The Woman in My Mirror

I've always hated mirrors. Not mirrors during the day, but at night.. I guess you could blame my sister. When I was seven or eight my older sister told me about a tale her friends had told her about a woman who lived in the mirror realm. The woman supposedly came out only when the room was dark and the lights were off. She had long hair that hung over her face. She’d reach out her pale hands and grab the bottom of your head and twist until your neck was a coil. Of course, if you turned around, she’d be gone and your head would be fully intact, although you felt all of the pain of having your head twisted around. I’m sure that there was more, but I've forgotten it over the years.

It was seven years ago, after all. Anyways, after she told me that story I would cry when going to the bathroom, specifically the upstairs bathroom, as it had no windows and a large, foreboding mirror. I would refuse to turn off the light and cried for my father to come up and do it for me. He asked why and I explained the story to him. “Who told you that?” he asked. I explained that my sister, Megan, had. She got in trouble but still got a good laugh out of my fear, I guess. Ever since then I grew up, forgot most of the story but still kept it in the back of my mind, not looking at mirrors in the dark. Until a few days ago.

I was in that upstairs bathroom I mentioned before, the one with no windows and the large wall mirror. Well, I was going to my sister’s room in the dark hallway and braved a glance into the dark mirror, reflecting me. But something was off. I didn’t look for long, though. My cowardice took the better of me and I kept walking, looking away from the mirror. After half an hour I walked back out, not looking in the mirror. I went back downstairs, hopped into my desk chair in my room and played on my laptop for the rest of the night before heading to bed for some much-needed sleep. That was two days ago.

Yesterday I woke up, and fed my dog. I put the water in my dog’s food bowl and the food in his water bowl. After a minute I realized I fucked up and sighed, drying the food bowl out and adding food to it and washing the water bowl and adding water to it.

The same thing happened later when I went to flick my living room’s light switch. I went to flick it on and flicked the wrong one. I’d never done that before. I had lived in the same house all my life and not once flicked the wrong switch. I realized slowly what I had done.

I thought back to this morning, how I had filled the wrong bowl with the wrong thing. How I had messed up. As if I were living inside a reversed place. Today I realized what was wrong in the mirror the other day. I went to the mirror… and when I put up my right hand.. so did my reflection. Not.. not the left like it should. The right. The goddamn right hand. I froze and nearly pissed myself. Everything wasn't reversed in the mirror like it should be. I don't know what to do. That’s why I'm posting this here. I need help. Please… please help me. I've shown my sister and she doesn't see it. I need help. Please... I’m going crazy. Please…