Reflection

Reflection Klaudia Karbowiak

The clock was ticking restlessly. It didn’t let me close an eye for over two hours. I was exhausted after today, yet I couldn’t sleep. ‘How silly.’ I thought. Tick-tock, tick-tock. The clock never stopped. I had to distract myself somehow from the endless sound and that’s when I realised how really thirsty was I. I slipped on my dressing gown and slid my legs into the slippers. I tiptoed towards the door, making less sound than a mouse. I found myself in a long corridor with door on both sides. ‘How am I going to find a way to the kitchen if I only lived here for less than a day?’ I realised in my head. The house was new. Well, to me at least. In reality it was hundreds of years old and it was the remains of the mighty castle. That is all I knew about it from my mother. “You always wanted to live in a castle Elizabeth, So castle you get. It might not look pretty and might be old but after a makeover you will feel like a real queen.”- My mother would say. And now here I stand in a place that I wished to have, searching for kitchen to satisfy my thirst. I chose to go to the very first door I saw. It was ebony with a golden handle. I thought that the door might be closed like many other in here but I can’t hide that I was surprised when it squeaked as I pushed it open. I peeked inside. It was pitch black in there. I searched for the switch. I was ninety percent sure that it won’t be there but I was surprised again when I was blasted by the light from the crystal chandelier. I felt like someone was staring at me. I took a look around. ‘There! There! I swear I saw somebody’s face! It was in that mirror!’ I was dreaded. ‘No, no. Don’t be silly. You must have had imagined it. You are exhausted and thirsty after all.’, I calmed myself down. Then I saw it again. A boy of about my age- sixteen- with russet skin and bark brown eyes. He had shoulder long neatly brushed hair. They were chocolate brown and silky. He had the most perfect smile I ever saw or could have imagined. It was blazing. Hypnotizing. I felt into some sort of trans- I

felt like all I ever need to do in my life is to stare at his smile. He was perfect- an angel. We stared at each other like that for a minute- which seemed to last forever. “Hello.” I drowned in his deep voice. It was so warm. I forgot about everything that’s bad on this world. It was some sort of magic. My sight seemed to change and my sense of hearing too… Was I the same Liz- in the same world? I’ve never realised that everything is so colourful and beautiful. “H-hi.” I answered finally- afraid that the boy will get inpatient and varnish from my sight. “W-who a-are you?” I whispered faintly. “I’m just a reflection.” He smiled- hypnotizing me. “I’m your guardian angel and my name is Gabriel.” Now I was hundred percent sure that I was dreaming. It was hard to say whether it was a nightmare or a beautiful dream. ‘I will have to dream for longer to judge.’ I thought. I didn’t know how was it happening but I felt courage building up inside my chest. “Am I dreaming?” I asked, not stammering this time. “No beautiful Elizabeth, it’s not a dream.” He looked at me smiling. He smiled so warmly. I was delighted to watch. “Can you prove it?” I asked, even though I didn’t want him to prove it because if it was a dream I would surely wake up. “Yes. Well in a way. You’ve got to find out by yourself but I know how.” He answered, gleaming inside the mirror. “How?” I asked, looking deep into his eyes. “Just pinch yourself and you won’t wake up or start wanting to wake up and you also won’t wake up.” He looked at me as if I were a bit silly. I did as he told, I pinched myself but nothing happened. I pinched harder, still nothing. “Start wanting to wake up.” He said slightly amused. “I don’t want to wake up though.” For some reason a single tear escaped from my eye. “I believe you that it’s not a dream.” I whispered. “Why are you crying?” His face saddened instantly. It was still beautiful but painful to watch. This expression made me want to do something amusing, just for him. “I’m not crying.” I answered as happily as I could. Did I really looked unhappy? Of course I did, after seeing him being upset. “You want this to be for real don’t you?” He asked as if he knew it. I nodded, not taking my eyes of his perfection. “Why?” He asked curiously. “When I saw you everything started looking different… so beautiful. Now I don’t want it to end. I don’t want YOU to varnish…

I… love you.” I said and came closer to the mirror. I stopped about ten inches away from it. “I love you too. Always had, always will.” He sang the words in his deep, warm voice. His bark brown eyes shone in the moonlight. I came even closer. I reached for him with my hand but rather than felling his warm skin I felt the cold surface of the mirror- I forgot that he is a reflection. It was a great disappointment. I pulled my hand back. His hand was still reaching towards me. How I wished I could touch him- just to check if such beauty exists. How I wished he wasn’t just a reflection. I wished I could reach for him… Tears dripped uncontrollably from my eyes. I wasn’t used to such pain. I just met a boy that I love but I can’t feel anything but coldness of the glass that he is reflected in. He is so close that I can reach him- barley few inches away- yet he is so unreachable. “Don’t cry. I’m here with you. Don’t cry.” He looked so pained. “I can’t stop though.’ I sobbed pitifully. “I wish I could touch you… feel that you are there and that you won’t burst like a soap bubble.” I sobbed less this time. “It’s possible to do my love.” He smiled. I calmed down instantly and looked straight in to his bark brown eyes. “Your mother is planning to get rid of this enchanted mirror- of my mirror. She will give it away to the scrap yard where it will be shattered into millions of pieces. If you persuade her not to do it God will reward you. God will reward our love but if you won’t manage to do it then you shall not see me again until we meet in heaven.” He sang. “That sounds fairly easy.” I answered confidently. “It’s not though. Don’t underestimate your mother.” He answered looking really serious. New wave of pain gave me goose bumps. He will vanish from my life if his mirror gets shattered? And my mum wants to kill all the beauty, my love that lives in it? How cruel the world can get? I can’t feel him. I can’t do anything that other girls can with their boyfriends: kiss, hug, hold hands or get married in future and many other things. And yet as if that’s not painful enough, my mother wants to get rid of boy that swapped the love tokens with me, a boy that made me see the world clearly. How painful? How painful!? “I think you were out of bed because you were thirsty?” He asked and I looked up to him and nodded. “Well, I promise that you will find something to drink in your bedroom.” He smiled. He looked triumphant somehow. “Now go. You’ll find the way easily my love.” He sang in his deep warm voice and I sank in it’s melody. I did as he told. There’s no way to disobey HIS commands. I found my bedroom easily, just as he’d have told me. I switched the lights on and found a glass of water on the wooden dresser. I sipped the water and even though it was just water, it

spread in my mouth like a sweetest wine and it satisfied my thirst immediately (usually it would take three glasses of water for me to be content). I went to sleep and dreamed of a russet skinned boy with bark brown warm eyes and with hypnotizing voice like liquid honey combined with melting chocolate. The next morning was beautiful. I was waken up by cheerful chirping of a nightingale. I sat up and stretched. I could smell the breakfast being made. It smelled of eggs, beacon and toasts. My mouth started watering. “Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” I heard my mum shout and then I heard the door open. “Elizabeth! Breakfast is ready. Your teacher will come later this afternoon and I want to get the room with that big mirror cleaned up before she comes.” I was going to be educated at home because school was too far away from here. I only hoped that the teacher I’ll have will be nice. .………………………….. COPYRIGHTED BY ME!!! Sorry that everything happens so fast . It’s just a draft. I don’t have time to finish it now because I’m currently working on something else- “Sunrise” Again sorry that everything is happening in a great rush.