“I have a smile?”

Submitted into Contest #101 in response to: Write a story that involves a reflection in a mirror.... view prompt

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Happy Inspirational Sad

They say everyone has a smile that just needs to be found by someone else, but I don’t believe it. I remember the smile I had as I was younger, so innocent and unaware of the world. Was it really a smile or was I just forced to keep an act in front of my family,friends, even strangers? I asked myself in the mirror. As I grew older I learned it wasn’t really a smile but just another body part that I didn’t love . A forced smile, a fake one….a hated one. “Why do I look like this?” I asked myself as I touched my face. “Why do I feel like this?” I shouted as I punched the mirror. I burst into tears holding on to my head as I fell to the ground crying. “You broke me.” I heard a small voice say. I looked up and saw a little girl in the broken mirror. She had long brown hair with dark brown eyes, round face and pale skin. “W-What?” I said as I wiped my nose. “I am from the future sent to help you.” The little girl said as she had the biggest smile on her face  “W-W-What that impossible? You're just a part of my imagination, you're just a mirror…..a broken one anyway.” I said as I looked back down. “Pft I told you she wouldn’t believe you, you're just a kid.” Another voice said. I looked up and saw a young boy with black short curly hair with greenish eyes, strong jaw and tan skin. The boy looked down at the little girl and rolled his eyes.  “Shut it Alexander! I am from the future. I may be a broken mirror but I am telling the truth and not anyone imagination.” The little girl said as she pouted. Alexander rolled his eyes and looked at me.“Look here um…ma’am we are from the future sent to help you, because we'll look at you.” Alexander said as the little girl punched him in his arm. “Alexander, that is not helping, I am Natasha Selena Avellaneda, but you can call me Nat for short.” Nat said with a little accent. I began laughing and Nat began clapping her hands as Alexander shook his head. “Man I must be losing my marble, I am listening to a broken reflection mirror.” I said as I shook my head. Nat stopped clapping her hands and looked at Alexander. Alexander sighed and stepped out the mirror. I slowly backed away thinking that I finally had lost it. He held out his hand. “Come on, if we are a part of your imagination, then we can’t hurt you. Let us show you something.” Alexander said as I looked at him. I slowly grabbed his hand pulling myself up. Nat then jumped out the broken mirror and said, “You got another mirror cause there is no way we will be able to go home or show you the thing.” I nodded my head and let go of Alexander's hand. I got out of the restroom and started to head to my room. “W-woah this is your home?” Alexander said, kinda shocked. “Yeah I know it not much but it's what I got so far.” I said as I pushed my room door open. “I like it, it has such a pretty home feeling.” Nat said as she grabbed my hand. “Yeah….I guess so” I said as I held her hand. Wait why I'm talking to them, I mean I can’t be imagining this they feel real and feel human? I shook my head and entered my room as I saw Alexander looking out the window. “It's just how I imagine it.” I heard Alexander mumble. “Well here we are, what do you want to show me that is so life changing?” I said as I let go of Nat's hand and looked at myself in the mirror. “There's nothing much to look at except someone who realized the world isn’t butterflies and rainbows.” I said as I looked at Nat who was admiring the hug mirror. “If you dislike seeing yourself so much, why have a huge mirror in your bedroom?” Alexander asked as I gave a sad chuckle. “When I first moved in the landlord offered to remove it because the recent owner builded it in and got evicted. When I saw it I loved the idea of it. I got to look at myself everyday and feel pretty and powerful.” I said as I sat down in front of the mirror and Alexander stood next to it. “It was pretty cool the first month until I noticed I gained more weight, I got fired from four jobs, the color in my eyes faded, bills started to pile up and I don’t have any time to do things I love anymore.” I said as Nat came and sat in my lap. Alexander then looked in the mirror as Nat and I did. “I started to notice I had this smile that I been faking for years and never really had an actual smile that I loved but that others loved.” I said as Alexander sat next to me. “Everyone says be happy and everything will be fixed but in reality nothing really is fixed with a smile or happiness.” I said as Nat smiled began to fade away. “So I shouldn’t smile If I don’t feel happy?” Nat said as she moved closer to the mirror. “I mean in this world you can’t really tell. If you smile then you're the happiest person and never experience struggles but if you don’t smile you're the biggest jerk and still don’t understand struggles. If that makes sense” I said as I looked at Nat. “So what you mean is, if you smile then you don’t know what it's like to be sad but if you don’t smile then others assume you never smile and that's why you're sad?” Alexander asked as he still looked at the mirror. I slowly nodded. “Kinda like that. What do you see in this mirror that I don’t?” I said as Alexander took a deep breath. Nat turned her back to the mirror and said, “ My mommy said that the best part about the mirror is that they showed your biggest flaws but also your best part.” Alexander got up and touched the mirror. The mirror slowly began to change and showed a young boy running around in the field. “When I was younger I hated the way my hair looked,how I am more chubby, how I am so tan and nearly everyone in my family is pale.” Alexander shouted as I titled my head. “My mother taught me how to love myself, she said it is okay for boys to cry. Everyone has feelings, we are humans not robots.” Alexander said as he smiled. “I love my hair now because my dad has it, he says that's what attracted mom to him. My mom says if I don’t like my weight then change it but to where I love it no one else. I have tan skin because my mom and her family have tan skin.” Alexander said as I nodded. “We use what our parents give us and make it better so we love ourselves, that is what mom and dad always says.” Nat said as she turned to me. She slowly walks up to me and grabs my face and kisses my forehead. “You have a smile, you just have to find the person that makes that smile your smile.” Nat said as she let go of my face and went inside the mirror. I tried to reach for her but Alexander stood in front of me and crouched. “That person is you mom.” Alexander said as he hugged me and walked towards the mirror. I stopped and looked at the mirror confused. I slowly got up and touched the reflection of me in the mirror. I slowly began to cry and smiled softly. A big smile began to appear on my face, a one that I truly love that felt me. I couldn’t stop looking at myself as tears were streaming down my face with a smile that I finally love. A bag dropped down to the floor and I turned around and saw Lorenzo. “I found it.” I said as Lorenzo walked towards me and hugged me. “I am glad you did love.” Lorenzo said as I felt tears rolling down his face. I pulled him back. I grabbed his face and said, “Two little birds helped me and I realized that I just needed to find a smile that I love.” Lorenzo then broke down crying slowly falling to the ground. “I know love, I miss them too.” I said as I hugged him. “We could have been better, we told them so many times but we couldn’t save them.” He burst out as I cradled him. “Alexander learned to love himself slowly but realized it too late and Natasha is still smiling no matter if someone beats it away.” I said as he kissed my jaw. “I miss them but we have each other and we will get our life together for them.” Lorenzo said as I nodded. “For them…..” 

July 07, 2021 06:15

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