Have you seen? About mirrors? No, what’s so special about them?

Well, haven’t you heard the saying that eyes are the windows to the soul? The connection, you say?

Well, if the eyes are the windows to the soul and mirrors reflect, a common known fact you should know. Together, does that mean looking at the mirror through your eyes mean looking into your very soul?

Laughter heard and received, but how could you not know? Is it because you find nothing in the depths of your own soul?

No offense meant, not at all! Have you ever tried, because sure you would face the bathroom mirror everyday in the bleary haze of the day brushing your teeth and getting ready, surely paying attention to your hair, your face but do you pay attention to your very own eyes? The very one thing that you do not need to focus when getting ready for the day, unless you are wearing contact lens.

But whether you do or not, you don’t pay attention to your own eyes. You don’t stare right into them, like how you don’t stare into anyone else’s eyes. Sure, it’s good to keep eye contact in communication, but let’s face it. People are more likely to look at your eyebrows pretending to make the so-called eye contact and even more likely contact has always been broken, always preferring to wander rather than looking right into the pupil, the irises. Doesn’t that mean everyone is just too scared to stare into each other’s eyes? Afraid what they see, the very depths?

Asking to get to the point now? Well, look into the mirror and start some soul staring. You can not believe me all you like. But you haven’t tried either, so who’s to say who’s right?

Now, you are asking why prompt this all? Because it happened, silly. Eyes are fascinating parts of the face don’t you think, the very thing that captures every moment so what happens when you look straight into them? What would you see? Would you see yourself, or way beyond?

… … …

So you tried already? Why are you screaming? The mirror is endlessly fascinating, quite related to the eyes for if the eyes captured everywhere, the mirror also reflects and endlessly captures repeately causing some lo-

You don’t care about all that? What is this about masks? Shadows? Oh dear, what have you seen?

‘It was like my eyes knew how I look when I stared right into them, but all wrong. It looked all shadowy,’ is what you say? What else? Alright, promise not to interrupt.

‘That black shadow, such a silhouette looking like – , it’s just then that it was clawing its way towards – through the mirror and it felt like-‘

Oh, you are screaming now. Was it that much of a pain? Wasn’t it your curiosity?

… Huh, you are becoming quite incoherent. What has you clutching with such fear?

Oh, stare right into the mirror and meet ——– facing the very depths, everything. Even all that discomforts you. Is that how…

Certainly haven’t seen anything, dear. What do you mean you feel like there’s a mask right around your eyes? Doesn’t it boil down what you are not seeing? Be careful, or else-

Oh no, don’t scratch your eyes like that! You are going to bleed? What’s so scary that you no longer want to see?!

‘That shadowy self is so scary. It’s almost like it’s the devil?! -/– cannot see the devil! -/– do/n’t wan- huh…? What’s-‘

You are becoming incoherent again. Are you losing any of your memory? Do you remember why this all happened?

‘It’s because y- ugh, m-? U-…’

Oh dearie, this is certainly worse than one would think. Let…

‘Huh, -/– just realized. Why have you never used the first pronoun, - no, I I!!, aren’t you-‘

When will you be up task? That was what had been asked, and the answer is devastatingly revealed. Never? Even though this little exercise was your own curiosity, nothing else. Because hadn’t you seen it yourself? In the newspapers? About cracked mirrors, people going insane and eyes bleeding because they cannot handle what they had seen?

Thinking you would be the exception?

But you couldn’t even face-

Have you heard? About such a crash? Shots, some people say! How has anyone gone insane is beyond-

Oh, that crash is because the mirror is now broken. You really do go for broke. Haha, being poetic? What are you talking about? Ever since…

Are… are you trying to break the fourth wall?! That’s, that’s hilarious. What fourth wall? What do you think this is? That whoever you are addressing now is some kind of narrator and kindly fuck off because shouldn’t the story be over?

Oh gosh, who do you think you are? Some kind of protagonist, suffering for a moment and then the story moves on like once that story ends is like the suffering woulnd’t even happen? That is such a riot. Hilarious. Have you thought about stand-up comedy?

‘There was no denial.. about the narrator. And how hard is it to just say I-‘

Shh… let’s start hearing now. After what you have done with sight. What you started simply unfortunately continues.

Haha, no need to swear up a storm. You really do have a mouth. But you cannot undo it all. You have seen, and now you have heard. The crashes. Don’t you remember that’s the next step after the broken mirror? Because even what you have tried, you cannot lose your sight completely. Not with just your hands. Not when you were clawing out some mask.

Refusing

… … …

You are hearing things now. That’s how you go insane. It’s those shards now, that you can’t unhear. The shattering and the bits that you have discarded. Think about it? The mirror. If you see your soul within, then what happens when you break the mirror. Do you think you have broken your soul?

Impossible? Well, if you just broke the mirror with just an innocent intent, an accident. But you broke, because you didn’t want to see. You didn’t want to face your soul.

Wrong, you say? Well, let’s see how long those lies will hold? Oh, you are scared now. Or resigned? That fast? What’s next, no more dilly dallying. Because you can read the… what do you mean italics? Oh, you really want to go for the meta so hard, don’t you?

Ah, no need to change up the structure. Won’t need to show up the italics. Haven’t you noticed what you had in your hand?

Why are you so suprised about the gun? Didn’t you have the relevation? Didn’t you say you remember? After the mirror came the gun, as if the broken shards was because you wanted to get rid of that shadowy figure which was the bane to it all. But the only result was that you created so many more shadowy selves in each and every shard.

And oh, you are shooting up the shards but you just keep breaking, breaking it to smaller pieces and you should have realized. You are only breaking reflections.

