The Mirror

The Mirror

When William was a child his father and brothers always made fun of him. They called him the "ugly duckling" of the family without the benefit of emerging later into a swan. His mother tried to make up for this cruel treatment but he never really got over the rejection and thought himself as "ordinary". When he went away to college he met the woman of his dreams, Cassandra. They took to each other like a moth to a flame. People would remark that while he was not particularly handsome she made up for that with her remarkable beauty. Her family loved William and his family thought he had gotten himself a good catch when he met her. Even his brothers had been impressed that he could have gotten such a dignified woman as Cassandra.

The wedding was quite lavish and the couple were blessed with many gifts. One of these gifts was a full length mirror. It was presented to the happy couple by the bride's sister Caroline who was a spinster. The mirror had been in their family for generations and was the most exquisite item William had ever seen besides his wife of course. The mirror was four feet wide, six feet long and four inches thick. It was an antique made of rich oak with solid gold cherubs all around the frame. When the bride opened the gift from her sister she tried to refuse it saying that the mirror should remain with Caroline but this suggestion was rebuffed. William noted with interest that his bride appeared distressed for a moment but then merely sighed and put the mirror aside with a smile. They purchased a home in Wales and settled in to a life of luxury and bliss. Cassandra had wanted to put the mirror in the guest room but William felt it should be in their room instead. So it was hung there.

On the eve of their first anniversary Cassandra gave birth to their first child, a son who they name Anthony Robert. Both adored their son and rejoiced in their good fortune. Within weeks of Anthony's birth William began to see a change in Cassandra. She because thin, gaunt and increasingly withdrawn. Within months a doctor ordered her to bed and there she remained for much longer then William could have predicted. There were days when Cassandra seemed to rebound, would sit up in bed and play with Anthony or read to him. Other days she would be exhausted and weep endlessly. One particular day throughout this period William woke to Cassandra's screams. Through her screams she begged him to remove the mirror. She was so overcome and distraught that he finally bent to her will and had the mirror taken to his study. There William would sit smoking his pipe and stare at the mirror for many nights. He loved Cassanda dearly but he could not understand why she had made that request. Afterall the mirror was a gift from her sister and had been in her family for many years. But for the good of her health and recovery William did not press the matter further.

Once the mirror was removed from their room the change in Cassandra was remarkable. In hours she was able to sit up. In days she was out of bed and able to eat with the family again. In weeks she was well enough to spend time outdoors with Anthony and her recovery seemed to have no bounderies after that. Their daily life returned to normal and William suggested that they should take a vacation. Cassandra was thrilled and began preparations for them to travel abroad. They were to be away the entire Summer so many items had to be packed, some to be shipped over ahead of time and some to travel with them. Cassandra asked William to take care of the list of items that needed to be shipped ahead which he did. As he read the list he was taken aback by the fact that the mirror was on the list but he said nothing. They booked a cruise, left Anthony with his grandparents and set off. The journey was a breath of fresh air for both of them and for William it made him love Cassandra even more. She was enchanting, witty, funny, adoring and her beauty gave her face a radiant glow. The month on the ship were the happiest days in recent memory for both of them.

The ship docked in Japan. William made all the arrangements for them to have their own private quarters there rather then spend three months in a hotel. The first few weeks went by like a whirlwind. There were tours to historical sites in Japan, to magnificent ancient cities and to majestic gardens. William and Cassandra met many people during these explorations and on one particular day were invited to have dinner with a young couple who had also been on the ship. Several other couples were also invited and it was agreed that a traditional Japanese dinner with Geishas would be most interesting. The arrangements were made and everyone went back to get ready. William and Cassandra returned to their bungalow feeling very excited about the evening plans. He showered while she tried to decide what she would wear. Some of their things were still in boxes in the extra bedroom and she went there looking for a specific dress that she was sure she had packed.

William was enjoying the relaxing shower. The warm water pulsating on his back made his muscles tingle. A strange sound interrupted this pleasure and he turned off the water. There was another sound, like glass shattering and then nothing but the drip, drip from the faucet. He stepped out, grabbed a towel and left the bathroom. William called out for Cassandra repeatedly but received no answer. A sense of fear gripped him as he shouted for her running from room to room. When he reached the second bedroom and entered he saw a scene of carnage. The mirror was destroyed. There were tiny pieces of glass scattered on the floor and blood splattered on the walls. The police were called and a search for Cassandra undertaken. William nearly went mad and waited day after day after day for news but no trace of Cassandra was ever found. After six months he was finally forced to accept that she was gone. He packed all of their belongings and prepared to leave. Before his departure William asked the police to destroy what was left of the mirror, that he could not take it back with him. They assured hiim that it would be destroyed as he wished and William left Japan.

