This Poisoned Heart

“How about this?” Mother asked as she held a gorgeous emerald ring to the light. I made a small mmm sound to show my dislike and moved on to the bigger items in the antique shop. We were looking for jewellery for the party Mother was holding for my 18th birthday in two weeks. We weren’t wealthy enough to buy any from the proper shops, so she had resorted to the antique and charity shops.

I browsed over the necklaces, not finding anything I liked, and moved on to the mirrors. One of them had these cute little birds around the edge, but the mirror next to it started glowing as I looked at it. The second mirror had a woven pattern around its otherwise plain frame. I stared at the smoke billowing up around inside the glass. It was hypnotising. The shopkeeper saw me looking at it when he leaned over to show my mother another sparkly thing.

“Ooh, I see your daughter has found my magic mirror! It’s not that good, but it does give you fashion advice.” The shopkeeper said with a laugh. My mother finally noticed what I was doing and sighed.

“Abigail, I thought we were shopping for jewels? Why are you looking at mirrors?”

“But, mother, it’s magical! You could show it off when you give it to me as my eighteenth birthday gift!” I hinted to her, trying not to say why I wanted to keep the mirror. To be honest, I don’t really know the reason myself. This mirror was just calling to me. And I HAD to answer.

“And this way, you don’t have to buy me new stuff, the mirror can just tell me which ones to wear with what I’ve got.” Mother made a hmm noise in the back of her throat.

“Well, how much is it?” She asked the shopkeeper. He hemmed and harred for a bit, but then he came to a decision.

“If you take the mirror, one necklace and a pair of earrings, I’ll give you the mirror for free. No one wants it anyway.” My mother glowed once she heard there was a deal.

“Ok, done.” She turned from the shopkeeper and looked at me. “So do you want the pearls or the sapphires?” She held up the necklaces in question. I didn’t think the sapphires would look nice with my pale skin, so I chose the pearls.

Once everything was packed up and the mirror was safely in my hands, we walked out of the shop and around the corner where we had left our carriage. Well, it was more of a trap, because we couldn’t afford a proper carriage. As Mother was packing everything away, other horses and carriages rattled by. We pulled into the busy street, and I clutched the mirror tightly. The shop faded out of sight as we continued into the countryside where our little house was.

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After the party, two days later, I still hadn’t dared to speak the little rhyme the shopkeeper gave me to activate the mirror. I just looked at my reflection and waited until the smoke billowed out of the sides and onto the glass. But today was going to be different. I was going to activate the mirror and see what it can do. I just had to say the words. Words that were getting harder to form as I looked at the smoke floating around the vast, inky black that appeared whenever the smoke did. I don’t know why I get so nervous when I think of speaking to the mirror, it must be the magic or something.

I sighed and got up from my bed to walk to the little window in my tiny bedroom. My older sister has the biggest bedroom, but she’s getting married, so she’ll be out of the way soon, and then I can have her bedroom. Although, based on the number of boys at my birthday party Mother wanted me to get married soon as well.

I watched the birds flying in and out of the trees outside my bedroom window, and coming out of my reverie, turned around and decided I would do it, now.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” The mirror’s glass fogged up like it usually does, but then something formed behind the fog. Almost like a… no, it couldn’t be. Yes! Yes, it was! It was a face!

“You, my mistress.” The face said with a booming, masculine-sounding voice, then stretched its mouth and shook out its jaw. “Flipping heck, why did it take you so long? When I flashed you in the shop, I thought you were going to say that stupid rhyme as soon as you got home!” I stared at the mirror, shocked it could speak like that. Usually, these things only say what they’re supposed to say, like if you were to ask about the weather, they would say “It’s looking like a fine day today” or “It will be dark and rainy until next week”. But this one was different.

“Uh- I- What?” I stammered. The mirror rolled what would’ve been its eyes, but were actually just dark holes.

“Ok, let me explain. Hi, I’m Amon. I was a wizard, and a good one at that, before I was cruelly trapped in this hell of a place. I now only reside behind the glass and I can only talk to and interact with you when you say that silly phrase, which degrades both of us. I can answer pretty much any question you ask, but I have to answer truthfully. So if you don’t actually want to know the real answer, don’t ask. I have been trapped in here for so long, my body has faded away, and all you’re left with is this mask-like thing, that even I find humiliating. So, how are you doing?” The mirror, Amon, looked at me questioningly, as if what he had just said was normal. I blinked a couple of times, to make sure I hadn’t fainted at the window and was dreaming all of this.

“Um, I’m fine. I think. You- you’re real, right?” I squinted at him, studying what was left of his features. Again, he rolled the empty space that would’ve been his eyes.

“Yes, I’m real. Who else would be talking to you?” He looked around as if there was someone else in the room. There was not, and I blushed. I hadn’t had any experience in talking to magic mirrors, so could you really blame me if I was embarrassed?

“Sorry, I just… I’ve never… really… had any experience with magic before, so I’m just trying to get my head around it.”

