Mirror, mirror, on the wall…
Julie was the mother of two children, Justin, eleven, and Christine, thirteen. Their father, William, was a successful businessman who provided a luxurious home on the outskirts of the city. The family was happy and there was an abundance of love in the home.
The summer of 2011, William suffered a heart attack and died, leaving the family without their beloved husband and father. His death also left the family without sufficient income to pay the mortgage on the house.
Julie was resourceful and sought a real-estate agent to sell their large house and find an affordable house. The agent found a house in a sparsely settled area outside the city. It had been for sale for several years and the owner wanted to sell it off without further delay. The agent said that the equity in their current home was more than enough to purchase the house. Julie believed that this would be a perfect solution to their needs. The agent gave Julie the key to the house and instructions to find it.
Julie, Justin and Christine drove out to the house. It was about a mile from the nearest neighbor and five miles from the center of town. The house was large and very old. All things considered, it was perfect.
But, there was an eeriness to the house. It seemed to be in a shadow, as if behind an invisible cloud. There was no vegetation near the house, not even grass or weeds. The nearest plants were wilted and brown. There were no birds or animals, not even crickets, in the area. The only living things were two large crows that watched them from the peak of the roof. To say the least, the house did not appear friendly or hospitable.
After parking the car, Julie went to the house and opened the door. Justin and Christine ran into the house. Justin ran up the stairs and Christine ran into the large living room. The living room had several large windows, but despite the sunshine, the room seemed dark and dreary. On the other side of the room was a large fireplace. Over the mantle was a mirror. It was the largest mirror that Julie had ever seen in a house. It actually made the room seem much larger.
While Julie and Christine were examining the living room, Julie heard Justin talking. She left Christine and ran upstairs.
“Justin, who are you talking to?”
Justin pointed at the window at the end of the upstairs hall. “The little boy. He told me that we should leave and never come back.”
Julie looked at the direction where Justin pointed. “What little boy?”
Justin looked at the window where he had just pointed and shook his head. “He was here a minute ago.”
Julie heard Christine talking. She rushed down the stairs.
When Julie reached the living room, Christine said, “There’s a nice lady in the mirror.”
Julie was puzzled. “That’s me in the mirror.”
“No! The other nice lady. She told me to go away and never come back again!”
“Justin! Christine! Kids, go out and play.”
Julie walked up to the mirror to verify that it was nothing more than an ordinary mirror. She felt spooked, but not enough to be oblivious of the dirt on her face from the cobwebs. She turned toward the window for light and took a small compact from her purse. As she removed the dirt from her face, she could see the mirror behind her reflected in the compact. Instead of seeing the back of her head, she saw the face of a young woman looking at her from the mirror.
Julie dropped the compact and spun around, only to see her own face in the mirror. Julie backed out of the room, never taking her eyes off the mirror. She ran out of the house as quickly as she could. She grabbed her children and put them into the car. As she drove at breakneck speed away from the house, Christine pointed at the house and said, “Who is that man in the window?”
After the house was no longer visible, Julie slowed the car to a safe speed. She recalled that the main road was only fifteen minutes away. There were no forks or crossroads that could have caused them to lose their way. But, after driving for over an hour, she wondered where she really was. There were no houses, no other cars or even a sign.
Finally, she saw a house in front of her. “No! No!! NO!!! It can’t be!”
Christine was not as frightened. “That man is still in the window.”
Six months later, John, Lisa, and their fifteen year old daughter Jessica were looking for a new home. The real-estate agent found a wonderful house that was a real bargain. They could get it for practically nothing. The agent gave them a key and directions.
When they walked into the house, they were impressed with the living room and the large mirror over the mantle. Jessica stared at the mirror as John and Lisa examined the other rooms. As they were walking through the upstairs rooms, Jessica screamed.
They ran down the stairs to the room with the mirror and found that Jessica was nearly hysterical. “There’s a woman in the mirror named Julie. She told me to leave this house right now!”
As they looked into the mirror, the image of John and Lisa blurred.
Lisa looked at John, “I don’t like this house. I don’t care how cheap it is, I don’t like it!”
John gazed at the mirror, “Neither do I! Let’s get out of here!”
They ran to their car, jumped in, and drove away as fast as the car would go. As the house faded into the distance, Jessica said, “There’s a man in the window of the house, and he watched us drive away.”
After driving for nearly an hour without seeing another house, car, or even a sign, John said, “Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon.”
But, they never returned home and they were never heard from again!
Next time you look into a mirror, remember there may be more than just your reflection in that mirror! There may be a whole other world!
