This story, from the "Finish The Story" collaboration, is based on a prompt from Suchita Agarwal (https://talesofsuchita.wordpress.com/).
Prompt: “What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?”
In
the dream, Alyssa was seated in front of an ornate mirror in her bedroom. She
was brushing her hair in the soft light, humming to herself. Things were
finally starting to turn around – she was contemplating a move to a new city,
and a new job. Concord had been a safe place for her, but it was a place that
she had outgrown. She needed a new life, and new experiences.
The
rhythm of the brush was hypnotic – Alyssa’s mind was in a place betwixt and
between. She started to see scenes from her past in the mirror – scenes that
reminded her of the joy and peace that there was in life. She saw family
dinners, with all of the family present, enjoying good food and good
conversation. She saw the “kids table” – the card table that was set up at the
end of the regular table, so that everyone could have a seat. Over the years,
that morphed into a regular table, with kids and adults seated wherever they
wanted to be. Then it morphed into one long table, with the card table set up
to hold all of the platters and dishes of food.
She
remembered summers spent at the lake, swimming whenever they wanted to (but
they did have to wait one hour after they ate – that was her mother’s rule),
going out in the boat fishing, and just enjoying life.
She
saw her graduation from high school, and remembered how excited she was to be
going out into the world. She saw herself taking the oath as she entered the
Army. She remembered the years that she had spent in the service, and all of
the people she had met. It was amazing how much of the country she got to see,
and how happy she had been, even when she was not exactly stationed where she
wanted to be.
She
remembered living in Hawaii, and learning new customs there. Life was good. All
of the memories that were showing up in the mirror made her happy – they reflected
times of joy, peace, and a belief in herself.
The
images faded, and the mirror was smokey for a moment. Then her grandmother, her
father’s mother, appeared, her father standing by her side. Her grandmother
brought with her a sense of peace, stability, caring and love.
“Alyssa,
you have been allowed to see things from your past, things that brought you joy
and peace. All of these things are good, and were meant to be. But now it is
time for you to move on. You must release the past, and live in the present.
You will create the future by living your best present. Do not be afraid to
move on to a new job, a new city, and new people. This is where your joy,
peace, and happiness lie. Know that I am with you at all times.”
With
that, the mirror cleared.
© November 2018
Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction is
prohibited without written permission from the author.
Ah lovely take on the prompt
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