Skip to main content

“The Mirror That Took My Place”

Thumbnail
I had a bad habit of always looking in the mirror. Even when I was doing something or talking to someone, if there was a mirror around, it was impossible for me not to look. Even when I was with my colleagues and someone looked more handsome, I would quickly switch on my front camera, look at myself, and compare myself with him in my mind. Many times, people even caught me doing it and said, “Bro, you look good,” like I needed to hear it from them.

Even at home, there were mirrors everywhere. Whenever I passed by one, I would stop, fix my hair and clothes, and look at myself for a moment. My mom sometimes got irritated and said, “You think you’re a hero that you see the mirror day and night.” She used to shout that we should not look in the mirror late at night for that long. I always laughed it off. It was so bad that even when I woke up to go to the washroom late at night, I would still look in the mirror.

One day, a friend of mine revealed to me that I didn’t really look good. Instead, he praised someone else in the class. It upset me deeply. That day, I kept looking in the mirror, trying to see what was wrong with my looks. I was depressed and not able to sleep. It was late at night when I finally got up to go to the washroom.

As I passed by the mirror, I stopped and started fixing my hair.

Am I really not handsome? Am I? I don’t need that ugly guy’s validation.

Just then, I heard a voice: “No, you’re not.”

A familiar voice.

My heart started beating faster. Slowly, I lifted my head and met my reflection’s eyes.

He said, “What are you looking at?”

I held back and asked in shock, “How can you talk?!”

“Why not,” he replied with a smirk. “You have given me life.”

The emotions were exhausting. I think I’m dreaming… maybe I should sleep now, I said and went back to my room. I switched off the lights and went to sleep.

While I was sleeping, I heard: ugly… ugly… ugly.

The words echoed around my room.

I quickly stood up and switched on the light. And what I saw terrified me—my reflections on the lamp’s glass, the window, and the wall mirror… all of them were saying the same thing. These reflections, which I had dismissed as hallucinations, were real.

The voices kept growing louder. I screamed, pressing my fingers into my ears, but they didn’t stop.

I ran to the wall mirror and tried to punch him.

“I am not ugly!” I screamed.

And then—he grabbed my arm.

He pulled me inside.

Suddenly, I was alone. Only I existed in that strange place. I looked back and saw him standing on the other side of the mirror, laughing.

My mom came to the door. I heard her voice: “I heard noises. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, mom. Now everything is all right,” he said, smirking while looking at me.

Now it’s been days since I’ve been trapped in this mirror realm. No one lives here except me. I sometimes cry, watching my family in the real world, and I keep believing that one day that imposter will get caught. One day someone will surely notice that he has no shadow or any sort of reflection, that he is not human.

But I fear that even if he gets caught, he might harm someone… and even if he can’t harm anyone, there is still no chance that anyone will be able to find the real me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So my wife’s going to a gala tonight — as her client’s “date.”

I’m 44 and my wife is 44. She works on an art advisory committee, so attending galas, events, and client meetings is part of her job. She often meets clients for coffee, lunch, or dinner, and I don’t always know the details and that’s completely normal because it’s part of her work. She’s always professional, transparent about her friendships, and I trust her judgment completely. Recently, she mentioned she’s going to a gala with a friend, S. He’s a wealthy client she met about a year ago, and they became friends professionally. She introduced me to him once, and he seems like a genuinely good person. He invited her as his “date” to this gala, and my wife said it’s fine. I did ask her though, if she’s actually going as a “date,” and she just laughed and said, “Date doesn’t always mean romantic.” She said it’s important for her she could get networking and meet new people. Then she smiled and said, “If I get into this gala next time, I won’t need to take that man with me, I’ll take you...
Post a Comment
Read more

I accidentally started a fake relationship with my dentist’s nephew and now I have to bring him to my cousin’s wedding

I swear this isn’t as insane as it sounds. Or maybe it is. I don’t know anymore. So I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled last month. All four. It was horrible. I cried when they put the numbing stuff in. Not from pain, just vibes. The dentist was this sweet older guy, probably in his 60s, super gentle, gave dad energy. Anyway, after the whole thing I’m in the waiting room with a mouth full of gauze, looking like a bloated chipmunk and trying not to drool on myself. This guy walks in. Maybe 20-ish. Tall, curly hair, kind of goofy looking but in a hot way. He smiles at me and goes, “You look like you fought a squirrel and lost.” I flip him off. With love. Apparently he’s the dentist’s nephew. He was dropping off lunch or something, I wasn’t listening. I was trying to keep my face from leaking. He sits down and starts chatting with me while I wait for my ride. I don’t say much because again, gauze goblin. But I must’ve made an impression because later that night I get a message on Instagr...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Cinematic Masterpiece: 'Halkara' Deserves More Recognition

 So, the weekend is almost over and Sunday is always special to me. In a sense, I was always wandering, taking myself on a trip to the valley. This story is quite different and interesting. In the middle of my journey, I felt ready and motivated to write about it, so here it goes. This story is about a single movie that inspired me to write. I had no plans to watch a Nepali movie called 'Halkara,' which had recently been released. As I passed by midtown, I wasn't prepared to watch it, but I found myself at the ticket counter buying a ticket for myself. When I bought the ticket, there were only five people who had booked the show, and all the seats were empty. The show was scheduled to start at 12:30 pm, and I entered the hall. Finally, the movie started. I cannot describe how amazing the cinematography, storyline, characters, acting, and overall vibe of this movie were. I still can't believe that this movie didn't receive a good response from...
Post a Comment
Read more