Who's the Ugliest of all

Who's the Ugliest of all?

Rooting through the piles of junk on the shelves, a glint caught Maria's eye. The 'antique' shop had been a disappointment so far, little more than the kind of bric-a-brac more suited to a car boot sale. She reached past the mismatched china and lifted out a small mirror in a beautifully carved wooden frame.

The mirror was being held by two stunning female figures, naked but with their modesty preserved by their long hair, which tumbled down almost to their knees. The base of the frame was a male figure,visible only from the waist up. The weight of the frame was supported by his upraised hands and his muscles stood out as if the weight he bore was almost too great for him.

At the top of the frame was a man's face, young and almost perfect, except for the crack in the wood that ran from his temple, through his cheek, to the corner of his mouth, giving his expression a sardonic twist.

Maria was breathless. The find of her lifetime. She recognised it as an artwork that was unmatchable. Only a great master could have created such work.

Trying not to let her excitement show, Maria took the mirror across the room to the counter. An old man appeared from the backroom and she held it out to him.

"How much do you want for this?" she asked casually.

He wrinkled his forehead and appraised her.

" This? Hmmm, well, let me see now. Are you sure you want it? It is cracked you know."

Maria thought fast. She didn't want to appear to eager or the price would double.

" I just thought it would be nice in the spare room. There isn't a mirror in there and it's the right size."

She thought she managed to strike the right note. Not keen enough to raise the price but interested if it was going cheap.

The dealer shrugged.

" Well, if you really want it ...let's say £15."

Maria was thrilled. She would have happily paid £115 for that little gem. Keeping her expression neutral she hesitated then said,

"Well, I suppose I could afford that."

In a couple of minutes she was walking out of the shop with the mirror wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. The broad grin she allowed herself once safely out of view was echoed by that of the dealer. He had never been so happy to make a sale in his life, although he did feel a slightly guilty about not telling the beautiful young purchaser the full history of the piece.

#

When Maria got home she carefully unwrapped the mirror and examined it more closely. She ran her fingers over the figures and felt the smooth grain of the wood. The carving was even more detailed when seen in a good light. She decided to hang it in her hallway and enjoy it for a few weeks before taking it to her own shop, where it would be sold on at a vast profit. There was a nail already in place where a small watercolour had hung and she hooked it up carefully and checked to see that it was hanging straight. Satisfied she poured herself a celebratory glass of wine and settled on the sofa for a relaxed evening.

The next morning she was up and ready for her daily run just as the sun was rising. On her way along the hall she paused by the mirror and saw her pony-tailed reflection looking back at her. She admired the long manes and beautiful bodies of the girls and wished she had been blessed with a figure like theirs. She was conscious of her short legs and the first signs of bat-wings under her upper arms. Her face was nothing special either with small eyes and a big nose. The longer she looked, the more imperfections she was aware of. Her teeth were uneven and had a yellowish tinge, there were wrinkles on her forehead and bags under her eyes.

She held her hands up and noticed that her nails were ragged and age spots marked the backs of what looked like the hands of an elderly person.

Suddenly she no longer felt like running. She retreated back into her bedroom and stripped off her shorts and jogging top. Why bother exercising when she looked so disgusting? She felt as if all her self-confidence had been drained away and she wanted to hide away from the world.

It took a great effort for Maria to change into her smart work outfit. She let her hair down and brushed it carefully to show off her expensive cut.

Using the bedroom mirror she carefully applied make-up and her favourite shade of lipstick. When she looked at her hands they didn't look that bad, in fact her recently manicured and gelled nails were still unchipped. 'Strange,' she thought, but still rubbed some hand cream in and made a mental note to book a new appointment with the manicurist.

Stepping into her heeled sandals to make herself appear taller, she set off once more to leave the house.

She attempted not to look in the mirror but found her eyes drawn to it. Her first thought was that the weight of the mirror seemed to have increased as the supporting figure looked strained and drops of sweat showed on his forehead.

'The light must have changed.' she thought.

The twisted smile of the man at the top looked cruel and his eyes seemed amused.

Unthinkingly, she let her gaze move down to appraise her appearance. A few strands of hair had come out of place and straggled across her face. Her eye make-up was smudged and the colour she had chosen was quite wrong for her complexion. Her lipstick was smeared as if she had tried unsuccessfully to remove it. She looked like a scarecrow. There was no way she could turn up at work like this. She would be a laughing stock. Tears filled her eyes and she ran back to the bedroom, rubbing at her make-up and pulling her work outfit off, to leave it lying in an untidy heap in the corner.

She crawled into bed, pulled the duvet over her head and burst into tears. Self-pity overwhelmed her and it was a good half-hour before she could begin to think straight.

Once she calmed down she phoned into work saying that she was feeling awful and was taking the day off. That done, Maria began to think about what was going on. Was she having a breakdown? Why now? Everything in her life was going well. Her shop was doing better than it ever had and she had lovely, supportive staff. Her social life was great. She was young and pretty...or was she kidding herself? Perhaps the mirror had opened her eyes to her true appearance.

Maria uncurled herself from her nest and prepared to face the truth. Naked, she stood in front of the full length mirror and, starting at her feet, steeled herself to study her appearance.

Long, slender legs, a shapely body, good posture, topped by a face that was lovely even though tear-stained and with make-up smeared under her eyes. Her hair was a bird's nest but a few strokes of the brush made it smooth and shiny. She held her hands in front of herself and saw soft young skin and impeccably manicured nails. Even in her confused state she had to admit that she was lovely.

