Soul Mate Anthologies

Reflection

If someone had told her that one day she'd find herself staring at her own reflection with amazement for hours on end, Lynette would have knocked them on their head.

She wouldn't have realised it, had she not glanced at the reflection of the wall clock. The moment she noticed it, she immediately turned to note the time and let out a startled gasp.
Two hours!

At her age, no one would bother to look at themselves. "Aunt Lynette, you look as young as ever", her nieces and their kids would exclaim, their words an attempt to soothe her old aching heart. Not that it always worked, it just didn't let her fall into the deep pit of despair that usually came with age.

Lynette let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, slowly opening them as she turned back to the mirror. The face that stared back at her seemed to like the attention, eyes gleaming with joy.
She had  been told that her eyes shined bright with mirth, the stories hidden behind it, beckoning someone to crush the walls holding it back. She could see it, yet couldn't at the same time.

Why had she been staring at a reflection, hers no less, for such a long time? It was on impulse, she mused, why bother looking at this old face when there's so much to do before her body gives in to the grave. Such is the morbid truth of life after all. There will be a time when she shall no longer be able to give in to her guilty pleasures, might as well live life to its fullest.

As she had been staring at her face, she could see it morph into its glorious youth. Her pale skin, soft plump cheeks and still bright eyes stared back at her. She could see the face belonging to the little girl she once was, running around the colossal Oak tree in her mother's garden, her father dearest, giving her chase. She stretched out her hand to grab that lithe girl, to hold her still and tell her, "Enjoy this while you can, before dust is all that is left of papa.". Alas, it was but a nostalgic vision, one the mirror alone can do nothing about.

Her memories were her jewels, just as precious as those moments under the Oak tree. Just like her life changed overnight back then, so did her mood. For now her reflection reminded her of all that she had lost. The face staring back at her no longer reflected the innocence of youth, but rather, a well aged woman, well in her prime. That face yearned for more, more from life, more from others and more importantly, more from herself.

Lynette snorted at that pitiful face. How pathetic! The face sneered at her as she drew a step closer, her fingers reaching out. Her fingers closed into a fist as they struck the glass.

With a hiss, she withdrew her hand after striking that tangible surface. Her eyes slowly filling with tears. She looked back at that face. The face that slowly evolved to match her melancholic one.

As she stared, she noticed tears slowly drifting down her cheeks. Her face gave a small sorrowful smile. She, the Lynette behind the mirror, was lonely. Lonely until she met him.

Oh how her smile grew at his appearance! She forgot how it felt, that thrill, that excitement! He was the  light of her life, and here, as she stared at the memories before her, she could clearly see it.

"My, my, Lyn! I'd rather have no one else but you." How those words still sent a shiver down her spine. She turned towards the source, opened her mouth to say, "Always yours", but was met with the stillness and silence of the room.

Letting out a choked laugh, she hit her head. "Silly old woman, talking to the whispering walls now, am I?".

She had an inkling about what's going on. These kind of things didn't happen right out of the blue. So when she paused and looked at the time, she brought out a chair, to sit in front of the object of her interests, her own little portal. Her precious rustic mirror.

However, before her mind could visualise another memory onto the clear screen, she decided to glance at herself. Her real reflection.

She touched her face as she noticed the lines across her pale visage, her skin wrinkled and folded in. Yet, in that moment, her face held a firm, somewhat grim expression. Ready to face what came next head on. She didn't know how she felt about that. Was that how she looked? A closer look didn't make it obsolete, rather, just confirmed that was how she is.
With a huge sigh, she closed her eyes. Contemplating what she's achieved and done so far. How she missed her husband dearest and children who are far away.

Opening her eyes, she looked ahead. "Show me," she pleaded, "show me what it was like when I was truly alive!".

Indeed she was shown those times she loved best, back when she was in her youth. She would be dancing the night away with her beloved. Oh how wonderful were those days, free from worry and carefree about the future.
How her heart aches for it.

As she looked on, she could see the day she realised that she's carried another life within her. Her husband, bless his soul, was thrilled to be a daddy, but also terrified of failing them like theirs had.

Terrifying back then but now, as she fondly recalled those memories, they seem much more...calming. Now she knows that they hadn't failed as parents, seeing their children all grown up with their own kids. Now she felt proud of that man she wed and of herself.

She stared into the eyes reflected by the mirror, wanting to witness every time she managed to get out of a sticky situation.

That time she thought running away from her problems would help, until it didn't. How her mama, with tears in her eyes tried to make her understand that life isn't always fair. That despite it all, there will be a time when life will let you find solace in all that it has to offer.

For all the time she spent looking at the mirror, be it with joy, sadness or rage, what she saw next left her staring at her own reflection with surprise. It should have been her own face staring right back at her, however, it was different. For now, her face looked so much like her mother's did back then.

Covering her mouth as she let out a sob, her free hand trembled as she made to clutch at her chest.

Ah, her mind supplied, as she pieced together what was happening. It finally made sense to her.
With a half cry, half laugh, she succumbed to sleep. Death courteous to her in her final moments, letting her life flash before her one last time.

Through her own lens, from life to eternal rest.