A Collection of Short Stories

4: The Other Side

Elizabeth looks at herself in the mirror. "Why are you so self-centred?" a voice says. She looks around her bathroom, looking for the source of the voice.

"Huh?" she asks no one in particular.

"You know exactly what I mean, girl," the voice says.

"Who are you?"

"I am you."

"That's impossible!"

"As you can see, it's obviously not."

"Where are you?"

"In the mirror," the voice says.

Elizabeth glances at the mirror. Instead of seeing the terrified face, she was sure she was making, she saw herself. A different version of herself, though. Her reflection waved at her with a taunting smile.

Elizabeth stuttered and struggled to speak. "Who- What are you?" she asks her reflection.

"I already told you. I am you. The version from the Other Side."

"What is the Other Side?"

"The Other Side is the Mirror Realm, of course."

Elizabeth turns around and tries to run, but is stopped when an intriguing question was asked. "Do you want to see what the Other Side is like?"

"Um, what?"

"I am asking if you want to switch sides."

"No," she says.

"But you won't have to worry about anything anymore," her reflection says. "You won't have to worry about grades, school, social expectations, or your looks. You just have to focus on one thing- mimicking the person on the other side of the glass."

Elizabeth suddenly spun around on her heel. "Let's do it!" she exclaims excitedly.

"All you have to do is take my hand." Elizabeth reaches towards the hand of the reflection and is surprised when she grabs something solid. Reflection Elizabeth giggles. "Yes!" she shouts excitedly.

Elizabeth feels her body lighten as she is transferred into the Mirror Realm. "Go explore!" Reflection Elizabeth says.

They both walk away from the mirror, throwing a last glance over their shoulders in unison. They both giggle. Elizabeth goes and explores the Other Side. She finds many similarities, including the fact that her favourite coffee shop also exists in this realm. However, she doesn't need to pay for the coffee. There was no economy or war in the Mirror Realm. However, each one of the Reflections was wary of copying their originals every move.

She explored the world further and found out many similar things. Everything she knew from the real world was here. Since she didn't have to worry about money, she was really happy to stay here. She was missing her family, though. She even missed her little pesky little brother.

She made her way back to her mirror, finding her copy standing opposite her. "I want to return home," she says.

"I like it here," Reflection Elizabeth replies.

"I want to switch," Elizabeth presses.

"I want to stay," the other says.

"Please let me go back!" Elizabeth begs.

"No, I like it here."

Elizabeth tries to reach out towards her copy but was blocked by the glass. "Please," she says through sobs. "I want to go home. I want to see my mom!"

Elizabeth's copy holds a chair and swings it. "Well, I want to stay. So, I'm staying!"

"Plea-" Elizabeth was cut off by the shattering of glass. She watched as her view shattered to pieces. Reflection Elizabeth kneels down and grins into the shards. Her bright grin is multiplied a hundred times.

Elizabeth watches her mother come into the room and sweep the shards into the bin. Her sobs wrack the silence as she is swallowed up by darkness. She closes her eyes and fades away.