Going into the bathroom she cleaned off her make-up and reapplied it carefully then she dressed and made herself a coffee.Something very strange was going on and she had every intention of getting to the bottom of it. Either she was having some kind of breakdown or the new mirror had shown her a distorted image. She remembered how the appearence of the frame had also changed.

Grabbing her bag and her keys she ran to the door, fighting the impulse to even glance at the mirror as she passed it. Locking the door she directed her steps back to the antique shop.

Inside, the shop seemed to be deserted but, when she rang the bell on the counter, the owner emerged from the backroom. He didn't seem at all suprised to see her back.

"I don't take returns." He spoke before she had a chance to open her mouth.

"I don't want to return anything." Maria said quickly. " I just want to know about the mirror."

"Hmm. Up to its tricks again is it? Stealing?"

"Stealing? What does it steal? "

This was not what Maria had expected, and her wide eyes were a picture of confusion and fascination.

"Why, it steals confidence, that's what. You're a strong one or you wouldn't be here. Mostly they end up in mental homes when they can't take any more. It's said one poor lass killed herself. It drains their confidence away until they see themselves as ugly and worthless. Stop going out. Stop taking care of themselves. Can't see reality anymore"

"Well its not going to do that to me, or to anyone else if I can help it. How can I destroy it?"

"All you need to do is break the glass but it will put up a fight I warn you. Try to suck every bit of confidence out of you until it holds you in its power. If I were you I'd just cover it up and leave well alone."

Maria pulled herself up to her full height. "I won't be beaten ," she said firmly, "and I won't let that evil thing harm anyone else." She strode out of the shop leaving the old man looking sadly at her retreating back.

"Thats what she thinks but so did many others and where are they now? It got them all in the end."

#

As Maria made her way home her brow was furrowed in thought. Breaking a piece of glass sounded simple enough but there had to be more to it, or someone would have done it long ago when the mirror's evil first manifested itself.

She was aware of the hypnotic power of even glancing into the glass. Her confidence would be drained in seconds, and she would be unable to act. Perhaps covering the mirror would be possible? A cloth thrown over it followed immediately by a hammer blow to smash it?

For some reason this seemed too simple and Maria wondered if the mirror had other powers to defend itself from just such an attack. Still, it was worth trying.

As she passed her car she stopped and took out the tool designed to break the toughened glass of the windscreen in an emergency. She also took the duster that she kept in her glovebox to wipe condensation from the car windows.Thus armed, she took a long deep breath to calm herself before unlocking the front door. Hammer in one hand and cloth in the other she threw the door open and whisked the duster up and over the mirror.

The effect was extraordinary. The cloth flew back towards her as if propelled by the hands of the various figures round the frame. Instinctively she shut her eyes, only to hear mocking laughter. A chill ran down her spine as a deep voice sneered "Is that the best you can do? Stupid little mortal. I am not so easily overcome. You are helpless against the power of Magisterium."

It was fortunate for Maria that she had foreseen a defence designed to drain her self-confidence, although she had not expected it to take this form. With all her willpower she kept her eyes fixed on the end of the hall and ran into her bedroom.Slumping onto her bed her brain was now working in overdrive.

She realised that she had at least learnt something from the abortive attempt. The name of the power she was dealing with. Who or what was Magisterium?

She pulled out her laptop and turned it on. Several hours later, after an extensive search of myths and legends, she found her answer.

An ancient Celtic tale told of the great wizard Magisterium, whose one delight in life was in attracting beautiful and talented people to his castle. Once there he gradually destroyed their sense of self-worth, mocking and deceiving them until they lost all desire to live. The majority died by their own hand but he retained three servants. Two were beautiful twins, known for their brilliant minds as much as for their looks. These he humbled and reduced to being slaves whose only purpose was to remind him of his own good looks and intellect.

The third was his own brother, the one person whose power came close to matching his own. The brother had been the one to mar his appearance by slashing his face with a dagger while Magisterium was asleep. He punishment was to follow the magician everywhere, carrying the ever-increasing weight of his sins. However, in the epic battle that ensued between them, the four were transformed into wood and linked by the mirror. Magisterium's powers were limited to those who were unfortunate enough to see themselves reflected in its surface.

Maria read and reread the story, seeking desperately for a way to break the mirror and destroy the wizard. Other myths came to mind and she remembered how Medusa had been overcome using her reflected image. She began to see a possible solution.

It was late in the evening before Maria was prepared. She pushed open the bedroom door, having first turned the light out. The hall was in darkness.

As quietly as she could, she wheeled the full-length cheval glass from her bedroom into the hallway, being sure to stay concealed behind it. Moving almost silently she edged towards the end of the hall where the mirror hung. When she was certain that she was positioned correctly she ran her hand along the wall until she felt the light switch.

Trying her best to radiate power and confidence, Maria threw the switch and, at the same moment, cried out "You are nothing!"

The two mirrors were face to face and a brilliant ray of light crackled back and forth like electricity between them. Maria felt the cheval glass bow but it did not break. There was a sound like a scream of rage and an almighty smash as the magical mirror shattered into a thousand shards.

Cautiously, Maria edged from her hiding place and surveyed the damage. The floor sparkled with the pieces of broken glass and the wooden frame that lay on top of it was twisted and blackened. The figures were unrecognisable and Magisterium's face was split completely in two.

As Maria pushed the cheval glass back to her bedroom and prepared to dispose of the remains she felt something warm trickling down the side of her face. Magesterium had taken his final revenge. A piece of flying glass had cut Maria from her temple to the corner of her mouth.

THE END