Mirror

10

My eyes fluttered open. The first thing that came to my view was the chalet-style sloping roof. Feeling drowsy and light-headed, I clenched my lids back together. It hadn't even been ten seconds when something snapped and awareness set me in. I wasn't in my apartment.

All traces of my sleep vanished just like that. Anxiously, my eyes shot open and my body jolted in an upright position. My panic filled every scan of each and every corner of the room and, indeed, I was not at my apartment but rather at an unknown place.

A myriad of emotions and questions promptly bombard my head. Among them, the most natural questions were...

Where am I?

How did you get here?

And I had no answers. I had no slightest clue to where I was, nor could my brain comprehend how I got here. Even after trying so hard to recollect what had happened, my memories were vague. I was only able to evoke fragments of my memories and those were not useful at all.

My shoulder slumped in defeat. Having nothing to do, my curiosity-filled orbs unmindfully roamed around the room absorbing the interior the room had to offer. A small, one-story cabin with vernacular architecture, built in wood.

This place would be an absolute dream come true were it not for the fact that the entire place was covered in dirt and filth. The windows were covered in thick with stagnant pools of grime. Cobwebs can be seen in every corner of the room.

The place stank like a sewer. I had barely suppressed the urge to throw up. Whoever lives here is not exactly a fan of cleaning.

My head was clouded with all these thoughts when, from a peripheral point of view, something caught my eye. My own reflection in the surprisingly spotless glass of a painting of a wolf hanging on the opposite wall. I had almost forgotten I was Oliver, but what stumped me was what I was dressed in.

My body was covered in a tight-fitting nylon shirt with matching trousers. The thought of seeing someone undress me, made me shiver in dismay. But the question is who changed me?

I see no presence here. I vividly remember that I was wearing a sore white shirt and baggy jeans.

A flash of memories came rushing back, invading my head. Overwhelming sense of dread embedded inside me. My heart was pulsating at a mad pace. Oh god, mirror... That mirror is cursed. It tried to kill me. At least that's what I think its intention was.

Shutting my eyes, I took a deep breath trying to calm myself. I don't know what's going on now, but one thing I know is sure. I have to get out of here before something happens.

Determined to leave this place, I leaped out of bed and my bare feet came in contact with the warm wooden flooring where sunbathing was pouring through the window. I was about to head to the door when another thought crossed my mind.

If my dress had been changed, surely someone was here or probably is still here. And I don't know what kind of person or people they are. He or they could be criminals.

I frantically searched around the room for something useful to aid as a weapon so I could protect myself. You never know what might happen next. But I didn't see anything useful. Inside the room were only earthen pots that held some water and a bed made of haystack on which I had laid earlier. No wonder my body hurts.

The previous determination suddenly seemed to be crumbling as, once again, fear started spearing its roots deep inside me when I didn't find anything that could protect myself. The room was basically empty.

'Relax, Ocean, everything you can do it. You just have to walk out of this place.' That's it'. I gave myself some words of encouragement. I was in desperate need of it and surprisingly it did work.

Feeling motivated again, my legs guided me towards the bedroom door. I was about to walk past the door frame when right away I bumped into something or rather someone making me stumble backwards, almost making me fall on my ass, but fortunately I didn't. Irritation surged through my veins.

I squinted; my annoyance sparkled in my eyes at the person who I bumped into. My body stiffened and a surprised gasp escaped my lips without meaning it when I took in his unusual appearance.

He had a loincloth that was secured by a breechclout which was partially covering his genitals as the only fabric to cover his mountain of a body. He seemed like Yanomami: indigenous people who live in the sss rainforest.

My eyes dropped in unease and embracement and I retreated a few steps backwards.

"Oh, you're awake....I thought you would never wake up," It came out like a question rather than a statement.

His question had my head craned up, making his hazel orbs connect to mine ocean blue. "Never wake up?"

"Yes, I found you unconscious two days ago deep inside the woods." Two days? Deep inside the wood?

I tried to understand how I ended up deep in the forest. There are no woods located near the apartment. My mind was incapable of thinking of any believable reason.

"Where am I?" I asked politely, putting on my strong face as tension began captivating my body.

"Mike, what's taking you so long," came a voice before the man who I apparently found was named Mike could answer.

Not only after, leisurely walking in a body. The sight unfolded in front of me had my heart leap to my throat. I couldn't believe my eyes. The lid of my eyes began flickering rapidly in incredulity as I stared down at the figure.

"Oh, she is awak-," Before the person could even complete, I screamed on top of my lungs.

My scream came to an end when someone squashed my cheeks in a tight grip. So tight that I was used to it, he was going to crash it mercilessly. My eyes shifted to the person only to see Mike throwing a dragger at me.

"Shut up boy, are you making my ears bleed," he spat, slightly loosening his grip.

Taking that as an opportunity, I swat his hand, and inch away from him. Despite Mike's harsh treatment and dread, he has seethed within me. I shockingly didn't seem to care about his threatening presence. Rather, I found myself looking back at the person who had just entered.

There, standing a few inches away from me was a possible woman. At least her hair, which was bald in the mid-upper front section that stops right at her pointer ears, gave me the impression she was a woman.

Her greenish skin almost seemed like she had hypochromic anemia. Her oversized craniums hang out her tiny mouth. Her evil, humongous eyes glowered right at me with the intention to throttle me, as her opposable thumb the saliva that was dripping down her chin.

Please don't tell me I am deported to Jupiter. She looked like an alien and not to forget an ugly one. Don't judge me. I never believe in the statement that no one is ugly in the world. Yes, I do find some people ugly, but I just keep it to myself. That's it …

"Didn't I tell you to leave him there? I warned you he's in trouble," she sneered, flashing her razor teeth.

Oh god, someone please save me...

My thoughts were interrupted when another frame emerged from the door and my eyes bulged further in astonishment. The person who had just walked in was the carbon copy of the woman standing inside the room. Except she wasn't bald and was a bit thinner compared to her.

"Is everything alright here? I heard someone's screaming," She carried a worried expression.

Even with similar features, this woman had a look of softness in her, unlike the first one. A surprise look crossed her face at the sight of me before her lips tugged into a warm smile which I, of course, didn't return.

All I could do was stand there, immovable, my eyes rapidly blinked as I looked back and forth between the three. My heart accelerated at twice the original pace and was about to jump out.

"Okay fine, where is the camera," I demanded after a minute of silence once I slightly recollected myself.

It was the only logical thing my mind could come up with. There is no hellish way this is real.

At the same time, my eyes moved left to right, but this time in search of a camera I found none or maybe it escaped my line of vision.

"Camllera? What is that?"

Mike grabbed my attention back. His face was scrunched up and brows angled upward. He seemed baffled.

Is he serious? Is this just a mere act? If yes, this man deserves an Oscar for his impeccable performance. Or are they really clueless?

And what is the Camllera?

Based on his behavior and expression, his reaction seemed genuine. These people act oddly. From the way they are dressed to the way they speak; everything says these people are serious alcoholics.

But I don't see any alcohol. A foul stinky smell from his mouth?

Definitely...yes.

God, I would be grateful if my nose was still capable of functioning.

On the other hand, the absurdity of the situation had me freaking out and devastated. Nothing lines up. My imagination had gone wild and was about to explode any second. My emotions were on the verge of collapse. This all seems weird. So bizarre. Whole ordeal.

Did I travel in parallel space?

No, this can't be. I immediately oppose my own thoughts and doubt even though I am self-aware I'm lying to myself. Deep within me I knew. The evidence was clear, but regardless of the circumstances, I simply refused to believe it.

Whatever it was, one thing was sure. My life is going for one hell of a ride...