Start your story with someone buying a cursed — or perhaps blessed —mirror from an antiques store.

Posted in Fantasy on Nov 17, 2023

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✍️ 74 stories

“Roswell Crowley Jr.. Part I” by A.J. Williams

Submitted to Contest #225

Meeting my own gaze proved to be a challenging task. The intensity of shame weighed heavily upon me. Shifting my focus away, I directed my attention to the background. The elderly storekeeper's antiquated bookcases housed an assortment of seemingly irrelevant items, characteristic of a bygone era. My gaze fixates on a bubble imperfection, an unmistakable sign of the mirror's advancing age."How much?" I rasp out, my voice roughened by the lingering smoke."For that old mirror? Twenty-five bucks. Hey, throw in something else, and I'll cut you a...

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“I’ll Learn How to Bark” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #225

The blind man and his collie sit passively, waiting for their flight to be called. Hans Gudeguest grins at the Swiss Air service agent as he pays for his ticket and checks his bags. In a little over eight hours, he’ll be back in his villa in Switzerland when his associates release sarin gas into the New York City subway system. He pauses at a souvenir shop, picking up an “I Love New York” cap. Checking out the fit in a mirror on the counter, he sees the blind man steal a glance at him. “You’re supposed to be blind, knucklehead,” the collie...

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“SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE” by Wade Douglas

Submitted to Contest #225

The Magisterium of science argues that the actions of the laws of physics have consequences. These consequences may be good or bad, resulting in blessings or curses. The Magisteria of magic and religion have similar beliefs, but often with different conclusions. Ultimately what we conclude is good or bad, a blessing or a curse, or even reality or illusion depends in large measure upon our Magisterium, our personal point of view, and how much cognitive dissonance we are willing to tolerate before choosing what we want to believ...

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“Do Not Touch It!” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #225

Do Not Touch It! It started off as an ordinary day. That would change. Just around lunch time a man walked into my Antiques Shoppe carrying a long oblong object surrounded by a very large blanket. His first words to me were the usual when someone comes into my shop and not to buy. “Do you pay a good price when you buy an antique?” There was such a seriousness in his asking, that I didn’t respond to him with my usual qualifier “Well, I pay a reasonable price – not anything too high.” Instead, I just said to him, “Yes, I do.&n...

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“The Curse of Uelda Rizzano” by Sam Blair

Submitted to Contest #225

“Oooh. That’s a lovely piece” said the eager salesman of a dilapidated antique store. We were looking at the upper portion of a large frame resting against a hutch. A few smaller frames were resting against the larger pieces. I moved the smaller pictures out of the way and retrieved a large, ornately designed frame. I turned the item around and saw that butcher paper was covering the picture. “Is this real wood” I asked. “Yes. It was made by craftsman who spent years learning how to work with their hands then p...

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“Tat tvam asi - you are it!!” by Nakul Puri

Submitted to Contest #225

Sabina looked closely at her newly capped front tooth in the mirror and smiled to see if it’s color matched the other teeth perfectly. Satisfied she picked up a book and sat on the armchair to read. Her mother had bought the mirror from chandni chawk market after the earlier one broke. The whole family had used the broken mirror for more than a month before she could go to the market for a new one. The broken mirror showed many images of Sabina’s face everytime she combed her hair in front of it. She focussed on the top piece image as it w...

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“Those Who Wander” by Marc Wilks

Submitted to Contest #225

Carol shifted her nearly full shopping basket to her left hand.Annoyed, she looked around for her husband, Glenn.“Figures,” she muttered under her breath. Carol reached out with her free hand and picked up an oval wood-framed mirror. A sun and moon were etched in silver at the top and bottom of the frame. A tree and a sailing ship were on the left and right. “This is beautiful,” she said. “I’m surprised no one has bought it.”“Bought what,” Glenn asked as he approached her from behind.“Where have you been,” Carol asked as she handed...

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“To Infinity and Beyond” by Vesta Bartholomew

Submitted to Contest #225

Bella strutted down picturesque Warren Street, lined with its original 19th century architecture, with long strides in her killer over -the- thigh black boots. A brisk autumn wind ruffled her shoulder length honey-colored hair in a way that attracted attention and reflected the waning afternoon sunlight. Her short black dress was only adorned with a gold belt. Her entire ensemble was put together by an on-line company who shipped outfits based on her surveys. Likewise, her makeup was applied se...

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“Old Things Made New Again” by David O'Mahony

Submitted to Contest #225

Ben’s hair was a mess. Blown about by the gale and four weeks overdue a good trim, it looked like an abandoned bird’s nest. Where had all the grey come from? Christ above, he said to himself, running his fingers through it. When did you get old? “Help you with anything sir?” Ben jumped. At his elbow was a small man with a sun-bronzed face and a half smile dancing around his lips. Stooped by age, his scalp was blotched and scarred from being out in all weathers. With trousers and forest green waistcoat, he looked exactly the kind of man ...

