(Originally on writing.com)
It appeared to be a common handheld mirror, the kind you might place in the bathroom or in a barber's shop. The handle and frame were forged with some kind of iron alloy, as it weighed heavier than I expected as I lifted it up. Swirls of gold and amber embellished the length of the handle, and I thought it might have belonged to Liz Carver on account of how ostentatious it looked. But at the bottom, etched into the tip, appeared the two letters: "C.V."
"C.V.?" I muttered, running through the list of names I had been introduced to just a few minutes ago. Nobody I met seemed to match those initials. It could have been left behind by some other family. But I had been there the whole time, and wouldn't somebody have noticed this item being misplaced or forgotten? It looked almost like an antique, a relic of another time or place. It certainly didn't belong here, at the HOA social, or now, the first day my life had changed, May 14th.
I held the mirror up to my face and looked at the reflection. The same Brian Williams I had known these past 30 years stared back at me with a look of confusion, my brown hair tussled about slightly by the breeze. I hadn't shaved since Friday morning, and already my face was well beyond the stubble stage, threatening to sprout forth a small beard by the time I would go back to work that Monday. Aside from these observations, it seemed like an ordinary mirror, a couple fingerprint smears notwithstanding. Someone else had definitely used this mirror before, and they would miss it sooner or later.
As I was about to set it down and go ask one of the women about it, the mirror began to glow. It glowed, and glowed brighter, and even brighter until it illuminated with a blinding white flash of light. Brighter than the sun. But I was compelled for some reason not to let it go. I squinted at the incredible brightness, tears forming in my eyes, until I blinked. Then my field of vision began to fade. And just as quickly as this began it came to a stop.
The mirror no longer glowed, it resuming its dull metallic luster like before.
I blinked again. Spots were dancing in my eyes for a few seconds, which is usually the case after you see something bright. It faded away too, and I lifted the mirror again to inspect it and find out why it glowed so suddenly.
But that was the moment I first realized what happened.
The moment when my life changed forever.
What happened?
Go back - Go to the parent episode.
Sun Aug 27 03:30:16 2017