The Mirror
Monday 9th June
Waking up to an unfamiliar alarm clock ringing beside her head, she looked up. The mirror was still standing in its place to the left of her wardrobe. She rolled onto her side and saw the photo of her father; His warm smile looking back at her.
“It was that dream again, Dad,” she told the picture. “The one with your mirror.” She sighed. Her father wasn’t around to talk to her anymore. The last things she had from her father was the photograph and the mirror; the mirror that had been the key ingredient in her dreams for the last week. She rolled back onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
“GET UP!” a voice yelled from outside her bedroom door. The voice she recognized as her mother.
“I’m coming!” she yelled back.
“Well hurry up, Jools. You’re going to be late for you’re session.” She heard her mothers foot steps stalking they’re way back down the hall. Jools sighed again and switched her gaze back to the photograph.
“This is your fault,” she told the picture and placed it face down.
Lying on the usual couch with Doctor Mary-Ann Whitbread staring at her; very little sympathy showing through her eyes.
“Would you like to begin again?” the doctor asked.
“No,” Jools spoke, calmly and slowly. “I’ve been going through this for the last 2 years. My dad’s dead. I get it. He left me with a mother that couldn’t give a damn about me. I hate her too you know? That’s probably another “issue” you should explore during our lovely sessions together. I’m over it. It doesn’t matter to me anymore. It’s just those bloody dreams that are bothering me. But according to you they’re not ’important’,” Jools raised her hands to make air quotes.
Doctor Whitbread tutted in an annoyed way. Jools sat up.
“What sort of psychiatrist are you?” Jools scowled.
The doctor tutted again.
“I’m a qualified psychiatrist. You’re just stubborn.”
Jools lied back down.
“Would you like to talk about the dreams?” Whitbread asked.
“Yes, I would,” Jools told her. “Every time I dream, it’s got something to do with the mirror my dad left me.”
Whitbread nodded and took notes.
“But last night I smashed it. I punched my reflection straight in the face and it smashed. But it was like; I didn’t expect it to smash. In previous dreams, I had touched the mirror and it hadn’t felt like real glass. It was smooth and kind of, wobbly.”
Whitbread looked up slowly.
“Wobbly?” she inquired.
“Yes,” Jools answered. “It was the strangest thing.”
“Yes. Indeed it is. Yes.” Whitbread hurriedly took more notes and then looked at her watch.
“Okay. Hmm. We’ve taken longer then expected. Out you go,” she said quickly.
Jools got up quickly.
“Okay, okay. Im going,” Jools said. At that moment the door open just as Jools went to open it and she smacked right into the next ‘patient’ of Doctor Whitbread.
“Sorry,” Jools said. “I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s okay,” the patient said. “It was my fault.” Jools looked up and inspected the other patient. It was a boy, about 17 maybe 18. He met Jools’ eyes with his. A brilliant shade of blue met her dull grey.
“Nathan,” Doctor Whitbread said to the boy. “Do come in. Jools! Hurry up out of here. There are other patients I have to see. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”
“But I…,” Jools started.
“See you tomorrow,” Whitbread said and ushered Nathan inside, pushing Jools inside in the process.
“See ya, Jools,” Nathan said with a smile that made Jools melt.
She managed to say bye without making a complete fool of herself.
She stayed silent on the car ride home with her mum, opting for listening to her apparent “emo” music instead of discussing her session. I smile still played at her lips over the new guy, Nathan. The butterflies in her stomach went crazy just at the thought of his name.
“What does it do?” a voice asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Jools answered the voice. Looking up she saw Nathan, the new guy that went to the same shrink as her. He smiled that smile again and Jools melted.
Nathan moved his hand towards the mirror like he was going to touch it and Jools slapped it.
“Don’t touch!” she told him.
“Why not? You said you don’t know what it did. Why can’t we try to figure it out?” Nathan replied. Jools shrugged. “I’m just scared it’s going to do something bad or something.”
“What gives you that impression; the fact that it’s a creepy old mirror or the fact that the surface of the mirror isn’t exactly made of glass?”