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“Imbalance: The Price of Vanity” by Denese Wright

Submitted to Contest #225

Caroline suggests the unthinkable, knowing O’Carey would rather sell a kidney. Regrettably there is a foreclosure notice on the bedside table, and they have nowhere else to go except out into the desert to reminisce on former days of financial glory living high off the hog in Phoenix. O’Carey rubs his face remembering the promise he made to himself to never sell his valuable coins, but Caroline doesn’t appreciate any coin unless it is one she can spend. He sighs, “It won’t change anything…then what?” he asks. Caroline rubs his back. It’s a h...

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“Whispers of Reflection: The Legend Tale of Silas” by Stephanie Renee Love

Submitted to Contest #225

Once, in the quiet recesses of an ancient town, nestled between forgotten cobblestone streets and shadows steeped in history, lived a person whose name echoed in the whispers of despair. This downtrodden soul, known to many as Silas, had weathered storms that had left him weary as if the weight of the world had settled upon his shoulders.One fateful day, an unexpected and enigmatic benefactor graced Silas with a small but significant fortune, a shimmering glimmer in the darkness of his existence. Silas stood, dumbfounded and heartened, stari...

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“Inner beauty” by Mara Rouge

Submitted to Contest #225

For the Memorial Day long weekend, Vera visited Amy, her friend in Stowe, Vermont. Her trip was planned at the last minute, but both had been wanting to see each other for quite some time. She thought, with their busy schedules, that this might have been the best time for it to happen. Vera and Amy had met in college in Boston. After graduating from Emerson, Vera stayed in town and found a job working for a local TV station. Amy, on the other hand, went back home to Vermont, to care for her aging and ailing parents while looking for a job t...

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“The Eye Of The Beholder” by Richard D

Submitted to Contest #225

The Eye Of The Beholder. John stopped in his tracks. “You guys go on. I’ll catch up” he called to his friends as they walked ahead. He held his breath and stared. He had never seen anything like it. His pupils dilated, eyes widening as his jaw dropped open, transfixed. “Hey buddy" John felt a hand on his shoulder. "Come on man, we gotta get going!" John blinked and shook his head briefly, before turning to see his friend, Patrick, staring at him. "Are you ok?" "Yeah, I'm... I'm fine" "Are you sure, cos you kind of zo...

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“The Reflection in the Closet” by Oscar Lozano

Submitted to Contest #225

All I remember of the mirror was my reflection reaching out and choking me in Mickey and Rosalind’s antiques store before I woke up in the hospital. I closed my eyes and thought back to what happened. I saw Rosalind scrubbing the window, suds running down their leg. Some homophobes had vandalized the store again. I helped them finish cleaning, and Mickey came out, thanked me, and asked if I wanted to look inside. I accepted and soon found something that interested me. It was a Victorian mirror, its frame like black whisps of smoke curling ou...

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“The Gilded Mirror” by Del Gibson

Submitted to Contest #225

The Gilded Mirror by Del Gibson It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon, until we enter the antique store. An icy cold settles around us as the door seals us in. Outside the front windows, the sky darkens as a black ominous cloud unexpectedly hides the sun away. It unsettles me for some reason. The store smells of old people, mothballs, and musky furniture. It’s a relatively smaller building compared to the other two antique stores we’ve just perused. After about ten minutes of searching, I spot the item I want – a gilded mirror for our bedroom. ...

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Start your story with someone buying a cursed — or perhaps blessed —mirror from an antiques store.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 74 stories

“Roswell Crowley Jr.. Part I” by A.J. Williams

“I’ll Learn How to Bark” by Michael Jefferson

“SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE” by Wade Douglas

“Do Not Touch It!” by John Steckley

“The Curse of Uelda Rizzano” by Sam Blair

“Tat tvam asi - you are it!!” by Nakul Puri

“Those Who Wander” by Marc Wilks

“To Infinity and Beyond” by Vesta Bartholomew

“Old Things Made New Again” by David O'Mahony

“Imbalance: The Price of Vanity” by Denese Wright

“Whispers of Reflection: The Legend Tale of Silas” by Stephanie Renee Love

“Inner beauty” by Mara Rouge

“The Eye Of The Beholder” by Richard D

“The Reflection in the Closet” by Oscar Lozano

“The Gilded Mirror” by Del Gibson

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone trying to paint (or otherwise create) a self-portrait.

Write a story about someone coming across their doppelganger.

Write a story about a character who one day notices that their reflection has taken on a life of its own.

Set your story in a house of mirrors and make the atmosphere increasingly eerie.

Contest #225

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

106

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: