The Two Sided Mirror

Written for the prompt: A mysterious letter is delivered to your character’s home. It’s not addressed to them but they can’t resist peeking.

I laid my head on the armrest of my couch, feeling my neck pop. The house was quiet other than the sound of Spongebob playing on my TV. My daughter, Layla, played with her toy blocks on the floor. She giggled and watched as Patrick slammed his phone down on the receiver.

I was lost in the picturesque idea that was displayed in front of me when the doorbell rang.

I gripped my thighs and pushed myself off of my soft brown couch. My bare feet wiggled in the carpet before moving towards the front door.

I glanced out of the peephole and saw nothing. I opened the door, only to be greeted with an empty hallway. I glanced down and saw a pristine letter, sitting on my doormat. I grabbed it and closed my door, snapping the lock closed. I knelt down next to Layla and ran my hand over her back. She smiled up at me, only having a single tooth in her smile. She stuck her big lego in her mouth, continuing to state at me. I laughed and took the Lego out of her mouth. 

I glanced at the letter to see a wax seal on the back. It was ornate in design and I studied it closely. It felt like every shift in the lines of the flowers meant something. The lilies were captivating. I shook my head quickly and refocused my mind on the greater picture. 

I flipped the letter over in my hands and narrowed my eyes. This letter was addressed to Layla Anderson. I glanced at my young daughter, who was still focused on Spongebob laughing. The window directly opposite Layla and I, was open, which I didn’t remember doing. I stood up and closed the window, swiftly. The backyard was bathed in moonlight. This scene was beautiful. 

Suddenly, Layla was crying. I spun around and dropped next to her. She was fine just a second ago. 

She was gripping the letter in her left hand, and she had ripped it slightly. I took it from her and mulled it over for a second before opening the letter. The sound of Layla’s crying faded into the background. The letter said, “You’re not who you think you are.” 

Layla isn’t who she thinks she is? Or I’m not who I think I am? My head spun with questions. I ran back to the front door and threw it open, hoping to find someone to answer my questions, only to come back with more questions. There was a new letter on the ground. It sported the same wax seal. Layla’s name on the front taunted me and I ripped it open.

“Be wary.”

“Be wary? Be wary of what?!” I slammed the front door closed, and followed the crying back into the living room. Layla was gone.

I stood still for a second, computing the fact that my daughter was gone. The chill from the open window opposite me caused goosebumps on my arms. The crying was coming from this room. Where is she now? 

Crying filled my head again. It felt like it was coming from every direction. I covered my ears with my hands and ran to Layla’s room.

There she was, in her pink crib, sleeping soundly. As soon as I laid eyes on her, the crying stopped. The house was still. It was so still that I could hear my blood pumping.

TAP TAP TAP

I spun around to look at the nursery window. A nightmarish creature stared back at me, rapping its fingers on the glass.

Fear wracked my body. I was frozen. The figure took its long nails and pushed them under the window. It pulled up on the free pane and slowly pulled the window open. I screamed, grabbing Layla and dashing out of the room.

My phone. My phone is in the kitchen. I need it. I raced to the kitchen and picked up my phone. 911 rang and rang for what felt like a year. 

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“There’s someone in my house!” I screeched my story at this woman.

“The police are on their way, ma’am. Can I get your name?”

“Janine Sanderson. Janine Sanderson! My daughter, Layla, she’s here too, so stop asking stupid questions and make the police go faster!”

“Your daughter is Layla Sanderson?”

“Yes! Are you stupid?” A long pause came.

“The police are almost there, Mrs. Janine.

“Good!” I paced around my kitchen but the nightmare creature never came. Only the police.

“You’re Janine Sanderson?” The bigger of the two policemen asked.

“Yes! Come in, it’s in the nursery!” The cops searched the nursery from top to bottom but found no trace of the creature. They returned to me outside. 

“I’m so sorry, Miss Sanderson. There’s no one in the nursery.”

“You have to check again, it’s there!” The cops looked at each other.

“Miss Sanderson, have you had any kind of medication tonight?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Only my prescription pain medication.” The bigger cop took his handcuffs off of his belt.

“Miss Sanderson, you have a warrant out for your arrest.” He begins to read me my rights and the smaller cop reaches for Layla. I scream and start walking backward.

“Don’t touch me or my baby!” I screech. I feel my foot catch on something, I begin to fall backward and everything goes black.`

…

The smaller cop held the child.

“Fuck… what a crazy bitch.” The bigger cop snorted and nodded. “You saw the empty pill bottles all over the floor?”

“No kidding.” He paused. “The ambulance is on its way. Her head’s bleeding a lot.” 

“Officer! Officer!” A young woman ran over to the cops. Her skin was dark, and even darker under her eyes, where her lack of sleep was evident. Her eyes held a glimmer of hope, looking at the young girl. Her long nails clicked together. 

Ahh.. Mrs. Anderson. You’ll be glad to hear that we caught Janine Sanderson.” The young woman looked hopeful. 

“You found my Layla?” The officer nodded and handed Layla black to the young mother. Tears poured down her face. 

“I told you we would find her, Emma.” Emma Anderson could not hold back her tears.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, my baby.”

The bigger officer trotted around the Sanderson house. Empty pill bottles littered every spot in the house. The black couch was orange. The kitchen cupboards were orange. There was even a little tower of them, covered in slobber, in front of the TV where Rick and Morty played on Adult Swim.

Otherwise, the house was peaceful. Everything was back where it should be.