reflection.”
“No!”
His eyes— my eyes—studied me hungrily, like a dog staring at a
meaty bone. His smile grew wider as I cried out my fear.
“I’ve been waiting here for you,” my reflection said, his eyes locked on
mine.
“No!” I repeated.
I turned away.
I knew I had to get away.
I started to run.
But I stopped short when I saw the faces in front of me. Distorted, unhappy
faces, dozens of them, fun house mirror faces, with enormous, drooping eyes, and
tiny mouths tight with sadness.
The faces seemed to hover just ahead of me. The gaping eyes staring at me,
the tiny mouths moving rapidly as if calling to me, warning me, telling me to
get away.
Who were these people, these faces?
Why were they inside the mirror with me?
Why did their distorted, twisted images reveal so much sadness, so much pain?
“No!”
I gasped as I thought I recognized two of the floating faces, their mouths
working furiously, their eyebrows rising wildly up and down.
Erin and Zack?
No.
That was impossible, wasn’t it?
I stared hard at them. Why were they talking so frantically? What were they
trying to tell me?
“Help me!” I called. But they didn’t seem to hear me.
The faces, dozens of them, bobbed and floated.
“Help me—please!”
And then I felt myself being spun around. I stared into the eyes of my
reflection as he gripped my shoulders and held me in place.
“You’re not leaving,” he told me. His quiet voice echoed through the clear
stillness, icicles scratching against glass.
I struggled to free myself, but his grip was strong.
“I’m the one to leave,” he told me. “I’ve been waiting so long. Ever since
you turned on the light. And now I’m going to step out from here and join the
others.”
“Others?” I cried.
“Your friends gave in easily,” he said. “They did not resist. The switch was
made. And now you and I will also make a switch.”
“No!” I screamed, and my cry seemed to echo through the icy cold for miles.
“Why are you so afraid?” he asked, turning me around, still gripping my
shoulders, bringing his face close to mine. “Are you so afraid of your other
side, Max?”
He stared at me intently. “That’s what I am, you know,” he said. “I am your
reflection. Your other side. Your cold side. Don’t be afraid of me. Your friends
were not afraid. They made the switch without much of a struggle. Now they are
inside the mirror. And their reflections…”
His voice trailed off. He didn’t have to finish his sentence. I knew what he
was saying.
Now I understood about Erin and Zack. Now I understood why they looked
different to me.
They were reversed. They were their own reflections.
And now I understood why they pushed me into the mirror, why they forced me
to disappear, too.
If I didn’t do something, I realized, my reflection would switch places with
me. My reflection would step into the attic. And I’d be trapped inside the
mirror forever, trapped forever with the sad, bobbing faces.
But what could I do?
Staring at myself, I decided to stall, to ask questions, to give myself a
little time to think.
“Whose mirror is it? Who built it?” I demanded.
He shrugged. “How should I know? I’m only your reflection, remember?”
“But how—”
“It’s time,” he said eagerly. “Don’t try to stall with foolish questions.
Time to make the switch. Time for you to become my reflection!”
24
I pulled away.
I started to run.
The sad, distorted faces hovered in front of me.
I shut my eyes and dodged away from them.
I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe.
My legs pumped. My arms flew out at my sides. It was so clear and bright, I
couldn’t tell if I was moving or not. My feet couldn’t feel a floor. There were
no walls, no ceiling. There was no air brushing my face as I ran.
But my fear kept me moving. Through the clear, cold, shimmering light.
He was behind me.
I couldn’t hear him.
He had no shadow.
But I
“No!”
His eyes— my eyes—studied me hungrily, like a dog staring at a
meaty bone. His smile grew wider as I cried out my fear.
“I’ve been waiting here for you,” my reflection said, his eyes locked on
mine.
“No!” I repeated.
I turned away.
I knew I had to get away.
I started to run.
But I stopped short when I saw the faces in front of me. Distorted, unhappy
faces, dozens of them, fun house mirror faces, with enormous, drooping eyes, and
tiny mouths tight with sadness.
The faces seemed to hover just ahead of me. The gaping eyes staring at me,
the tiny mouths moving rapidly as if calling to me, warning me, telling me to
get away.
Who were these people, these faces?
Why were they inside the mirror with me?
Why did their distorted, twisted images reveal so much sadness, so much pain?
“No!”
I gasped as I thought I recognized two of the floating faces, their mouths
working furiously, their eyebrows rising wildly up and down.
Erin and Zack?
No.
That was impossible, wasn’t it?
I stared hard at them. Why were they talking so frantically? What were they
trying to tell me?
“Help me!” I called. But they didn’t seem to hear me.
The faces, dozens of them, bobbed and floated.
“Help me—please!”
And then I felt myself being spun around. I stared into the eyes of my
reflection as he gripped my shoulders and held me in place.
“You’re not leaving,” he told me. His quiet voice echoed through the clear
stillness, icicles scratching against glass.
I struggled to free myself, but his grip was strong.
“I’m the one to leave,” he told me. “I’ve been waiting so long. Ever since
you turned on the light. And now I’m going to step out from here and join the
others.”
“Others?” I cried.
“Your friends gave in easily,” he said. “They did not resist. The switch was
made. And now you and I will also make a switch.”
“No!” I screamed, and my cry seemed to echo through the icy cold for miles.
“Why are you so afraid?” he asked, turning me around, still gripping my
shoulders, bringing his face close to mine. “Are you so afraid of your other
side, Max?”
He stared at me intently. “That’s what I am, you know,” he said. “I am your
reflection. Your other side. Your cold side. Don’t be afraid of me. Your friends
were not afraid. They made the switch without much of a struggle. Now they are
inside the mirror. And their reflections…”
His voice trailed off. He didn’t have to finish his sentence. I knew what he
was saying.
Now I understood about Erin and Zack. Now I understood why they looked
different to me.
They were reversed. They were their own reflections.
And now I understood why they pushed me into the mirror, why they forced me
to disappear, too.
If I didn’t do something, I realized, my reflection would switch places with
me. My reflection would step into the attic. And I’d be trapped inside the
mirror forever, trapped forever with the sad, bobbing faces.
But what could I do?
Staring at myself, I decided to stall, to ask questions, to give myself a
little time to think.
“Whose mirror is it? Who built it?” I demanded.
He shrugged. “How should I know? I’m only your reflection, remember?”
“But how—”
“It’s time,” he said eagerly. “Don’t try to stall with foolish questions.
Time to make the switch. Time for you to become my reflection!”
24
I pulled away.
I started to run.
The sad, distorted faces hovered in front of me.
I shut my eyes and dodged away from them.
I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe.
My legs pumped. My arms flew out at my sides. It was so clear and bright, I
couldn’t tell if I was moving or not. My feet couldn’t feel a floor. There were
no walls, no ceiling. There was no air brushing my face as I ran.
But my fear kept me moving. Through the clear, cold, shimmering light.
He was behind me.
I couldn’t hear him.
He had no shadow.
But I
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