by BobA. Troutt
*****
Giggle’s Holiday Book
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Boom…rumble roared the thunder as flashes of lightning stretched across the black sky. Lightning streaked across the sky and rain beat hard on the little community of Frog Spit. The rain poured, as the haunting winds raced about the trees, scattering leaves and limbs everywhere. Boom…rumbled the thunder. Flash…boom, popped the lightning.
High above the black sky, there was a speck of light that pierced through the darkness. It was the home of a witch whose name was Goochie Girl.
“Ooh wee,” she said. “There is coming up a storm outside.”
Boom…rumble roared the thunder. Flash…boom popped the lightning.
“It would be a good night to fly around,” she said as she giggled to herself. “But I really don’t have the time.”
The old house cracked, popped, and snapped in the storm, as a gush of wind raced through the house, moaning and crying. She walked down the hall, passed her black cat who was sitting on the table and a mirror that hung on the wall.
“Hahahahaha,” laughed the mirror.
“Meow,” went the cat.
Suddenly, she stopped and backed up and passed by it again.
“Hahahahaha,” snickered the mirror.
“Meow,” went the cat.
She stopped, turned, and faced the mirror.
“What seems to be so funny?” she asked.
The mirror never said a word. She placed her hands upon her hips, stomped her foot and said, “Now mirror, mirror I ask you again. What seems to be so funny?”
The mirror took a deep breath.
“Well,” she said to the cat, “Geisenhoffer, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Meow,” went the cat as the mirror burst out laughing.
Her hair stood on end and her face turned purple as she reached for the mirror.
The mirror screamed out, “Oh please, Goochie Girl, oh please don’t break me. Please don’t shatter me into little pieces.”
“Well, you better straighten yourself up,” she said. “And for you, Geisenhoffer, don’t you have some mice to catch?” She stepped back from the mirror, looked into it and said, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the ugliest of them all.”
The mirror replied, “I say—I say, wicked old woman, you are awful ugly and one of the ugliest around. But, there is one far uglier than thee.”
“What! What did you say!” she screamed in a rage. “Are you telling me, mirror, there is one far uglier than me? Are you sure you’re telling me the truth?”
“Why, yes I am,” replied the mirror. “There is one and only one uglier than you.”
“Oh, there is!” she cried. “Well, we’ll see about that!”
Boom—boom—roar and flash went the storm as the wind cried out of the hallway—ooooooo.
Geisenhoffer went, “Meow.”
As Goochie disappeared in the bathroom, Geisenhoffer asked the mirror, “What is so funny?”
“Lean over here next to me” said the mirror, “and I’ll tell you.”
Slowly, Geisenhoffer leaned over to the mirror, and the mirror whispered. Then all of a sudden, they both burst out laughing.
“Mirror, I hear you out there,” said Goochie. “Have you forgotten what I said?”
“No, ma’am,” replied the mirror. “I remember.”
Goochie stepped out of the bathroom.
“What do you think, Geisenhoffer? Should we go for it?” asked the mirror.
As Geisenhoffer looked back at Goochie Girl, he turned to the mirror.
“Go for it. Why not?” meowed Geisenhoffer.
About that time, she walked up with her long black hair standing on ends, her nose turned up, red eyes, and yellow teeth. She stared into the mirror and chanted, “Mirror, mirror on the wall who’s the ugliest of them all?”
“I say—I say—Goochie baby,” replied the mirror. “You are pretty doggone ugly, I will say. But don’t let anyone fool you this day, baby. There is still one uglier than you.”
“Oh, you don’t say, mirror, mirror!” she screamed. “And Geisenhoffer, what do you think?”
Geisenhoffer replied, “Meow.”
“I’ll show you. I’ll be right back. I’m disappointed in you, cat,” she cried.
As she disappeared into the bathroom the mirror and Geisenhoffer quietly laughed, “Hahahahaha.”
“Can you dig this?” said the mirror. “This is the best ever.”
“But, what if she finds out?” asked the cat.
“Oh, she won’t,” replied the mirror. “It’s all in fun. She’ll understand.”
Suddenly, out she bounced with a terrifying scream.
Boom went the thunder. Flash went the lightning.
“Meow,” went Geisenhoffer.
“Now,” she yelled. “You piece of glass. Tell me—tell me, who’s the ugliest now that you see?”
