All the Lovely Creatures
Page 12
A Girl and Her Mirror
By Mark Mackey
The night was dark, the wind cold. Despite his having a sinking feeling he would die within an hour, he did it. With his being a former employee of the house doubling as an antique shop, fired that morning, he assumed it would be easy to get in without the alarm going off. This was his mistake. Setting foot into the shop, he saw her, the woman he had seen countless times in the mirror his boss informed him was cursed. Burning red eyes like dots, her brilliant radiance causing him to squint. In his mind, she was a demon, a creature.
And then he screamed.
In Mary Catherine Yearson’s mind, he had given him little choice but to do as such. With the woman, her latest descendant, running the store asleep up in the bedroom, she was afraid he might harm her. She couldn’t have that.
And so, in her panicked state, she emerged from her mirror, in order to send him to one of the worst, most nightmarish places ever. The below zero, icy cold demon world inhabiting her mirror.
****
“It’s not like I’m about to depart off the face of the Earth Sharon,” my cousin Julie Argyles, and practically best friend said to me. The two of us were standing on the porch of the enormous sized mansion, embracing each other. I am Sharon Elsters’, eighteen. Like my two seventeen year old sisters Angela and Bridget, I’m a natural witch. At the moment they stood on either side of me in observance of this whole heartfelt goodbye taking place. As is Julie, she just hasn’t come into her full powers yet, thanks to her Mom wanting to take things slow with that. Now you may find yourself asking, why I don’t have a stronger relationship with my two sisters like I do with Julie? It’s simple, Angela and Bridget have taken to bonding together just like my cousin and I have.
“Yeah, but it just won’t be the same without you, Aunt Katharine, and Uncle Fred continuing to reside here in Darkwood.” I said. Feeling the first tears starting to develop in my eyes.
“Well, my parents are probably getting impatient waiting for me. You think you’re going to be all right
Sharon?” Julie asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry Julie,” Angela and I will make sure she’s okay,” said Bridget.
Watching Julie turn and start heading toward the waiting vehicle, the sadness already within me grew significantly.
“I have to get the heck out of here,” I said, watching my cousin, Aunt and Uncle drive off.
“Uh-uh, you’re upset. There’s no telling what you might do, being the most powerful witch among the three of us Sharon,” Angela replied.
“She’s right Sharon, Angela and I are going with you,” Bridget said.
Downtown Darkwood was so close, there wasn’t a need to drive. As Angela, Bridget, and I slowly headed down Sotens street, heavily dominated by businesses and stores, I couldn’t help but feel, well there was something in one of these stores just waiting for me to find and buy.
No, you’re just upset Julie’s gone on her way to live in Blue Winter, and want to appease it by buying yourself some materialistic object. What I didn’t expect the second I pushed this from my mind, was having it invaded by a hollow sounding voice.
“Buy me.” It whispered into my mind, taunting me.
“What’s wrong Sharon?” Bridget asked, seeing the slight, nervous look I had on my face.
“You’re not going to believe this Angela and Bridget, but I could have sworn I just heard a voice enter my mind telling me to go buy it.” I replied.
“Now, that’s strange,” Bridget said. “Hey, you don't think another witch may now be living here?”
“I’m not a witch,” it answered in the same, hollow voice.
“Tell me who you are, and where can I find you?”
“I’m in the antique shop just up ahead Sharon.”
“Whoever it is, knows my name and says he or she is in the old antique shop up ahead,” I said, feeling curiosity start to build over wanting to know who or what this was.
“Come on, let’s go see who it is.”