"The Exchange"

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own, causing my heart to jump and flutter widely in my chest, so fast that it caused small beads of sweat to appear on my brow. Turning my back to the mirror I quickly walked away. Unable to make sense of the image I had seen left me feeling it all may have been my imagination.

I had admired that vintage mirror every time I walked by the old antique shop on my way to work, so much so I had been saving for it for over a year now. I just knew it was meant to be mine and I longed to bring it home. I can't count how many times I stopped in and spoke to the elderly couple who owned the shop were the mirror had hung. I had almost begged them not to sell it to anyone but me. Today I am so excited, I finally bought it and brought it home. I hung it in the foyer in the exact spot I had chosen the first time I saw it.

I had viewed myself in that mirror again and again and never did it reflect any image other than myself, just as I am. So why now, when I looked at my image did it give me the chills and goosebumps all over my body? I shivered as I thought about it. I could only credit it to the fact that I had drank a couple glasses of wine to celebrate my purchase, maybe that's what it was! Yes, it had to be the wine, after all I hadn't ate very much today either.

Fighting an overpowering urge to gaze at my reflection again I decided it best to sleep it off. I was so tired as I crawled into bed, however I could not get the image out of my head. With an unsettling feeling I struggled to fall asleep, every time I closed my eyes, that other worldly image blazed in my head. Finally due to pure exhaustion I dozed off. I awoke to my alarm, something seemed off, I felt odd, as if I did not belong. I can't explain the feeling something just was not right. I'll just say, I didn't feel right in my own skin. Trying to shake the feeling I took a long hot shower and readied myself for the day.

On my way out I glanced in the mirror, there gazing back at me was my own pretty face, I straightened my jacket and brushed the hair from my eyes. "Thank you powers that be" I said out loud as I stepped back to admire how beautiful the mirror looked in my foyer. How silly I thought, why that mirror is the same as it had been the many times I had gazed into it before I brought it home. Convinced it was the wine I didn't give it another thought.

Instead I focused on my dinner date for the night. Charlie was coming and I was to prepare his favorite dish, chicken fettuccini with fresh hot garlic bread and Caesar salad. Charlie would be bringing a bottle of wine, it promised to be a wonderful evening. I busied myself in the kitchen, putting the final touches to my diner table as Marvin Gaye romanced the atmosphere with his soulful seductive songs. I was anticipating a romantic evening when the doorbell rang.

Entering the foyer I passed the mirror on my way, I felt a cold breeze chill my whole body, it was ever so brief but it chilled me to my core! I honestly felt the hairs on my legs stand at attention. My Granny would have said someone just walked on my grave! I shivered at the thought as I opened the door to Charlie's smiling face. "Hello beautiful" he said as he handed me a single rose and a bottle of the highest quality champagne. Heading for the dining room I placed the rose in a vase and set it in the center of the table. Charlie stopped to admire the mirror.

"Babe!, this must be that mirror you have wanted for so long". "It is hauntingly beautiful, and looks like it belongs right were you hung it!" Joining him I stood and admired it, we discussed the intricately bold engraved frame and wondered how old it was. When Charlie moved on I followed behind. I felt the same chilling breeze as I passed in front of the mirror, Don't look, don't look, I told myself and I swear if I hadn't known better I heard it call out my name.

After a lovely dinner and a dance or two, I found Charlie admiring the mirror again, joining him I peered over his shoulder straight into my reflection and my blood turned cold. It was brief, as if a thin wispy vail had fallen on my image, I could make out the hauntingly familiar outline of the mysterious, ghastly, yet somehow beautiful woman I had seen in the mirror the night before. Suddenly the air around me turned ice cold and I ran my hands up and down my arms rapidly to shake the chill.

Charlie looked at my reflection in the mirror "look at your beauty woman" he said. Did he not see what I saw? "Do you feel that cold air Charlie" I asked, "I do honey. I was wonderin where it's comming from?" "How bout we go cuddle?" "I'll take care of that chill for you!" Soon the image in the mirror was the last thing I had on my mind. Exhausted, in a good way, I fell asleep with Charlie holding me. He woke me early with a kiss and told me he would see me after his golf game. "Ok babe" I replied, "I might be gone so just use your key and come in when you get back". "You know I will" he replied.

