The teenager bounced off the spiral staircase in her pyjamas when she heard the doorbell. Expecting it to be the postman or a delivery man from a courier service, she was excited. It was her 16th birthday and she was expecting something from her friends. Her excitement died down when she saw two men in a blue uniform carrying in a huge item wrapped in brown paper. Her mother asked those men to carry it to the basement and from there, Samantha knew it wasn’t hers.
“What’s the matter, Sam?” her mother asked when she realised the bright smile from her daughter’s face disappeared.
“It’s nothing,” she answered shortly.
“You were expecting something?” Samantha nodded. “Who said this isn’t for you?”
“It is way too big and it is in the basement now,” Samantha reasoned.
“Come here,” her mother reached out her hand but Samantha ignored it. “I’ll show you something after those men leave.”
“You promise?” Her mother nodded. “I am going to get clean up and change. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
Samantha climbed the stairs lazily with different thoughts in her mind. Her mother gave her no clue about the huge item or what she was going to show her. She wanted to be excited but tried not to because she didn’t want to be left disappointed just like her previous birthday. However, during her shower she couldn’t help but wonder what her mother had for her. Before heading downstairs, she put on a white t-shirt and shorts.
“Are you ready?” her mother asked when she was on the final step.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered.
“Let’s go to the basement,” her mother led the way as Samantha walked behind her.
“I hate the basement,” Samantha stopped in her tracks. “Can we have breakfast first?”
“Sam, the basement is just a place to store things. Many people even live in the basement,” her mother reasoned.
“But our basement is haunted,” Samantha shot back as she remembered seeing a huge dark figure with red glowing eyes when she was a child. She told her parents about it but nobody believed her. When she was twelve, she went to the basement again and saw a woman in a grey dress staring back at her. There was something sinister about the basement and no matter how much Samantha wanted to use the spacious basement for her own project, she decided not to.
“It is not haunted,” her mother laughed. “I’ve been down there almost every week and it is fine.”
“But they were there. I’ve seen them.”
“They won’t be there because I’ll be with you. You are not alone,” her mother smiled. “Come, let’s go.”
“Fine, just this one time,” Samantha gave in although she didn’t really want to go to the basement.
When her mother opened the door and switched on the lights, she stood at the top of the wooden stairs. The air was heavy and there was a musky smell in the basement. It looked the same except for a small table by the window and the newly bought item. The basement was dark, a little too dark for Samantha’s liking and the more time she spent in there the more she wanted to leave.
“I’ve come, I’ve seen and I’m leaving,” Samantha said while she was still on the stairs.
“Sam, come on,” her mother called out and reluctantly she continued going down the stairs. Her mother walked towards the huge item and she followed. She turned to her and said, “This is your gift from me.”
“Really? This is really for me?” excitement rose in Samantha’s voice. That gift was taller than she was. With not another word, she tore off the brown paper and bubble wrap until the gift was visible.
“A mirror?” disappointment in her voice as she ran her fingers along the carved side of the mirror. It was chipped and Samantha knew it was probably from a second hand shop.
“Not just any mirror,” her mother corrected her. “This is a looking glass.”
“I don’t understand.”
“This looking glass belonged to my great grandmother and it is passed down from one generation to the next.”
“Great, I am getting an old item which collects dust and has a fancy name.”
“No, this is not an ordinary looking glass, Sam. With this you can step into time.”
“Time?”
“Past, present and future,” her mother explained, wiping the corner of the mirror. “Use it carefully or else there will be consequences.”
“How reliable is this?”
“Try it and you’ll find out,” her mother stated.
“Now?” Samantha asked.
“Yes, I’ll be upstairs,” her mother replied. “Happy Birthday, Sam.”
The fear Samantha had for the basement disappeared when she was distracted by the looking glass. She cleaned the mirror and gazed at her reflection. Very slowly, she walked towards the mirror and placed her palms on it. It shook and vibrated for a few seconds. When Samantha looked up, her reflection disappeared. It was replaced with a familiar song and when she looked at her surroundings, she found herself dancing with her crush from school.
Carina Lim bears different messages through her fiction. These messages could be useful in life. She can be contacted at mermaidgal03@yahoo.com