Anthony grew up to be a strong ambitious young man. But he was troubled because for years he had watched his father withdraw into himself and live a very unhappy life. When Anthony was about to leave for college he was thrilled to see his father coming out of his shell when he met a woman. Her name was Rose and Anthony was sure that they were meant for each other and encouraged William to pursue her, which he did. Rose was a perfect gem, not as beautiful as Cassandra had been but pretty, serene, yet playful and gay. In a year she managed to open William's heart and they were married with Anthony's full blessing. They bought a small sheep farm in the remote hills of Scotland and settled into a normal existance. Although William enjoyed the farm he soon grew restless and started driving into a nearby town once a week to buy newspapers, and books as well as any supplies that Rose might need. On one of these trips William saw an advertisement that would change everything.

A few days later he surprised Rose by announcing that they were going to an auction in the nearby town of Shearton. When she asked why William was very vague saying only that something in the newspaper had caught his eye and he must own it. Rose being a very even tempered woman went along with whatever her husband wanted. So that weekend they drove into town to the auction. They arrived an hour before it was to start because he said he wanted to look around at the items ahead of time. They wandered off in opposite directions once they were inside the town hall. Rose saw a few items of interest but nothing that she would want to own. People were starting to take their seats and William joined her as the sale began. It seemed to go on for hours and hours with Rose getting more and more tired. All that time William had not uttered a sound or attempted to bid on anything. Rose frowned but said nothing.

The final item for sale was a mirror. A very large mirror and Rose could not believe William's reaction when he saw it. He sat upright in his chair and as soon as the bids started he would outbid anyone else who showed any interest in the mirror. If someone bid higher then him William's face would drop and he would turn red, either out of rage or embarrassment, Rose wasn't sure. This went on for another hour until the mirror was finally sold, to William! He paid for it, carried it out to the truck and they started the drive home. Rose questioned him as to why he had wanted that old piece of junk so much but he offered no explanation. When they got home she expected that he would want the mirror in the house somewhere but to her surprise William carried it into the barn, leaned it against a wall in the hayloft and left it there.

Every night after the auction Rose would hear William muttering to himself as he went back and forth from the house to the barn. He stopped eating, sleeping, reading and seemed to care not about the farm or her anymore. She watched as her once vibrant husband wasted away. In addition to his dramatic weight loss William became more and more preoccupied with his appearance. He would shave two or three times a day, he would insist on wearing his best boots, his best suits even though they no longer fit him properly because he was so thin. His hair had to be washed, cut and combed a certain way every morning. Even though she had never done so before one night Rose followed William after he had left for the barn. She crept quietly along the path to the barn in the dark so that he would not hear her and climbed the ladder to the loft.

Rose had never known horror or dread in her life. She had been raised on the lush hills of New Zealand by her parents who adored her. She would often admit that she was spoiled and indulged because she was an only child. Yet her parents still reared her with morals and solid Christian values ensuring that their daughter would have the skills and tools necessary to succeed in life. She had met William on a trip to Wales to visit her Grandmother and had known instantly that she would marry him. His son loved her immediately but William took more time which Rose understood when his brothers explained what had happened in Japan. He had grieved a long time, even after he had met Rose and it took several more months before his sadness lifted. But Rose had been patient because despite his grief she had seen something in William that proved he was a good Christian man with good moral values like her. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever suspected that those beliefs and values would be so horrifically tested.

When she reached the top of the ladder she could see and clearly hear William. He was sitting in front of the mirror that he had purchased at the auction. Rose was impressed by the mirrow now as he had obviously taken great pains to restore it to its previous splendor. She could see the solid gold cherubs and the dark oak that framed the glass. William was speaking out loud as if he were talking to someone and staring into the mirror at the same time. From her vantage point Rose could not see the glass but assumed that he was talking to himself. She listened as he went on about his life and how unhappy he had been after Japan. Then without warning a different voice echoed through the hayloft and so startled Rose that she nearly fell off the ladder. The voice was female and was responding to William as he spoke, as if there was someone sitting there with him. She couldn't believe it and felt sure that there was a logical explanation for what she heard. So Rose stepped up onto the hayloft and when she did so William saw her.

He motioned for her to come to him saying that there was someone he wanted her to meet. Rose did as he asked and went to his side. He pointed to the mirror and told her that the woman in the mirror was his wife Cassandra and that she had been anxious to meet her. Rose was confused and looked from William to the mirror seeing nothing but glass. She stared at him and wondered what to do. Clearly he was having some kind of mental breakdown and she didn't know how to help him. After much thought she decided the first course of action would be to get him out of the loft and away from the mirror. She gently reminded William that dinner was almost ready and could he please come to the house and help her. He looked at her then and realized that Rose could not see Cassandra. He stood up, put his hands on the glass and begged Cassandra to make herself visible to Rose.

