Things in the Mirror by DJ Shaw Read Free Book Online

The lights suddenly went out, causing me to jump. There were no warning flickers, no big bang, no thunder or flashes of lightning; just one minute there was light and the next I was in complete darkness. I slowly made my way in the dark until my hand met the wall. Using it as my guide, I continued towards my bedroom. I really hated the dark. Being alone in it was even worse, but what really scared me about the dark were mirrors. When I was alone like that, I tried very hard to avoid mirrors at all costs. Only bad things happened when I looked in a mirror in the dark. Nobody ever believed me when I would tell them, but I knew first-hand how bad things could get.
    I made it to my bedroom and stupidly flicked the light switch, hoping against hope that it would turn on. I moved slowly through the room towards my night stand and my charging phone. Right before I reached my destination, I tripped over the sneakers that I had left lying in front of the bed. I landed hard on my hands and knees, pulling the phone down with me. I checked the charge, decided it would be enough and called my husband at work.
    “Hey, honey, I’m just wrapping things up here and then I’m heading home. Everything okay?” Terry asked by way of greeting.
    “Everything’s fine, but the stupid lights went out again. You know how much I hate being alone in the dark. How soon do you th ink you’ll be home?” I replied.
    He answered me with an Irish accent, “Faster than a will o’ the wisp tricks an unsuspecting human.”
    I laughed softly, which had been his intention, “Okay, then I’ll sit tight until you get home.” I heard him give a long suffering sigh as I pulled the phone away from my ear to hang up and he said, “You can always go down to the basement and check the breaker box yourself, dear.” The condescending tone could be heard before the phone was even placed back to my ear. “I know , but I’d rather wait until you get home to get it done,” I told him sheepishly. It always made me feel childish when Terry used that tone while talking to me about my fears of the dark and mirrors. Maybe they were but I didn’t have any good memories of either. Especially if they were combined.
    The rumors of our home being haunted certainly didn’t help matters. Strange incidents had been reported by former home owners and neighbors. Things like the lights going out for no reason. Terry didn’t believe in supernatural or paranormal anything, but I had done an in-depth search before we settled into the place. The only strange things to have happened since we moved in six months before were the lights. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Everything was brand new, from the breaker box all the way down to the wires. Terry had installed it all himself after the first incident.
    “Rissa? Are you there?” Terry’s voice, trying to get my attention, brought me out of my musings over the house and my childhood fears.
    “Yes, darling, I’m here. My mind just wandered a bit. I still want to know why this only happens when you’re not home,” I answered him. I sighed and, “I’ll let you go so you can get done and home.” Terry chuckled, “I’ll be home b efore you know it. I love you.”
    I sighed again ; “I love you, too. See you soon.” I hung up and stood.
    Returning to my musings, I recalled where my fear of mirrors stemmed from. When I was six or seven years old, my mom had a friend who we would visit once a week. This friend had a daughter who was only a few months older than me, so while mom was visiting, I would hang out with her daughter. They moved into an apartment complex with a strong history of being haunted, but I didn’t believe in things like that back then.
    One afternoon while my mother and I were visiting , I had to go to the bathroom. When I asked to use it, I was told to use the one downstairs, located under the staircase. I entered the bathroom, turned on the light and looked into the mirror.