Jools simply nodded in response.
Nathan touched the mirror and was engulfed in a large yellow light. When the light vanished from sight, so had Nathan.
“It was that dream again, Dad,” she told the picture. “The one with your mirror.” She sighed. Her father wasn’t around to talk to her anymore. The last things she had from her father was the photograph and the mirror; the mirror that had been the key ingredient in her dreams for the last week. She rolled back onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
“GET UP!” a voice yelled from outside her bedroom door. The voice she recognized as her mother.
“I’m coming!” she yelled back.
“Well hurry up, Jools. You’re going to be late for you’re session.” She heard her mothers foot steps stalking they’re way back down the hall. Jools sighed again and switched her gaze back to the photograph.
“This is your fault,” she told the picture and placed it face down.
Lying on the usual couch with Doctor Mary-Ann Whitbread staring at her; very little sympathy showing through her eyes.
“Would you like to begin again?” the doctor asked.
“No,” Jools spoke, calmly and slowly. “I’ve been going through this for the last 2 years. My dad’s dead. I get it. He left me with a mother that couldn’t give a damn about me. I hate her too you know? That’s probably another “issue” you should explore during our lovely sessions together. I’m over it. It doesn’t matter to me anymore. It’s just those bloody dreams that are bothering me. But according to you they’re not ’important’,” Jools raised her hands to make air quotes.
Doctor Whitbread tutted in an annoyed way. Jools sat up.
“What sort of psychiatrist are you?” Jools scowled.
The doctor tutted again.
“I’m a qualified psychiatrist. You’re just stubborn.”
Jools lied back down.
“Would you like to talk about the dreams?” Whitbread asked.
“Yes, I would,” Jools told her. “Every time I dream, it’s got something to do with the mirror my dad left me.”
Whitbread nodded and took notes.
“But last night I smashed it. I punched my reflection straight in the face and it smashed. But it was like; I didn’t expect it to smash. In previous dreams, I had touched the mirror and it hadn’t felt like real glass. It was smooth and kind of, wobbly.”
Whitbread looked up slowly.
“Wobbly?” she inquired.
“Yes,” Jools answered. “It was the strangest thing.”
“Yes. Indeed it is. Yes.” Whitbread hurriedly took more notes and then looked at her watch.
“Okay. Hmm. We’ve taken longer then expected. Out you go,” she said quickly.
Jools got up quickly.
“Okay, okay. Im going,” Jools said. At that moment the door open just as Jools went to open it and she smacked right into the next ‘patient’ of Doctor Whitbread.
“Sorry,” Jools said. “I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s okay,” the patient said. “It was my fault.” Jools looked up and inspected the other patient. It was a boy, about 17 maybe 18. He met Jools’ eyes with his. A brilliant shade of blue met her dull grey.
“Nathan,” Doctor Whitbread said to the boy. “Do come in. Jools! Hurry up out of here. There are other patients I have to see. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”
“But I…,” Jools started.
“See you tomorrow,” Whitbread said and ushered Nathan inside, pushing Jools inside in the process.
“See ya, Jools,” Nathan said with a smile that made Jools melt.
She managed to say bye without making a complete fool of herself.
She stayed silent on the car ride home with her mum, opting for listening to her apparent “emo” music instead of discussing her session. I smile still played at her lips over the new guy, Nathan. The butterflies in her stomach went crazy just at the thought of his name.
“What does it do?” a voice asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Jools answered the voice. Looking up she saw Nathan, the new guy that went to the same shrink as her. He smiled that smile again and Jools melted.
Nathan moved his hand towards the mirror like he was going to touch it and Jools slapped it.
“Don’t touch!” she told him.
“Why not? You said you don’t know what it did. Why can’t we try to figure it out?” Nathan replied. Jools shrugged. “I’m just scared it’s going to do something bad or something.”
“What gives you that impression; the fact that it’s a creepy old mirror or the fact that the surface of the mirror isn’t exactly made of glass?”
Jools simply nodded in response.
Nathan touched the mirror and was engulfed in a large yellow light. When the light vanished from sight, so had Nathan.