Unconventional Love

Strangeness

It was dark and damp. The air feeling particularly chilly as he hurriedly inhales it, feeling as if it were freezing his lungs from inside out. Gasping, he continues to run. He does not understand his current situation.Why is he running? Where even is he? He glances at the road beneath his bare feet.Granite? No, not granite,cement.Cold cement. He can not feel his feet. Suddenly he sees a light appear ahead. His body stops without him commanding it to do so. He barely dares to breathe as he tries to get his body to move, struggling and failing as the light seemingly moves closer.What's going on? He thinks desperately, Why can't he move? A scream strangles in his throat as panickly tries to call for help. The light is closer now, any minute it will be on him. He does not know why the thought of it is causing his throat to close and his body to sweat. He closes his eyes.If he does not see it, he rationalizes,there is not any reason to be scared.

Straining his ears for any sounds around him, he wills himself to calm down. The light is on him now. He can see it despite his eyes being tightly closed. Taking a few extra minutes to calm his racing heart and steady his breathing, he remains silent and still with his eyes firmly closed. Slowly peeking from beneath his long dark lashes, he sees.. a mirror?What's going on? Why would a mirror appear in the middle of nowhere? And, much more confusingly, why would a mirror terrify him like this? Staring at this strange mirror, he feels the control over his body disappear. He can move freely now, which he admits, makes his heart beat slow and his breathing to even out.

"Wow", he chuckles lightly. "Being unable to control my own body is my worst fear.. I guess." Now calm, he investigates the peculiar mirror. It was actually sort of beautiful. It was painted a golden bronze color and encased in wood. There were strange carving all in the wood. The most notable detail of this mirror, he reckons, has to be the way it was resting on two sculpturally guarded pho dogs feet. Stepping closer, he lightly touches the mirror resting in the center. It ripples beneath his fingertips, as if he is sticking his hand into water. Pulling his hand away, he glances down to see if it is wet.Maybe the mirror was actually made of water? .. Nope, not wet, he concludes, so not made of water. His curiosity is growing and he moves closer still.If it is actually a mirror, shouldn't he see his own reflection? Inching his face closer, he actually can see something .. but it is NOT his face he sees!

He tilts his head. He is obviously looking at a man he has not seen before. Not a particularly short man but definitely shorter than him. His skin was so white it seemed to reflect the light while in contrast his hair was so dark as if absent of any.Who was this? Why, when looking into a mirror.. is this the reflection he sees? As he slowly ponders the man suddenly opened his eyes. His beautiful bright blue eyes.It is like he is staring directly into the sky.

"Wow" he heard. He looks at the mans lips in confusion. Did he say something? He did not see his mouth move though. The man in the mirror smiles in amusement and one of his dark eyebrows slowly raises.Was he laughing at him? Could it be that-that the one who spoke just now was actually himself?

"Who are you?" He asks the stranger. He watches as the man slowly tilts his head to one side. "Where are we?" He questions. Again the man just stares at him with those slightly unnerving blue eyes. He does not answer nor does he bother to look away. Something in those eyes causes a shiver to race down his spine. Is he scared of this- this man? He doesn't feel scared though. His heart almost feels at ease.How strange.

Moving to touch the mirror again, he sees his hand pass through the mirror this time. Seeing his hand disappear into the surface, the man visibly startles. He starts to frantically shake his head side to side.He is clearly telling him not to do this. He looks scared.Could he be warning him? Seeing the man near panicking at him just putting his hand through the mirror, he slowly pulls his hand away. As he hand leaves the mirror's surface, the man in the mirror calms almost instantly.

"Okay! I won't try to touch or enter the mirror again! Don't be scared" he finds himself comforting the stranger.Why does his heart hurt seeing him agitated?Why does he have this overwhelming need to reassure him?

"Can you tell me your name? Or where we are?" he questions softly as to not startle the stranger again. But he still does not say anything, just stares and smiles.Such a pretty smile. Maybe if he speaks to him the stranger will open up? He starts talking, blurting random information about himself. "My name is Zhao Lei. I am turning twenty eight this year. I am the one and only rightfully king of the Songhai dynasty. I have served as king for about five years now. My citizens are very loyal to the crown." he pauses. Does it sound like he's trying to boast? But what else could he tell him? All through this little speech he hasn't done anything but smile.. maybe-

"Can you even hear me?" Still nothing.The stranger in the mirror did not even so much as blink.What is he supposed to do? He slowly looks around.There is nothing around him but an endless darkness. The only source of light is coming from the mirror.What? Is he expected to just sit here and stare at this man?

"This makes absolutely no sense." he mutters. "If you can't hear me what - wait -wait! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" In the midst of his sentence he notices that the mirror seems to be fading bit by bit. In another second it is completely gone! He waves his hand through the air where the mirror had just stood. Nothing. As if it had never existed to begin with. As if He had never existed. It did not take long before Zhao Lei felt that he himself were fading.Or maybe the world around him was? Either way it suddenly felt to Zhao Lei that he no longer existed. How scary, he mused.