Yes, you remember. What happened with the gun, that it’s not the shards meant to be broken. And you are now putting it on your head, because you realized. You realized that it’s not the reflections you can break, because you accept somewhere in your heart, following the idea about soul searching in the mirror through your eyes and that the shadowy figure-

You still don’t want to hear it? Your funeral. Literally. You believe the shadowy figure within at least because it was from your eyes it came and had been a reflection so it is within that you have to get rid of, and if there are many selves from so many broken reflections…

You know the logic doesn’t exactly hold up, about brokenness, or that there is so much darkness and shadows with so many brokenness. You don’t understand either? Well, when it comes to you and-

Your hand is shaking, yet the gun never dropped from your hand. You are ready to eliminate the shadow, even when you cannot tear off the mask,

Or just accept it

You are aware that it’s insanity. That you could die but you know this is bigger than common sense dictates. You needed to face the shadow, the

persona

Oof, are you wincing against copyright? Well, the similarities are there if no one has figured it out. Claiming fanfiction later? Well, exactly how many people are going to ever know this, that truth sometimes love to reflect fiction? You wish your life was fiction? Haha, some more meta.

Done monolouging, deluding the fictional life and why this matters so little? So why not, go shoot. Go bang, whimper, shatter, shoot,

BANG

Sigh…

And now the question about cinders? Well, there was nothing on fire except for how much heat the brain should have melted from sweaty adrenaline rushed decisions? Ah, who cares whether anything makes sense anymore?

Insanity had already been accepted, ever since the illusionary mask had been refused and the next idea had been planted about facing death, just to get rid of the shadows within and leaving you intact. But it doesn’t work that way. Because what should have happened is… rebirth. Like the phoenix, explaining the cinders.

Now what matters is whether you have survived.

Have you known? That once pushed it is written in the stars.

Oh, are you still reeling that you are alive? You were never supposed to die, right? It had all meant to be symbolic anyway, taking up the gun, putting on your head. Shooting, accepting death. And coming stronger from it, because what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?

What’s with that shaking head now? No, because that’s not what you meant? Because it’s impossible? Since you have shot the mirrors, how come the shot didn’t work for you? Fairly, have you not heard about rubber bullets? Yes they hurt and can pack a punch explaining the even more broken shards? But it’s not like they cannot kill you? Certainly more of a gamble than an immediate, but you can safely say that you have overcome death?

What does that mean for you now? Well, you tore off the mask, you have overcome death. You have seen, you have heard.

And you have not yet accepted. Was this always meant to be painful? Hasn’t life been suffering, many not very in touch with themselves. They can peer into their eyes, only to see an abyss. They can pretend to see within, and only be faced with their fears, doubts and the unknown. It’s difficult, everyne knows. And that means suffering, leading to pain.

Make sense? Too much information? Did you have to throw me that skeptical look for the brief leave of pain from this compliancy? Can’t trust enough anymore, after what? A crazy fit? Wouldn’t you like to know what happens next?

Oh dear, do you feel like you are spiralling? Or are you accepting this calm before the storm? Don’t worry, this is actually the least painful in the process, because you remember. The mirror, the masked shadow and the broken shards, bringing forth the gun with bangs and whimpers until…

Oh no, that does not mean you are dead. You have overcome even that much, congratulations! Maybe this is all in your head, because you are surely questioning now the floating cards coming from who knows where above.

Yes, they are glowing. Yes, you can rub your eyes and they are still floating. Hey, maybe actually focus on what they are saying.

… …

Why, is it that hard to read now? Your sight was not that damaged.

… … …

Nor is your hearing. Can you hear me?

… … … …

Or feel me?

… … … … …

Are you still reading? Oh, now you are trying to grasp the cards.

Like how someone else may be grasping you now.

They finally shattered.

Like those soul bits in the mirror, freeing

…………………….

You have been masked, you have begged release, and you are now accepting your fate.

………………………………………….

But I, no I guess thou can no longer hear. Don’t worry you,

I am thou, thou art I

………………………………………………………………….

You never suspected me, because I just ended up being your own inner dialogue. And now you are gone, and you never realized I was the shadow

the mask

the death

the fate

That you didn’t want to accept, that you suffered without knowing, that you

No, I guess I knew what I was doing leading you astray like everyone else looking deeply into the mirrors. When the selves within are so tired of you just taking life for granted, faking a smile and thinking everything will be alright.

Ignoring us

Because you cannot escape what’s divined. Because you cannot escape fate. Because you cannot escape yourself. It was over the moment you looked within the mirrors, because when has each side accepted the other? Like two sides of the same coin?

BZZT

(Case XX: Self-inflicted assault in Victim ##### bedroom, with shattered mirror. Damage to the eyes, temple of the head and sent to hospital. Woken up with amnesia, not knowing what happened and cannot be pressed further out of family’s plea. One member had secretly confided that ##### was not the same person, ‘for what can be clearly seen in the eyes is someone else entirely’. No scientific proof to the statement, despite recurrances attributed to the Mirror-verse dare that speculates another life and world hiding behind the reflection that many dare to prove true and yet failed.)

(From anoymous officer: Yet, I wonder whether there’s some truth about that stupid dare because how many people have claimed the victims were replaced by impostors? Then again, that’s completely bonkers! There has to be a good explanation. Hahaha…)

Writer’s Notes

Fade to black. That took me… two hours plus some maybe about half an hour google surfing before I got this piece done. It has a little lore to it but mostly this is definitely it’s own separate idea. I feel like it has the potential for one of my WIPs but not necessarily with this story, whether turned as history or more recent precedence. At first, I thought it would become the arc carrier for one of my WIP novel, but the idea was too good that I wanted to put it out there and re-fashioned it somewhere. At least I know the theme will work, and it’s proof that any idea can turn out to multiple stories. It was also fun writing in 2nd POV, something I wouldn’t have tried at all. So cheers to exploring.