The House of Mirrors

She, a mother of two, was on a journey through the countryside. She has not been there before, travelling all by herself. How she got there she could not remember, how long she's been there she does not know.

It was early morning when she came across the most amazing structure standing all alone on a hill. The whole building was made off glass and reflected each ray of sunlight, shimmering like the brightest diamond. The surrounding garden had different kinds of flowers all in full bloom. At first she just stared in amazement but her curiosity got the better off her and she approached the structure.

Reaching the steps leading to the front door she hesitated. I can't just barge in she thought. She thought that she would just take a peek through the glass to see the inside. She made a slow approach to the front door, walking as softly as possible. To her amazement there was a sign on the door that read: "All visitors welcome, please enter the door is open. This is the house of mirrors. Please note you can not go out the front but have to walk through and go out the back. You can stay as long as you want, no rush." Odd, she thought, more curios than ever she opened the big crystal glass door with a gold handle.

The entrance was double storey, it had a big crystal chandelier hanging from the glass ceiling reflecting the sun light. It looked as if you are walking straight into a disco light of sun rays. It was like a rainstorm of light just falling down. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Once her sight adjusted to the light she saw two sets of stairs on each side of the entrance hall. The stairs were blocked off by glass. To her left hand side there was a doorway with a sign reading "start here".

Inside the doorway on the left she read another sign, "Reflections of Past Events, please take something to eat and be seated." There was no one besides her, where did the biscuits and coffee come from?, she thought. She would not complain for she was dying for a cup of coffee. She seated herself on the only sofa in the room, sipping her coffee, drinking in every bit of the aroma. The outside of the building appeared to be inside, it was hard to establish whether you  are inside or outside. The only other furniture besides the plain beige sofa and ordinary coffee table was mirrors. The mirrors covered the whole inside walls of the structure.  She realised that if you concentrate on a mirror long enough it begins to play a movie.

The first mirror showed her her birth, the beginning of her existence. She saw the joy on her parents face. Her mother's love for her and the way she cared for her was a very big eye opener. Lately they did not get along so well. Maybe farther did love me she thought. She did not really know him, was only apart of her life for such a short while. She watched and got lost in her own childhood. Her mood suddenly changed when she saw him. The man that ripped her childhood away. She turned her eyes away, "NO" she yelled. I will not endure the pain again. I will not go through this, I do not want to see. She already lived the despair that followed. Most of her childhood was a blank space in her mind. She deleted some events from her book. If I look then I can fill the gaps she thought. The pain was excruciating, she could not give in and her gaze fixated on the next mirror.

High school was such a free time. She was like a bird who just got wings and she tried them out every second that she could. She relived her first love and her first kiss. Her years at Technicon was hard but exiting. How she longed that those would not pass so soon.

The third mirror was reflecting her true love, the man she married and loved so dearly. The first meeting of their eyes. The day she met him she just knew that he was the one. He was her solemate, her other side, her best friend. If I had to do that all over again I would she thought.

The last mirror, the reflection of her life up to now. The birth of her own two children. The choices she made and the path she was busy following. She had to take a while to take stock. She wondered whether she could alter some choices maybe change her career. Her children needed her and she need to make decisions. She sat for a while lost in the spaces of her own life.

She wanted to leave the house but realised that she could not reach the front door, it was now blocked off by a glass panel. Then she remembered the sign that read "you have to leave through the back door" and she set off in search of the back door.  The room led into a glass corridor. The glass corridor had the outside on the one side and a courtyard on the other side. She walked looking at the outside lost in the courtyard on the inside with its indoor plants and koi pond. An artists dream, she thought. The corridor ended in the kitchen.

I am so hungry was her first thought. She opened the refrigerator and helped herself. She made her favorite pasta dish and when she turned to clean up, the kitchen was already cleaned. The kitchen had an open plan dining room adjoining. Very minimalistic with only the necessary furniture. The dining room had two glass walls overlooking the mountains. She seated herself at the dining room table. She tried to inhale the scenery, imprinting every color every shade into her head. More mirrors she thought as she read the sign "reflections of desire and dreams" Her desires swept her away into the world that she thought she lost. She has been so busy that she forgot that she had things that she badly wanted in her life. Her dreams for herself was never realised, life happened and responsibility came, but they were still there buried underneath a heap of sand. "I can still do it, it is never too late, if I want to I can make it work". I have to go now she thought as she walked towards the next room.

The "Room of Self Reflection" the sign read. The day left her drained. The left side of the room still faced the mountains whilst the other side had only one big mirror. She avoided the mirror for now and escaped into the sunset. She watched until the moon shone it's first light and the stars joined in their task of giving light. On top of a shelf she found a pillow and blanket and made herself comfortable on the couch. Sleep came immediately and she fell into darkness, peace and quiet.

The sun was already quite high when she awoke for the first time.She slept like she has not slept in years and felt rested. On a table there was a cup of coffee and rusks. The coffee so warm like it was just poured. She sat on the floor in front of the mirror and saw herself caught on the inside. Her reflection was hard. She criticised every bit of her body. She did not like herself very much and wanted to change what she saw. It did not help to look away for she was still there caught on the inside like she was caught inside this room. She could not go back nor continue for the glass panes blocked her in. "I hate you" she said to her reflection and her reflection started crying. "You are just as ugly on the inside as you are outside" she continued. It was a shock when she saw how her harsh words gave her reflection a beating and there the reflection stood all bruised and bleeding. "I forgive you" her reflection replied. Now she was crying. "Is this what I have done to you all along?" she asked. Her reflection only nodded. "I always blamed circumstances, but in the end it was me" she exhaled. " You broke me down every day, you will have to love me, get to know me and then I will be free again" her reflection said. She reached and touched the hand in the mirror, "I am sorry. I guess if we look harder and longer we will find things that is not that bad". Together they started looking, searching and they found qualities, they found more good than bad. Her reflection waved as she turned and walked away, she was set free. When she turned she also saw the opening, the stairway and she climbed.

On the stairs she read the message, "you are now proceeding to the last room, the Room of Visualisation". The room had the most mirrors in of all the rooms and the outside of the structure was no longer visible. The floor of the room was glass and below the room was a river. It was as if she was walking on top of the river staring down at the fishes and creatures living in it. She did not need to stare at any of the mirrors for they all played together at once. She saw how other people saw her and heard the beautiful things they said about her. She never knew that she played such a big part in their lives, nor did she realise how much she meant. "I was wrong all along" she admitted. "How will I ever forgive myself for thinking differently?". Her best friend replied "If you do not forgive yourself you will not be shown the exit".

She sat down for a while just trying to make sense, but sense was an illusion. The mirrors was now quiet and she saw herself out off all angles. The fishes continued their paths in the river and she lost hers for a short while. Where to from here she thought and looked for a door. In one of the corners she saw the sign "EXIT". She moved the mirror and found herself on top of the stairway at the entrance. Through the glass panel she could still see the crystal chandelier and the disco light of sun rays. In front of the staircase there was a sign that read "It does not matter if you go left or right as you take your flight downstairs. Please take my present that I have left at the bottom of the stairs. I thank you for visiting, it was my pleasure having you here. Do not fear if you fall". She found the present at the bottom, it was a crystal reflecting light. She clasped it in her hand and the floor gave way. She fell through the clouds at an alarming speed...............

He lay bowed over her, his tears dripping on her face. She has been in a coma for two months. "Will she ever wake up?" he thought as he caressed her cheek, running his fingers across her mouth. She heard the children's voices, she felt his tears. Her eyes opened slowly, her mouth dry, she looked at her hand and in it she was clasping a crystal, reflecting light.