowly turns her head toward me and smiles. It is an evil, malicious smile. She lets the towels drop to the floor as she pulls the towel rack right off the wall and approaches the mirror. I’m frozen with dread. I have no idea what’s going on.

My evil-looking duplicate raises the towel rack above her head and brings it crashing down into the mirror, causing it to shatter. I scream as the broken pieces fall to the floor in front of me, leaving me trapped in a sealed room, unsure of what has happened. I drop to my knees, not caring about the broken glass under me. In one of the larger pieces of mirror, I can still see my evil duplicate as she opens the bathroom door. She gives me one last wicked smile before leaving the room.

Lost, hurt, and very confused, the only thing I can think to do is scream for help. Help that I know will never come.