Japanese Urban Legends

Purple Mirror

This Japanese urban legend is about a curse phrase. It is said that you remember the story behind the phrase by the time you are 20 years old, you are destined to die on your birthday. Remembering the phrase does not affect people who are over 20, but only the people below the age.

And what is the phrase?"Purple Mirror."

It doesn't seem like a lot, and it doesn't seem creepy at all, either. But the reason that this phrase is supposedly cursed is the story that goes along with it. Here is the story of a girl and her purple mirror:

Years ago, there was a Japanese girl who was extremely vain and spent all of her time staring at her reflection in a mirror. She was always obsessed with her looks and had a narcissistic personality, but there was another reason she'd always look deep into the mirror. It had been given to her as a present by her mother, and she cherished it more than anything. In fact, the mirror was her most prized possession.

The girl was so desperate to be beautiful that she soon developed anorexia, starving herself to the point where she was painfully thin. As time went on, her health became worse and worse, but no matter how pale and gaunt she looked, the mirror made her feel beautiful. Whenever she looked into her favorite mirror, her reflection would reveal her as a gorgeous and stunning girl.

One day, she wanted to decorate her mirror, so she painted it purple. Afterwards, she looked into the glass yet again to see her beauty. But this time, she was instead disgusted by her appearance. The mirror no longer revealed herself as a pretty girl. Instead, she saw what she really looked like: a pale, thin, and haggard mess with bones protruding through her leathery skin. Horrified, she threw the mirror onto the floor, smashing it to pieces. Later on, she deeply regretted what she did.

On her 20th birthday, the girl was in the middle of making preparations for her birthday party. She was now healthier, but would still constantly mention the mirror she broke as if it was all she thought of. Suddenly, while walking across the street, she was hit by a car. Her body flung to the ground and had fatal injuries. As she laid on the ground and bled to death, the last words she uttered shocked the crowd around her.

"Purple mirror... purple mirror... purple mirror..."

She then died, leaving everyone in wonder of why she was talking about her beloved purple mirror seconds before death.

After her funeral, the girl's parents searched her room for the purple mirror, but couldn't find it anywhere. Meanwhile, rumors about the girl spread throughout Japan. Apparently, as soon as the funeral ended, some young people were found dead under mysterious circumstances. All of them died on their 20th birthday.

No causes of their deaths were ever found, but each case had something similar found. Scattered around all of their rooms were shards of purple glass. As the investigation of the deaths closed, the friends of the people who died admitted that they all heard of the "Purple Mirror" story and that the people who died knew of the story as well.

Ever since that day, the phrase "Purple Mirror" was said to be cursed, and it is believed that anybody who remembers this until their 20th birthday will die. It is said that you should try to get the concept out of your head as soon as possible, and not to remember the girl with the purple mirror.

Or else your 20th birthday may be your last.