Mirror Chapter 1

“ Mommy, I’m cold.” The shape of the little girl blocked the light from the doorway. Held tightly in her arms, her little teddy bear gave the little girl comfort as her parents stirred in their beds.

“Oh, honey. You are just uncomfortable in the new house. You won’t be any warmer in our bed, but I will get you a thicker blanket from the linen closet.” Her mother yawned. The girl puffed, but returned to her room to wait for her thicker blanket.

The room was dark, pitch black. And silent. The girl could hear everything; the rhythmic tick of the clock in the hallway, the incessant clicks of the loose ceiling fan downstairs, even a soft thump of trees against her bedroom window. She could hear her mother’s gentle, shuffling footsteps, muffled by the thick carpet as she approached the room. The door whined as it was opened, casting the pale hall light into the room.

“Ellowyn, you can’t do this every night. You are 10 years old now. You don’t need to wake us every time you need your pillow fluffed.” Her mother scolded gently, placing the blanket over Ellowyn. The little girl puffed.

“I know that mommy.”

“Then why do you keep doing it? Don’t you like this house?”

“I like the house, but not my room. Its too dark in here. And quiet.”

“Its only because you are used to living in the city apartment, sweetie. You will get used to it, I promise. Just look at Molly.”

“But I’m not Molly! She doesn’t know the old place like I do! She can’t miss the hidden tunnels I used to play in. She didn’t know the neighbors, or have friends to leave! By the time she is my age, she will have forgotten the city all together.”

“Oh, Elli, I’m sorry. We had to move here for daddy’s work, and it meant a bigger place, which we couldn‘t pass up. Aren’t you happy you have your own room now?”

“I’m glad I don’t have Molly ruining everything, but still. Why care about that when I lost all my friends?”

“You will feel better when you get older.”

Ellowyn glared at her mother as she laid back in bed. I will never, ever like this place. I like the old apartment! Her room was plunged into darkness once again. Ellowyn closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the eerie surroundings, but she could still feel it. The darkness engulfed her and sent chills down her spine. She opened her eyes, but it was too dark to make a difference. She slowly slid deeper beneath the covers, until her head was fully covered by the blankets. She felt more comfortable that way, safer even, and soon fell asleep.

In the morning, the sun shone brightly through the curtains, casting its rays across her, and her bed. Even the covers over her face couldn’t block out its brilliant light, and she found herself reluctantly getting out of bed and trudging drowsily downstairs. Her parents were waiting as she approached the kitchen table. Her father eyed her from above his newspaper.

“Did you sleep well?” He asked as she took a seat.

“When I finally fell asleep, I guess.”

“That’s good sweetie.”

Her father didn’t remove his gaze from his paper as he spoke, as if the ink on the page was more important to him for the moment. Ellowyn rolled her eyes, knowing he couldn’t see her. Ellowyn turned her gaze to the stove, where her mother leaned over a steaming frying pan.

“Eggs or cereal?” She asked, turning just a second to recognize Ellowyn’s existence.

“I’m not hungry. Can I just have some toast?”

“I want pancakes!”

Ellowyn jumped. She hadn’t heard her sister’s tiny footsteps enter the room over the sizzling eggs. She turned to glare at her. Ellowyn never liked being frightened, especially by little kids like her sister.

“No pancakes today, Molly. How about eggs? As for you, Elli, you need to eat something.”

“Toast is something.” Ellowyn grumbled to herself. Still, she accepted the eggs. She barely touched them, focusing on the cup of orange juice in front of her.

Without warning, the glass shattered in her hand. Ellowyn squealed as sharp pain shot through her fingertips, the glass cutting thin lines into her flesh. Her father quickly grabbed her hand, wiping the small trickles of blood from the scratches.

“Are you alright Elli?” Her mother asked, running over. Ellowyn nodded, holding her hand tightly as her father pulled out tiny pieces of glass.

“Just a few small cuts.” He noted, retrieving a wet rag from her mother. “How you managed to break the glass I don’t know.”