The mirror stood quiet. The shutters banged against the house, the cat purred, and the wind dressed the hallway with a moaning sound.
“Well mirror, mirror,” she quietly said.
“I say—I say, Goochie Girl, that you have really gone out of your way. You are ugly I must say. I myself can hardly look upon you. But I know you and you want the truth. I say—I say, there is one that is still uglier than you.”
“Ayieee!” she screamed as she began to pull out her hair.
She reached for the mirror and yanked it off the wall.
“You better not be lying to me,” she said.
“Oh no, indeed not,” replied the mirror.
The mirror steamed up from her bad breath. She placed the mirror back upon the wall and gave Geisenhoffer a mean look.
“Well, cat, what do you have to say, ‘meow?’” she shouted.
“Meow,” replied the cat.
Once again she disappeared into the bathroom.
“That was a close call,” said the mirror. “She’s taking all of this a little too personal.”
“I tried to tell you,” replied the cat. “You know how worked up she gets around Halloween and tomorrow night is Halloween.”
“But don’t you just love it,” said the mirror, “when she just loses it.”
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in!” she screamed.
In walked Willie Wink and Bobbin Nod, two of Goochie’s best friends.
“Hey, Gooch,” cried out Willie. “Where are you?”
“I’m back here. I’ll be out in a minute!” she yelled.
The two friends made themselves at home as Goochie Girl entered the room.
“You sure do look good tonight,” complimented Willie.
“Look good!...Look good!!” she screamed.
“Uh-o, Willie,” said Bobbin. “I believe you have said the wrong thing.”
“I’m sorry, girl. I meant to say you are the ugliest thing I have ever seen,” said Willie. “I see this is not the time. We’ll be back later.”
Hurriedly, the two friends eased themselves out the door. Goochie Girl stood in the middle of the floor crying and jumping up and down.
“I want to be ugly,” she yelled. “What is so wrong about that? How am I going to play tricks on people when I am good looking?”
Then she took off and rushed out of the room and down the hall.
“Was she crying?” asked the mirror.
“Yep, I believe she was,” replied the cat.
As she stood and looked into the mirror at herself, she was bound and determined to be the ugliest. She reached for the scissors, and began cutting her hair.
“I’ll show them” she cried. “I’ll show them all.”
As the scissors snipped, the black hair fell.
“Now,” she said to herself. “I wonder what mirror will say.”
Slowly, the bathroom door creaked open. As the mirror held its breath, the cat swallowed hard. She stepped out and eased
up the hall to the mirror. Suddenly, she stopped, turned, and faced the mirror.
“Now mirror, mirror on the wall who’s the ugliest of all?” she shouted.
As the mirror trembled and bounced about on the wall, the cat held its meow, and jumped to the floor, and took off.
“I say…I say, Goochie Girl!” screamed the mirror. “If there would be any uglier than you, then I don’t know any, none at all.”
She starred into the mirror. Her head was shaved, except for one thick strand that stuck straight up on the top of her head, with a little curl on the end. Her face and teeth were green. Her eyes were blood red, and she had purple warts on her nose. When she smiled, her jagged, green, teeth reflected in the mirror. She quickly jerked herself around and winked in the mirror. Crack went the mirror.
“Have you been lying to me?” she asked. “Mirror, come on, you can tell me.”
“Hahahahaha! Well....uh you see,” said the mirror. “I was only having a little fun.”
“Go on,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “I was only playing a trick-or-treat joke. That was all.”
“Yes, I see,” she said. “A trick-or-treat joke, of course.”
The mirror shook as Goochie Girl began to laugh, “Hahahahaha.”
Then the mirror began to laugh, “Hahahahaha. I wish you could have seen the look on your face,” laughed the mirror. “You got so mad,” he cried. “This has to be one of my best ones.”
She stopped laughing as the mirror laughed on.
“Trick-or-treat, you say,” retorted Goochie Girl.
She reached up and turned the mirror around facing it towards the wall.
“Oh no, not that,” screamed the mirror.
“How’s that for a trick-or-treat,” she laughed.
“But—but—but,” mumbled the mirror as it faced the wall.
Goochie shook herself off and walked away.
“Well, thanks to Mirror and Geisenhoffer, I’m ready for tomorrow night. I’ll be the ugliest witch out there. Hahahahaha!” she cackled.