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From this point onwards, the conversation got easier and gradually Abigail got used to talking to magical objects. The hours turn into days and the days into months. As they talked more and longer, they began to fall in love. Amon explained to Abi that the only way he could be freed from the mirror was if a powerful wizard reversed the cure palce on him. Eventually, Abigail’s mother decided Abigail should get married, so she found a rich suiter for our beautiful heroine.

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“Rolland? Really? Could he be any more of a stupid pig?” I complained to Amon after a very embarrassing interview with the stupid pig in question.

“Yeah, but think Abi, he’s rich! You could find all the most powerful wizards in the kingdom and have them try to break the curse!” Amon smiled at me hopefully, silently begging me to think of our future. I sighed.

“As long as you know I’m doing this for you, the money, and not the love.”

“I understand completely.” I sighed again for drama and then marched down the creaky stairs, which ruined the effect, and into the small dining room where Rolland and Mother were waiting.

“I have reached a decision.” I announced dramatically, “And I will marry Rolland.” My mother visibly relaxed, sighing quietly. She obviously didn’t think I would accept.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Rolland’s mother exclaimed airily. Rolland just sat there looking at his hands like they weren’t there this morning and he was still getting used to them. I left Mother and the guests to sort out the details of Rolland’s marriage to me, not wanting to hear the sickening planning and the women talking of lace and rings and dresses. Ugh. Instead, I climbed back to my room to spend more time with Amon.

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Again, time passed, and eventually, Abi moved into a house Rolland’s parents bought for them, and Abi squandered the generous allowance his parents gave him on expensive wizards and witches who could do no more than tell her and Amon that they did not have the power and training to reverse the curse. Eventually, Rolland’s money ran out and Abi had to face the facts.

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I stared misrabally at the plain table before me. I had been two years since I had married Rolland, and he was still as stupid as the day I met him. Once I had started looking for the more expensive wizards and witches, he had to start selling the richly carved, engraved and embellished home furnishings his parents had gifted us as wedding gifts. I didn’t like any of them anyway, and althoug I had gotten used to a luxurious existence, I didn’t balme him. For once. Amon’s mirror was swirling again, which ment he wanted to talk to me. I wasn’t really in the mood for it, but he usually cheered me up so I would give it a try.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” I said grumpily.

“You, my beloved.” He shook out the curse’s words like he always did after appearing, “Geez, I really hate having to say that. I would much rather say it by my own will than because of a stupid curse. Right, so I was looking though my news feed, and I discovered that the king has been widowed and has to now deal with his young daughter on his own. So, I was thinking, because you don’t want to be married to this poor brute anymore, couldn’t you just stage a rather unfortunate carriage accident? Were you’re safe at home after paying one of the most highly sought-after wizards to come look at me? And then you could ask me how to catch the king’s eye, were do to it and teh best way to get married to him as soon as possible.” I thought about his offer for a bit, hating to have Rolland’s blood on my hands, although, the world wouldn’t miss him very much.

“Ok, I could work something out.”

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“What?!” Are you telling me that the wizard who cast this cures was so twisted that Amon needs a whole new body, and a new heart? That’s ridiculous.” I scowled at the posh wizard infront of me who was massaging his temples.

“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying. That’s way everyone else couldn’t undo it, because they were missing the ingredients. And remember, the heart has to be a pure heart, not tarnished be jealousy, hate, murder, regret, or anything else.” Hmm, this was going to complicate things. Mostly because Rolland’s heart was definitely NOT pure, because all he could talk about with me was having kids. Which was not happening. And based off the slow, creeping grin on Amon’s face, he was already dead. So we would have to find another ‘pure’ heart.

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Another few months pased, and Abi got married to the king, with help from Amon and her stunning looks. They preserved Rolland’s body, readying it for Amon’s cure. Abi was still puzzeld about the pure heart thing until one day when she asked Amon those well known words…

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“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” By now I was used to the silly little rhyme and the answer that always came with it.

“Unfortunetly, it’s that little twit, Evelyn.” The booming voice said. Amon widened his eyes in surprise, as if he only just realised what had come out of his mouth.

“What?! Evelyn?! She’s like, twelve! And not forgetting that stupid nickname her father has came up with. ‘Snow White’! No wonder the calls her that, she’s twelve and she’s never been exposed to sunlight! OOOhhhh, I could do some nasty things to that girl!” I paced my room, angrily grinding me teeth.

“Abi, don’t you realise what his means? I bet Snowy has never hated anyone, been jealous of anyone, she’s definitely not murdered anyone… do you see where I’m going with this?” Amon’s face was lit up with the prospect of being free. I slowly devised a plan.

“I’ll call the huntsman now.” I said, and evil smile creeping across my face. ‘Snow White’ as they called her was a brat anyway. She was always singing and messing around with birds and rabbits. I always told the king he gave her too many pets. And now it was time for me to get a little revenge.

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By now you can probably tell where this story is going to go. Only, in the fairytales, they don’t tell you what happened to Amon…

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When Abi returned with what he believed to be Evely’s heart, she tried to preform the spell that would free me from this cursed mirror. She obeyed ever instruction that pompous wizard had given her, and she carried it out with love and gentle care. Such a shame. When at last the spell was complete I could tell I was finally going to get out of this stupid prison and get my revenge.