Mirror // Van McCann

Prologue

I finally opened the door I hadn't touched in years. I poked my head through only to find the room empty. The room smelled musty; the window hadn't been opened in a long time. I walked up to the window, pulled the curtains back, and opened it to let fresh air in. Sunlight flooded the room, illuminating the dusty antique furniture that filled the room.

I carefully stepped over the random items covering the floor and made my way towards a tall piece of furniture covered by a white bed sheet. I grabbed a fistful of the fabric and pulled it off to reveal a mirror that was shattered. My fingers lightly brushed the intricate gold design and the memories came back. I had to take a moment to compose myself.

Once I calmed down, I picked at a piece of glass that stuck out like a sore thumb. The piece of glass broke off, falling to the ground with the other pieces. I knelt down and carefully picked up the biggest piece I could find.

The piece of glass was shaped like a lopsided triangle but the edges were broken clean. I held the piece of glass in front of the mirror trying to decide where it fit like a puzzle. There was a gap at the bottom of the mirror that matched the shape I was holding. I slid the piece in place and it fit perfectly. Excitement sparked inside me and I searched for another piece to put in. Some pieces were easy to put back. Others took a lot of thinking and rearranging to make them fit.

I would come back every day to piece the mirror back together bit by bit. Some days I had hours to spend; other days, I only had an hour. I worked meticulously and methodically. Finally, a month had passed by before I only had one piece to put back but this last piece was not a piece that could be found on the floor. It was a piece that I had personally kept as a reminder.

I could feel the weight of it in my pocket. I reached in and pulled it out, carefully flipping it over and over again in my hands. I was nervous; my hands were sweaty and shaky. It took a while to gather the courage to put the last piece in but I finally did it. The mirror was complete!

I was expecting something magical to happen but nothing happened to my disappointment. My month-long project didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I glanced at the mirror and saw my reflection frowning back. Why didn't it work?

I stood there waiting. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I gave up. I was frustrated and angry. Angry at the mirror and angry at myself. What was I even thinking?

It took every ounce of energy to stop myself from breaking the mirror again. To prevent myself from thinking about it too much, I quickly covered the mirror with the bed sheet and walked away. I slammed the door behind me, wishing there was a way to lock the door from the inside so I couldn't enter the room anymore. I sighed and let go of the doorknob.

It's time to let go. I need to move on.

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Hello, thanks for reading! This prologue probably makes no sense but it hopefully will over the next few chapters. I hope you enjoy reading this story and find the concept interesting. It's definitely different from your typical story and I hope you read it with an open mind.

It's about death and grief, something we all have to deal with but don't like talking about. I wrote this with the intention of you getting something out of it so I hope you find it meaningful and touching. Please comment and vote! I want to hear your thoughts and feedback. :)

Also, this is just an FYI that it will take several chapters before Van appears. I have to build the story up but he will show up, I promise! I will try my best to keep the story interesting to hold you off until then, but waiting for him to appear is part of the fun and mystery. The best way to approach this story is to first find out what secrets Ryan and his family are hiding and then once you find Van, you're in!

25-Oct-2019