I recently lost my son and wife three months ago, so being on that note my life is lonely and depressing so I try to smile as much as I could, and make light of the smallest things. I took the moment of losing my family as a chance to improve my independence, though I still strain far from happiness most days, even when people ask I refuse to say I'm still mourning in my loses. Though the absence of my wife and child weighs sadness on my heart, my life hasn't changed all that much. I work from home so I almost never leave the house. I try to squeeze in a jog or two, and a quick visit to my therapist but always find an excuse to get out of it.
A while ago I was in my office, normally my son the age of six would come running in disturbing me with his cheerful over exaggerating facts on how awesome his soccer game was and that he scored a goal. me being busy I could never attend which crushed his heart. I would always scoop him up into a hug, holding him tight in my arms, explaining how proud of him I was. He would them try to convince me to go into the yard and kick the ball around and "show me his moves"The guilt of not being at his game always got the best of me and I would cave. If only I had known, I never would have missed a game.
I have this mirror that sits at the far end of my office, I normally don't take notice to it for its rather ordinary. Antique in its own way, but probably a knock off. I hated it, but my wife bought it for me for Christmas and I couldn't allow myself to part with it. One day while 3 hours deep working on my recent design on a skyscraper, I found myself focus constantly being drawn to the mirror. It struck me as unusual, for I'm almost always invested in my work, my attention hard to break. But for some reason it felt as if my head was forcefully being pulled into the direction of my mirror. Maybe it was an off day. Maybe I was overly tired, or riddled with grief I couldn't focus on work as I'd like. I stood up deciding that coffee could jog my attentiveness a bit. I turned one last time towards the mirror, that's when I saw it. Well not it, Him. There was a man standing there starring directly at me, smiling. When it was apparent I noticed him, he made no notion as to care. His skin was a pale unhealthy white. He had no facial hair, nor eyebrows for that matter. His eyes were a glossy black, and bulged out wide. His teeth were distorted, and brown with rot an decay. He wore a classy 80's tuxedo fitted perfectly to his body, finished with a top hat. I spun around quickly only to come to an empty corner. I shot my gaze back and forth thinking he had time to duck, or get behind something. I checked the whole house, all the windows all the doors but nothing, he was nowhere to be seen. Did I imagine it? was this a result of my grief? did my head play an image only to spit out another emotion rather than sadness? I shook it off and proceeded to make my coffee.
The whole event slipped my mind ten minutes later, and before I could even sit back down at mt desk, I drifted off. The coffee was no use. I awoke later that day laying on the kitchen floor, coffee and shattered glass everywhere. I checked my body to see if I had damaged anything, or hit my head. I felt fine. Suddenly my wife came hurling into my head. I pictured waking up early in the morning, quietly making my way to the kitchen to make her Eggs Benny. Her favorite breakfast dish. We would lay on the couch for hours just holding each other, not saying a word cause we didn't want to break the sounds of our in sync heartbeats. Her perfume filled my nostrils, the sweet smell of fine and lavender encased, taking her presence for granted. I never noticed how much I missed it. However being in my state of sorrow, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Suddenly from behind me, I heard the floor boards creak, I quickly shot around and there he was. The Taunting silhouette of the man filled my vision and the smile formed on his face. My blood ran cold. I knew this wasn't an illusion. I stood up quickly, but with the sudden surge of fear I stumbled back to the ground, hitting my head against the wood hard. Pain erupted behind my eyes, and my vision blurred. I Blinked hard, trying to make out silhouettes and shapes, when finally I noticed that this mans face was right in front of mine. His breath was like hot ice against my skin, and he smelt like pine and lavender. Instantly my wife jumped into my head, however it didn't take for fear to push her out. He pulled his face closer in to mine, his skin only inches away. My vision narrowed, and I could see my reflection glistening off his eyes like flawless emeralds. His lips crackling and dry caressed me ear, making me utter in disgust.
"Who are you?"
My voice shaky and labored. He chuckled and returned to face me once again.
"I....am....god..."
his voice was low, and distorted. He started to laugh hysterically, my ears screamed as his Hyena calls hissed in my ears.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"
His laugh grow louder and louder, and the louder it got, the higher the pitch got. It was all around me, circling me like animals and I was wounded prey. I began to scream in hopes of drowning out the shrill that had filed the room, when suddenly as quickly as it started, it all stopped. I opened my eyes, the mans face still inches away from mine, his smile wider than ever. Within the silence he spoke four words, and in one motion he swept across the room into my office. I couldn't see what he was doing but I didn't have to question it, he was climbing into the mirror.
I sold it the next day. As guilty as it made me feel, I knew I no longer wanted that in my house. Perhaps it was more antique than I anticipated, I don't know where my wife had gotten it, but I didn't want to know. Where ever it came from, hell spun from it and I wanted nothing to do with it.
Ever since I got rid of the mirror, I haven't seen this man, nor have I ever felt as if I was being watched. I carried on with my life. I started excising more, I even joined an online dating website. Its what my wife would have wanted, for me to move on. But as hard as I tried I still was never able to shake those four words that haunted me forever.
"I have your family."