After a morning cup of coffee and a hot shower I stood at the bathroom mirror admiring myself, I was pretty, I knew it, and I tried my best not to let others know that I did. I dried off and lotioned up and headed to the kitchen were I was stopped in my step, the rose Charlie had given me hung limp it's petals that had just been a vivid red, emitting a fresh aromatic perfume. now lay discolored and browning, scattered at the bottom of the vase. Disturbed, I stood frozen for some time then with an urgency that matched my racing heart I dessed and headed out through the chilled foyer as I did so "don't look", "don't look", rang in my head.

Slamming my front door behind me. I released my breath, taking in a much needed one, I wondered how long I had been holding mine! Soon I found my self at the door of the Antique shop were I hesitated for just a minute before entering. Searching the room I found the couple standing there smiling a strange uneasy and all knowing smile on their faces. My gut turned as I tried to sound unrattled and gave my best "Hello!" "Good morning to ya!"

The couple slowly nodded, and continued to smile. I asked about the mirror but they just nodded and smiled at me as if it was the norm! As the feeling of uneasiness crept up my back and around my neck almost choking my words I pushed on, to no avail, as they just smiled and nodded. How odd I thought this is the same couple I had conversed with for over a year and now they gave me no response. as if they where mute! My mind railed as I tried to come to a logical conclusion. But of course nothing was logical in my world today!

As I turned to leave I asked one more question. "Do you have any paperwork on that mirror?" The old women walked slowly to a cabinet, taking a old and tattered envelope from the drawer she turned and with the same blank look and painted smile reached out to hand it to me. Why did I feel hesitant to take it? I then snatched it from her grasp and called out "thank you" as I exited the front door.

The envelope felt ominous in my hand as I walked home. I wanted to open it so badly. I could hardly wait to get it home. Oddly once I was home I could not bring myself to do so. I tucked the envelope in my top drawer and decided to wait until Charlie was home to examine the content. When my phone rang it only added to my frustration. It was Charlie and he had to catch the 7:40 to Seattle to close a deal he had been working diligently on and would not return for a week.

I did my best to forget about the envelope for the time being and began to settle back in to my routine. It had been five days now since I had seen the haunting image in the mirror. It was becoming easy to credit all of this to an overactive imagination. Except for the chilling cold spot in the foyer things began to feel somewhat normal. Feeling comfortable I decided to clean and polish the old mirror.

I gave it a good spray, starting from the top of its glass I rubbed. As I did so I admired how it glistened as I worked. Suddenly, my whole body jerked and I heard myself scream as I felt someone grab my arm and pull me into the mirror! It happened so fast that I was inside looking out through the glass at my empty foyer in no time. I stood there silently screaming, mouth wide open, only no sound would come out. From somewhere deep in the dark behind me I heard a high pitched laugh that vibrated through my frozen body. "Who are you!?" I blurted as I startled in fear at my own voice.

"Soon to be you" came a sinister whisper from the dark behind me. I thought I would be sick to my stomach as I beat on the mirror until my hands were red and swollen. When I had exhausted evey bit of the energy I had I crumbled to the ground. How will I get out of here I cried. I lay there trembling from fear in the darkest dark I had ever experienced. I must have fallen asleep because the next I recall was the feeling of a finger with a long pointed nail lightly tracung the outline of my face.and along my hairline with that same sinister voice whispering "oh yes, you will do my dear, you will do just fine."

I was angry, so angry I forgot my fear as I blurted out "Do just fine, tell me now what is going on!" As my eyes began to focus I could see the outline of the face I had seen in the mirror, without ever coming into full focus and in very few words she whispered how I was to take her place and she mine. Should I ever get tired of watching what should be my life from inside my beloved mirror I shall have to wait until another claims ownership of the mirror and only then shall I be able to make an exchange.

Then she stated firmly "you should have read that paper work my dear" before suddenly appearing on the other side of the glass gazing at her image with a look of achievement on the face that was once mine...