Through The Mirror
Nothing is as it seems
Neil stares in terror at the dagger in his left hand. Blood drips down the blade and onto the wooden floor where a small body lies. The thing’s glassy eyes stare up at Neil in death. Its mouth twisted into a scream that never came, a small puddle of black liquid slowly pooling under its boney wings. He drops the blade, panicked, quickly stepping back from the scene.
The instant the dagger hits the ground all traces of the creature disappear. Neil’s eyes grow wide, looking for some hint that what he just saw was real. He sees a terrified boy looking back at him in the large mirror across the room. Nothing else moves. Neil slowly walks to where the dagger landed, bending over to look at it more closely. Shadows of symbols cover the hilt, worn off with use but not completely gone.
Movement catches Neil’s eye in the mirror. He quickly stands, excuses for why the dagger is out of its case already formulating in his mind. Neil watches an older man walk up behind him. Turning around, what color had come back to his face immediately fled again. No one is there. Looking back at the mirror, the old man smiles at him and gestures toward the dagger. Neil slowly picks up the dagger, not looking away from the mirror. The man places his hand on Neil’s shoulder making him jump away in surprise, landing in the pool of blood next to the creature.
“Well that was quite an entrance,” the old man says with a chuckle.