“I didn’t break it! It broke on its own.”

“Glasses don’t just shatter, Ellowyn.” Her mother scolded.

“This one did!”

“Oh enough of that Ellowyn. Your mother is right. Glasses are too strong to just shatter like that.”

“Don’t you think its weirder that a small girl like me could break it?”

“It makes more sense then the glass exploding.”

“I didn’t do it.” Ellowyn whimpered as her father finished cleaning her hand. He was right; the cuts were minor, and wouldn’t even need bandaging.

“Do be more careful next time, Elli.” Her mother scolded gently, replacing the orange juice with a fresh glass. Ellowyn just looked at it, willing it to explode without her touch. She was too terrified to touch it anyway. She didn’t want more glass shards piercing her skin and causing her pain.

Looking at her little sister, she almost envied the 5 year old. Molly was carefree, giggling as she sipped her own juice. She was unafraid, undaunted. Why can’t I be like that? Ellowyn asked herself. She twisted her fork in her eggs, making designs with the yolk. It frustrated her, being jealous of Molly. She was never envious of her, never before longed to be five again.

She pushed her plate towards her father. He looked at her once again from above his paper. Ellowyn didn’t meet his eye, and just got up from her seat. Back in her room upstairs, she took out her favorite doll, one her friends had nicknamed Mini Elli, since it looked so much like Ellowyn. She sat down on her bed and began brushing its long red hair. The green eyes, the only difference between Mini Elli and its holder, stared at Ellowyn eerily. She turned the doll away, thinking it was just her troubled mind.

“Glasses don’t just break by themselves.” She mumbled to herself, falling back into her soft bed.

“No, they don’t.”

Ellowyn jumped up, looking around frantically. She stared at the doll in her hands as if it were a venomous snake.

“Was that you, Mini Elli?” She asked it, examining it thoroughly. This time, a giggle followed.

“Dolls don’t talk silly.”

“Neither do closets, beds, or anything else in this room but me.” Ellowyn noted, feeling her heart pounding out of her chest.

“Well I’m not any of those either Elli!”

“Molly?”

“Alright, now I’m offended.”

“Sorry.” Ellowyn mumbled, thoroughly frightened that this voice, wherever it was coming from, knew her name. She set the doll on her nightstand, slowly backed out of her room and dashed down the stairs. She nearly slid in the kitchen as she came to stop, grabbing onto her mother’s apron for support.

“No running in the house, Ellowyn.”

“There are voices in my room Mommy!” Ellowyn’s voice came out more of a squeak. Her mother shook her head.

“They are just in your head, Elli.”

“No thy aren’t! It knows my name!”

“It is your imagination.”

“No it isn’t! Come see for yourself. Please mommy?”

Reluctantly, her mother set down the dishes she was washing and allowed Ellowyn to drag her upstairs. They both stood in the doorway, Ellowyn still clinging to her mother’s leg. She took a glance toward her nightstand, but the doll was not where she had left it. Instead, it was sitting on her bed, sitting up on the pillow as if carefully placed there.

“I left Mini Elli on my nightstand!” Ellowyn squeaked.

“Then why is she on your bed? Obviously you left her on your pillow.”

“I didn’t!” Ellowyn was growing frustrated. “Look, the voices will talk to you too. Hello? Voices?”

No answer. Ellowyn’s mother just looked at her, growing angrier by the moment.

“They were talking! I swear Mommy!”

“Swearing is a bad habit. Now I must get these dishes done, Elli. Please don’t bother me again.”

The door slammed behind her mother, leaving Ellowyn alone in the room once again. She sat on her bed nervously, clutching Mini Elli to her chest protectively. All was silent now; no weird voices, not a single creaking floorboard. It was an eerie, uneasy silence, almost worse then the earlier voices.

“Why won’t you talk?” Ellowyn called out.

“They will try to get rid of me.”

“That’s the point.”

Ellowyn looked around, searching for the location of the unfamiliar voice. The voice only giggled, as if Ellowyn’s attempts were amusing.