Shattered Mirror

I sat at the vanity and looked in the mirror. I couldn't recognize the face staring back at me from it's cold surface. I looked over the pictures on the wall hanging around it in a grim silence. The face captured then was full of life and exuberance.Her smile was radiant and her eyes were bright with the innocence of her youthful age. The torments that awaited her would dim that light if not extinguish it all together. It was hard to believe that so much time has passed since those pictures were taken.

I looked back at the mirror and sighed. The face staring back at me was a pale imposter. It was hard to accept the face. The eyes were tired and listless. They stared back at me with an emptiness and sorrow to be pitied. The skin no longer held it's natural glow. Now it was pale and dull. The smile that once held a resonating radiance was long gone. My hair held all of it's length but none of it's shine or body. It hung there, limp and lifeless around my shoulders. It was once the color of the sun and shined just as bright. Now it was just a dull yellow with streaks of grey. A cruel reminder of the passing years. I sat there and wondered; where had the time gone? When did all of this happen? Was it over night? Did the passage of time cause this and I just didn't notice? Was there any chance to go back? It seemed to be a hopeless plight. I had already gone this long. Long hours of work. Sleep passing me by night by night. Heart break wearing down the strengths I had left. What was left?

My dull eyes welled up and the tears started to fall. I stared at my reflection through the tears and felt the sudden surge of the rage explode inside of me. I clenched my shaking fists at my sides until I couldn't control it any longer. I slammed the mirror's cold surface over and over. Each slam of my fists drove the cracks out further; forming jagged webs over it. All the while I screamed as loud as I could. My voice was shrill and piercing but I couldn't hear anything past the cracking of the glass. I screamed until my throat was sore and tight.

I finally stopped. The blood flowed from my hand and dripped over the wooden top. I breathed heavily, my heart raced in my chest. The rage slowly subsided. I looked up at the mirror and the face was still staring back at me. This time it was red and streaked with tears. The mirror was shattered but the reflection never changed. It stared back at me through the shattered mirror.