The Light on the Other Side of the Mirror

      Arica remembered it as if it were a far-off dream. It was cooler than usual that spring. The scent of tulips danced through her memories. The tulips outside her window had bloomed, despite the bitter spring air. The familiar scent took her back to her childhood bedroom. She was eight years old, sitting on a bed that was only big enough for her small body. Her bedroom was plain, with few decorations. The cool wooden floor was dressed in a plain ragged rug where she would sit with her only doll, which her father had made for her. She smiled at the memories of brushing the doll's long blonde hair for hours on end, as most little girls do. 

Against the wall that was across from the window, was an antique vanity. It held only three items: a small hairbrush, an Irish green hair-bow, and a jewelry box. Inside the box was a fairy princess carved out of wood with faded splashes of color. Arica could still hear Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.23 in A major that the fairy twirled to. The vanity itself was a pristine white - Avery could not find a single blemish anywhere. The vanity donned a beautiful oval mirror that reflected the entire bedroom. 

            The vanity was a family heirloom, which had been passed down from mother to daughter for over a century. When it finally became Arica’s, her mother had sat her down and gave her a stern talking that a mother always gives. Arika was not to draw on, scratch, bite, or harm the vanity. “Not a single blemish” her mother had ingrained into her brain. At first, it seemed like a forbidden treasure, to only be looked at, but never touched. She was not a careless child; she never pulled out her doll’s hair or colored on the walls. Yet, her mother’s warning left an invisible line between her and the vanity. It sat against that wall for weeks, looking at her before she went to bed. That, until she dropped her hairbrush without paying attention, chipping the paint. 

            On one of the warmer nights of that spring, Arika had left the window open and let the moonshine onto her bedroom floor. She took a glance at the vanity, sighed, and tucked herself under her blankets. She soon drifted off to sleep, listening to the night. The clock struck midnight, but Arika continued to sleep soundly. In the vanity mirror a small light, no bigger than a hairpin, shone in the reflection. The light hummed - whispers filled the room. Eyes fluttering open, Arika sat up in her bed, trying to discern where the odd sound was coming from. Her first thought was that the sound was coming from outside her bedroom window. She jumped out of her bed and rushed to the window. She poked her head out, looking for the noisemaker. When she decided it was all in her head, she went back to bed. The noise came again, only louder, and then a tap tap tap. She covered her ears, telling herself it was all in her mind. Tap, tap, tap. It grew louder with every tap. Finally, Arika threw her covers off and began searching the room for the noise.

            Arika searched high and low, under her bed, on her desk, and under the rug. In the dark, the vanity gave Arika chills. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but there was something about it that was ominous. Reaching her hand out, she took each step at a glacial pace, as if the vanity would burn her if she touched it. The light reappeared on the other side of the mirror. Arika jumped back, tripping on the edge of the rug. The light was dazzling, distorting its shape. The girl squinted trying to make out what the light was. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out a petite figure. 

       The light on the other side of the mirror was a fairy. She had a glowing, golden skin, which her tiny wings complimented her skin. The top wings were black and pale green, and the bottom wings were black with large gold spots. She wore a feather skirt, and her top consisted of a tiny piece of gold fabric. She wore no shoes and her long gold hair flowed down her sides, almost touching the ground. Arika stared at the little fairy, mouth wide open. The fairy beckoned for her to come closer. She felt her feet move towards the miniature figure. Her heart started to race, her head started to spin, and shivers radiated through her. Arika pulled out the chair that was tucked into her vanity and furnished similarly. She sat down, never taking her eyes off the delicate fairy. On the other side of the mirror, the fairy sat down, crossing her dainty legs. 

“Hello!” the fairy said, with a smile. Arika continued to stare at her, wide-eyed. The fairy tilted her head and giggled, “Don’t you know how to say hello?”

“Hell-hell-hello,” Arika stammered, unsure of how she managed to do so. The fairy’s wings fluttered, lifting her from her seated position. She flew in a figure-eight pattern never crossing to Arika’s side of the mirror. Only a few seconds later, the fairy sat back down, the light that surrounded her growing dimmer. She placed her head in her tiny hands and Arika heard the small sigh.

‘What’s wrong?” Arika asked, feeling a pang in her own heart at the sad sight.

“It gets awfully lonely on this side of the mirror. I am all alone, with no one to talk to; no one to play with. But I have seen you, playing with your doll, leaving the room to be free outside. I only wish to be able to spread my wings and feel that freedom.” The fairy’s eyes widened with sorrow as she looked up to the little girl. Arika reached up to touch where the fairy was but drew her hand back before she did. “I know,” the fairy piped up, “We could play a game.” Her little wings started to flutter as she tried to contain her excitement. 

Arika took a minute to ponder the request. She did enjoy playing games, but it was difficult as she had no siblings, and her parents were often at work. She would have to play by herself, which makes for uninteresting games. She nodded slowly at the fairy. The fairy jumped up and smiled gleefully. 

“To play the game, I need you to let me out.” The cheer in the fairy’s voice faded. Once again, Arika looked at her in confusion. 

“How do I do that?” Arika asked.

“Oh, it’s quite easy,” the fairy replied, “You simply need to invite me in.”

            Arika hesitated. Every bone in her body was telling her not to, but she longed to have someone to play with. The fairy seemed like good enough company. Her parents would not have to know she was ever there, for she was small enough to fit in Arika’s pocket. It would be so much fun to have a secret friend. They would laugh together, and perhaps things would for once be more than just alright. Arika took a deep breath, and said “You may come in.” Arika looked at the fairy in horror. The cheery smile had twisted into a menacing grin. The golden gleam of the fairy’s light had returned, now accompanied with a dark shadow across her eyes. Arika could see the fairy’s teeth for the first time. They were pointed, reminding Arika of a shark she had seen in a book. The fairy’s fingertips now bared sharp claws. The fairy’s new sinister appearance startled Arika, causing Arika to stumble backward. All the light vanished from the room; darkness consumed Arika. She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, it would have all been a dream. 

            When Arika had opened her eyes, the light of the moon shining into her bedroom had returned. Her bedroom was different; everything in her room had grown to a giant’s size. She was viewing the room from where her vanity was; she gathered that she must be on top of the vanity. She took a couple steps forwards to peer over the edge of the vanity, but something stopped her. An invisible wall stopped her in her tracks, for there was nothing to be seen blocking her war. Arika placed her hands on the invisible barrier and started to pound on it, tears pouring down her cheeks.

            It did little use, for no one of importance could hear her. Arika sighed and let her hands fall from the wall. She stared in horror at her golden hands and black nails. She ran her fingers through her hair, which to seemed to have grown to be twice as long as it was before. Her breath caught in her throat, hands starting to shake. A giant figure moved into the picture of her room. This figure was no stranger, and as she realized who it was, both hands flew to her mouth in horror. It was herself, although much larger. A wide grin spread across her giant doppelgänger’s face. Horror struck Arika as she realized she was trapped in the fairy’s prison. She pounded on the mirror once again, screaming. The doppelgänger did not seem to take any notice. She strutted around the room picking up different objects with feigned interest. A wicked smile graced her new face. She was finally free of that wretched prison she had been trapped in centuries ago. She turned back to the mirror, facing the Arika in the mirror. 

“I am Arica now,” the fairy turned and left the girl trapped in the mirror for the rest of eternity.