The Mirror

    I remember falling.

            The crash into the water was like falling into concrete at one hundred miles an hour. It was a horrible feeling, at least for a split second. Luckily, the adrenaline in my body kicked in while I fell from the ledge. I’m still not sure how I missed the signs of caution spread all around the area where road crews had taken out part of the iron fence, but either way, caution tape isn’t enough to hold back one hundred and thirty pounds of weight running at about seven miles an hour. In other words, I fell off of a hill and into the water valley below.

            I could never describe the feeling of falling; it’s like all of the properties that humans are restricted by just fade away for those few seconds. Until you hit the water from more than two hundred feet above said water, the feeling of falling is exhilarating. I couldn’t think of anything better than to leave this world with such an experience; but that aside, I had to deal with the fact that I was dead.

            There was an immediate transition from the feeling of hitting the water and waking in some place that I didn’t recognize. The area was white, but that was only because my eyes hadn’t adjusted to the environment. The light blinded me as I heard a woman’s voice. I didn’t recognize the voice at first because my mind was clouded and my ears were nearly inoperable, but I had a feeling that the voice was familiar. Once my eyes fully adjusted, I saw the landscape around me.

            We were in a large open field overlooking a tall cliff. I knew this place well, as I had spent so much time here. The place was on the southern coast of Ireland, where, in the summer, the fields grew green, the violets and the clover bloomed, and the air wafted with the sweet scents of the nature. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocky landscape below was almost too far away, but it still added to the ambience of a place such as this. This nearly was the place where time stood still, where clocks didn’t care to move their hands forward, as if time had wanted to bask in this ambience. Everything was nearly peacefully silent, but I knew that the silence would be permeated by the hushed whispers of mine and the woman’s.

            “Jack.” The Angel said. I looked toward her.

            Her eyes seemed to speak to me; she had meant to me all of benevolence. She had meant this all once before, and still to now. I looked at her, her form unchanged. She still looked the same as she did when she was human. The golden locks of her hair flowing from her head, her penetrating eyes of blue looked deeply into me, and she still wore the dress that she so cherished. It was a white dress with a small bit of black lace embroidered along some of the edges of the dress. The one time that she and I danced, she was wearing that dress; that one time was before she died.

            Her death was not violent like mine, but due to heart failure. The doctors were not sure why she experienced sudden cardiac arrest, but despite the best efforts of the emergency operators, they could not revive her. I was not with her when she died, but I felt her leave this world. I remember the moment so well, that I could rehearse the feeling until the end of time. Even if I remembered the feeling of her leaving, she made me forget her name. I’m not sure why she did this, but from the time of her death until the moment I was in, she was known as Angel. The name did suit her, for she did have the wings of an angel. But I noticed something; one of the wings was broken.

            I approached her and put my hand to her face. Her pale skin was the same as the pale skin that I had kissed when I was alive. I looked to her wings, and she winced when I did.

            “What happened to them?” I asked.

            “When I left your world, I was given these wings.” She replied. “I was given them because the spirits had decided to give me them. I’ve flown with them…to the ends of the Earth, I’ve been. But there was one problem...upon your arrival, I tried to catch you as you fell into the water. But I broke my wing on the water.”

            “Angel, you didn’t have to save me…”

            “No, I had to. You will see why soon enough. But, keep that thought in the back of your mind; don’t think about it right now, because I have something to show you.”

            We walked to an old turret that was crumbling away, but it still stood strong. It overlooked the seas, as it was near the edge of the cliff. The winds blew in our hair as we stood next to each other, looking out into the seas. She knelt down besides the stone railing of the turret to pick up a mirror. She picked up the mirror and held it close to her for a moment before having me look into the reflection.

            “This Mirror is a portal; when you look into it, you will re-live your greatest memories. I know which one you will re-live…the time when we danced.”

            I fell into the reflection in way that I can’t describe. But in moments, I felt Angel in front of me, I heard the music playing in the nearly empty dance hall that we were in, and I felt her breath on my neck. Her lips soon played with the skin on my neck, beckoning for me to be part of her. She looked at me as I felt the fabric of her dress around her waist. The soft silk and the tough embroidering made for the most memorable touch.

            “I love you, Jack.” She said to me as the music played.

            “I love you too, Dalia.” I replied to her in my softest, most loving voice. After I spoke, we kissed; it was a kiss that I could forever become lost in. It was as if it would never end, I wish that it never would have. But the memory pulled away as Angel wanted me to return to her on the turret.

            She looked at me with a smile.

