Vikki Rowe
Mirror, Mirror
I stared into the blue eyes of my reflection, twisting and kneading my short black hair. Though the bathroom was vacant of anyone else, I knew he was here. I could feel him.
“Why won’t you leave me alone?”
I could feel him twisting and slithering like a large serpent in the space around me. I closed my eyes as I heard his crooning voice whisper at the nape of my neck.
“Because I’m afraid you’re lonely, Holly.”
“I-I’m not lonely. Mother says you aren’t real,” I rebutted; however, my voice offered no confidence in this as it trembled and creaked beneath my nerves.
“You can hear me talking, can’t you? What? Are you going deaf now?”
I could feel my head sink with defeat as he was right. I could hear him.
“No. I can hear you. But…but she can’t.”
“I’m not talking to her now, am I?” he purred.
I shivered at the thought of him behind me; a large predator encircling his prey.
“No…you’re not. You’re talking to me.”
My submission was evident in the arrogance of his words. He was winning.
“Precisely. I can’t leave you alone, Holly. I won’t leave you alone. Then you’ll fall to every lie she tells you. She doesn’t love you. You know that, right? Every little thing she tells you is shit. And you believe it.”
I love mother. He was not allowed to speak to her as such!
“No…no…not always. She sounds so-”
He spun me around and I could finally see the demon lurking from the shadows. He was a slender man with black hair that was always hidden beneath a towering top hat and icy blue eyes that relayed every ounce of fear I was attempting to conceal.
“Truthful? Holly, Holly, Holly… lies are always meant to sound truthful. That’s why they’re lies. If they didn’t sound truthful, why would you believe them? Why would you fall for it every time, like you do? It’s a shame really…if I weren’t here, think of how daft you would be? It must be nice to live in an ignorant bliss, Holly.”
As he spoke the smile never left his face, only seeming to widen at the thought of his words impacting into my skull.
“But…I’m happy,” I said, softly. I wasn’t happy. How could I be? Mother was lying to me.
“That’s because I’m here. She’ll take me away. Then you’ll be alone with her lies. You’ll be happy with her lies. Is that what you want? Holly? Is it?”
He placed his firm hands on my shoulders as he spoke and I felt safe. He could never hurt me. He loved me. He was telling me the truth.
We both hesitated, hearing the rustling from down the hall and her footsteps soft upon the carpet.
“Holand! Who are you talking to?” she called.
I looked up at him and in that second I didn’t want to be left alone with her. What if she kept lying to me? His smile softened and he stood aside, never releasing his grip on me. “No one mother! I’m talking to myself!”