Under a lone street light I stand. Shadows are cast, distorting my short frame into a long lanky figure under the light as the yellow hue of it dances across my ratty, beat up sneakers. I stand and breath in the stale cold air as I gaze into the sea of grey that cornered me; suffocating myself with the fog as thick as pea soup. There’s no way to go without guaranteeing myself the safety, or even light. The only light I have as of now is the street light and the unpromising black night with only a speckle of stars to keep me company.
I’ve got no idea what the hell called me here, or even what possessed me to listen to the voices that haunted me. Voices would whisper empty promises into my head while alone at night when I tossed and turned; trying to drown them out. I should’ve told someone. I should’ve told them about the demonic whispers that took over me. But I didn’t. I didn’t because I knew they’d lock me up in an asylum. An asylum of the insane and damned, of people like me who heard voices and went insane.
I didn’t tell anyone and here I am. Under a damn streetlight in the middle of only God knows where. I dare not move, or even flinch from my only source of light in fear that I’d walk around with a sense of direction or sight in this city of fog. I try to think back to the last time I did anything but my mind turns up blank. Great. No memory or thought. I wish someone would wake me up from this insane nightmare. Why is it that I can’t remember anything? This is driving me absolutely crazy. From the distance, I hear voices taunting me into the fog.
Suddenly, I see an outline of a person emerging from the fog. Finally, a person. But… What if it’s not a person? I’ve never been big on horror movies but I never really got scared easily. I probably should feel something. Alarmed or confusion surely, but right now, all I can feel is a sense of warmth. Like I’m being approached by someone I know. My heart beats faster as it gets closer and I feel a grin beginning to tug at the corner of my mouth. I feel like a puppet; controlled by its master, Unable to voice its opinion, with strings attached by every limb, telling it where its loyalty should lie.
I get the strangest sensation of excitement as I can hear its footsteps lingering closer. Finally, it emerges, waving away the fog and coughing. My mouth drops as it steps under the streetlight and I’m able to see it under the glowing yellow hue.
It’s me. Faces identical, and complexion the same with every single freckle placed with extreme care and precision. Emerald green eyes gaze into their twin as its mouth curves into a wide smile. From the messy, sandy brown hair to the ratty converse shoes laced upon my feet; the person in front of me is best mirror I could ask for. There’s something quite off about it him but I can’t put a finger on it.
Green eyes. Check
Brown shaggy hair. Check.
Freckles with a dimple in the chee- Suddenly, I know what’s off.
The dimple on my right cheek is on the left. Soon, I examine “myself” closely and realize that a lot of things are in reverse. Dimple in the right cheek instead of left, Hair parted to the right instead of left and the one crooked tooth on the left side instead of right. I start to feel a sense of dread washing over my relief from earlier.
“Er- Um… You really have no idea where you are… do you?” his voice interrupts my train of thought.
“I’m afraid not… I can’t remember anything I’ve done at all” I say, in a voice just above a whisper. This was just too creepy for my liking. I can’t believe there was another world, with another me.
He laughs and starts to explain. “This is where you go when you drift off to sleep. Very few people stay here and remember it because it’s just so boring. Usually, people go off and make their own dreams. We call this world “The Mirror”, It’s also known as a second life. After you drift off to sleep, this is where you go. Another life. Another chance, and a completely different fate. As you go to school and live in your first life, I live here” he says, closing his mouth and waits for me to react.
This is trippy. Way too trippy for my liking. It’s really all I can say.
“Okay… but can you please tell me how to get out? This is really starting to scare me” I say, as a huge wave of dread washes over me. “I’m really happy to meet you and all, but I’m getting freaked out” I say, with a quiver in my voice as my pulse sky rockets.
My clone’s eyes widen and fires in the emerald green eyes take over. He’s angry but he’s trying to keep himself together. He puts his arm around me and points my face to the black night sky.
“That’s how you get out. You have to climb that streetlight and jump” he says with a mischievous smile imprinted on his face. Before I could thank him, he envelopes me into a rib crushing hug. I hugged this stranger back. “I’ve been stuck here… Much too long…” he says in a hoarse whisper. “Free me…” he says, as he starts to cackle. Before I knew it, I could feel a sharp object being thrust into my stomach. I gasp for breath as my own blood covers the ground and my twin throws me to the ground and grins evilly.
The last thing I could remember seeing before losing consciousness was a knife stuck into my stomach and my twin climbing up the pole as he screamed;
“You’ve had your turn at life. It’s my turn to live now”