            “You were the most amazing person that I had ever known.” She said. “You gave me love in a world full of hate…you held me when I would fall, and you comfort me when I was at the ends of my wits. You gave me every single reason to live, and I could never thank you enough for anything that you’ve done. You deserve to live forever because of your deeds. But time wouldn’t allow that, and I pity the emotion as such.

            “But this Mirror, I have it to remind you of me. This reflection was only to reassure you that I am here, and that I always will be. I don’t just reside in your memory…” She put her hand to my heart and felt it beat. “I will always be here; a part of your heart. With every beat of your heart, I take in a breath. And with every breath of yours, my heart beats. Without you, I could never have kept living. And no matter how much that this place looks like the Otherside, this is still halfway away from reality. I still breathe, but my heart doesn’t beat. And right now, your heart is beating, but you cannot breathe because you are in the water. But I’m taking care of you; you’re still alive in the water. And that leads me to my broken wing…

            “I flew down to try to save you. I tried to stop your fall as much as I could…but when we hit the water, I sheltered you with my wing that is now broken. The cracked bones hurt with every time that I move…but the pain is nothing when I am with you. And I will always be with you.” She looked down at the mirror and then back to me. “Whenever you may look into a mirror, you will faintly see my reflection. In every pane of glass that you walk by, you can see me walking with you. I will always be with you, and I will always protect you.” She looked down to let a tear roll down the side of her face. She looked back up to me.

            “I’m saddened by the fact that I must bid you a goodbye for now.” She said, retaining her tears. “I will see you again when your time is truly at an end. But it won’t be a sorrowful end; I’ll be waiting for you. And I will always be with you.”

            I held her in an embrace; I held her in the tightest embrace I think I could have ever managed. I didn’t want to leave her, despite her saying that she would always be with me. It broke my heart, just in the slightest, because I knew that she would always be with me, but I would still not be able to be with her. This wall between us is thin and we can see through it, but we still can’t feel each other.

            “Don’t you ever worry, Jack. I’ll always be with you.” She said, tears pouring out of her eyes.

            “I know you will. I’ll always try to be with you.” I replied.

            “I love you, Jack.”

            “I love you, Dalia.”

            Then, I left her realm.

 

            I woke up in a hospital bed. The heart monitor was beeping steadily, and I was surprised that no one was in my room. A bouquet of flowers was set on the table in my room for me, and the tag on the flowers said that my mother had sent them, but I knew that she didn’t. She didn’t care about me, but that didn’t matter. Later that day, I was discharged from the hospital, and I went back to my apartment.

            I opened the door, walked into the room, slammed the door, threw my keys onto the kitchen counter, opened the refrigerator to get a can of beer, and sat down on my couch in front of the television and turned on the news channel.

            At some point, I went into the bathroom. When I was washing my hands in the sink, I took a long stare into the mirror. A smile spread across my face with the smile that spread across Dalia’s face. I mouthed the words, I love you, to Dalia, and she replied with a mouthed, I love you too. I walked out of the bathroom and sat back down on the couch. I smiled to myself and said,

            “I love that woman in The Mirror.”

Reviews

[JanuaryDreamer♥]

Captivating and really cool

[MR_BERG]

Great imagination. Good writing. I have neve experienced passion or love at the level you describe, and it's a privilege to share that depth for a moment.

[Anonymous]

Wow. Phenomenal work. One of the most touching and unique love stories that I've ever read, honestly. I'm almost speechless as to what to say about it. Very nice piece. Definitely adding this to my favorites.

_Cloud

[Ravyne Hawke]

Such a beautiful love story. I wish I could point out parts that I love, but then I would just be reposting your story here. The whole story is lovely from beginning to end and I love the idea of mirrors being portals between her world and his. Great work!

[Liz]

This story was beautiful, i cannot describe how much i loved it. You kept my interest throughout the whole thing. I really like how the beginning gives the reader the inference Jack is dead, but then the reader finds out he is still living, just in the "halfway".

[Hayley]

Wow, I love how the reader finds out that he is destined to go back into the world, to Angel's despair. The portal to see his finest memory is carried back to his world, where she will always be with him.
You have a great mind and imagination! This story is so sweet.

[Lily Mae]

I love this from top to bottom.. It allowed me to feel so many emotions. I love where she broke her wing to save him.. Very creative.. I love this and so much of your work..you have a gift.. xx

[Coyote Poetry]

A very interesting story. I believe there are real Angels roaming around. I was saved a few times by strangers. The story was very good. Your words made the situation come alive and the character strong. I like how he was saved. The ending left me with wonder. A excellent story. Thank you.
Coyote