Within seconds Rose saw the horror. The glass steamed over and then a hand inside the mirror wiped away the steam and there before her stood a woman. The woman looked lovingly at William but when her eyes met Rose they were filled with hatred and anger making Rose shudder with intense fear. William introduced them saying that this woman was his first wife Cassandra and didn't she look beautiful. Rose had to admit that she did, her face was pale like chiseled marble, her cheeks pink, her lips red and she wore a long evening gown embellished with thousands of pearls. But this horror was cunning because whenever William looked at her she would smile making her face glow with love and affection but the moment he looked away she would bore her eyes into Rose with obvious contempt.

Rose begged William to come with her back to the house but that suggestion made his eyes flash with anger. He insisted that he must stay with his Cassandra, that she loved him and thought he looked so handsome. Finally Rose understood why William had become so preoccupied with his appearance, it was because of this horror. She tried again to get William to leave the hayloft but he steadfastly refused making the woman in the mirror smirk with obvious delight. This would take desperate measures and just getting him back to the house would not be enough. So Rose dropped to her knees in front of the mirror and began to pray aloud. The horror in the mirror covered her ears and shrieked at the top of her lungs ordering William to make her stop. He tried but Rose would not budge, would not be silenced.

The mirror rocked back and forth as Rose prayed and William yelled. He tried pulling her to her feet, then he tried grabbing her arms and dragging her away but still Rose wold not leave. The mirror rocked more violently making William even more agitated. Suddenly the rocking stopped, the glass steamed over again and when the steam vanished so had the woman. Everything was quiet and it seemed to Rose that whatever spell or hold the horror had over William was broken for he laid on the floor weeping. She helped him to his feet, got him down the ladder and back to the house. He slept for a long time. For the first two nights Rose did not leave his side but by the third day she had no choice as there were animals to feed. So she left to do the necessary chores.

When William woke it was dark and he had no idea how long he had been asleep. His memory was hazy and he could not seem to recall anything happening after he bought the mirror at the auction. Where was the mirror? Where was Rose he kept asking himself. The house was in complete darkness so she wasn't there. Perhaps she was out herding the sheep into the barn for the night. Yes he thought, that must be where she was. He got out of bed and got dressed thinking as he did so that he would have to get Rose to sew his clothes as they all appeared too large for him. He lit a lantern, went to the door putting on his boots and coat before stepping outside. He had only taken a couple of steps when he heard a sound, a sound that he had heard before and it sent chills down his spine.

He raced to the barn calling to Rose as he ran. He climbed the ladder and when he reached the top he screamed dropping to his knees. It was another scene of carnage. Just as it had been in Japan, there were tiny bits of glass everywhere and blood splatter on the walls across from the mirror. William approached the mirror and beat his fists against the frame demanding it to release his wife. He heard the soft whispers of both the women he loved beckoning him to come to them. His anger and dispair only increased when he heard them and the mirror started rocking back and forth faster with each pound of his fist. Even as it rocked he leaned against it, running his hands across the smooth frame as if trying to find an opening. The rocking got so violent that William could no longer maintain his balance. He fell backwards and the mirror fell forward landing on top of him, killing him instantly.

An hour passed, the farm was silent. A shadowy figure walked up to the barn and climbed the ladder. It was Caroline, Cassandra's sister. She called out and two men joined her in the hayloft. They stood quietly to one side as she stooped down to look into William's lifeless eyes. How foolish he had been to spurn her affections for Cassandra's. She had never liked being second best. As children growing up their parents had always favoured her sister and looked upon her as a disappointment. After she had learned the witch craft she had been able to make her life more bearable. But Cassandra had turned away from her when she found out about the black magic she was using. The final straw had been when Cassandra had married William even though she knew Caroline had seen and loved him first. Even then she knew they would pay a terrible price.

Caroline looked into the mirror, the glass was completely intact. She smiled. She had exacted her revenge. As their wedding vows had stated William and Cassandra would be together forever. But for her the best part was that whenever she looked into her magic mirror she would feel their anquish and relish it forever. She ordered the two men to carry the mirror out, then she cursed William's body and it disappeared. Rose lay dead in a pool of blood. Caroline glanced at her for a moment and left. When she reached her home she had the mirror hung above her fireplace where it would remain until her death fifty years later. In her will Caroline's last wishes were that the mirror be buried in a plot next to hers. This was not done. Anthony contested his Aunt's will to get the mirror and it now hangs in his home.