In the west, the sun was rising. And with it rose the Mirror Watchers. Among them was Tavi- a novice Watcher at only thirteen years old.
Tavi had always been special. When she was born without a birthmark on the sole of her left foot, the birthmark that marked her as a Mirror Watcher, the news quickly spread throughout the parallel world she called home. She quickly grew famed at the age of five, when she cracked her own mirror. The world waited with baited breath, for if a Watcher’s mirror breaks he is forever lost from the realm. Where a soul finds itself afterwards was any Watcher’s guess. Thankfully, the crack was quickly and skillfully repaired by the most respected Elder in Tavi’s town- the revered Lionel Belinov. Then, at age eleven, Tavi ran away for three days and three nights, leaving her mirror unattended and forgotten. Much to Belinov’s frustration, at least thirty other Mirror Watchers neglected their reflection duties to search for the missing Tavi. This, of course, left their charges reflection-less and increasingly suspicious about why any mirror they happened to look into was empty. Since then, Tavi had not tried to cause any problems- yet they kept happening.
This morning, Tavi got ready as usual. Her mother quickly lectured her to obey the Elders’ rules and to be extremely careful near her mirror. With brown hair and eyes, the woman looked nothing like Tavi.
“Your father has already broken his mirror and been lost for eternity,” Alana repeated as usual. “You are all I have left, Tavi, you must never leave.”
Tavi promised, like she did each morning, not to leave her mirror or crack it or cause any other trouble, and left to go to her watching room. She positioned herself before her mirror with its large, gleaming golden frame edged in pale sapphires and the darkest of rubies. Still visible after all those years was the faint crack forming a half-moon- the shape of a regular Watcher’s birthmark- in the top left corner. A thin line of dried herb paste was oozing out of the crack- Belinov’s handiwork was still holding. Then Tavi’s charge appeared- a regular human from the regular world, Tavi thought enviously. Sporting a pale blue blouse, this girl was like the mirror image of Tavi. Her hair, parted on the left, was the opposite of Tavi’s- parted on the right. She smiled widely to herself, admiring her fine hazel eyes and dark, lush eyelashes, and began to brush her straight, black hair. Tavi lifted her lips into a lifeless grin and did the same. The girl, who, the same as every charge bore the name of her reflection, brushed her teeth. She preferred to be called by her nickname, Belle, rather than the moniker she thought of as lame and boyish. For this reason, and for numerous, uncountable others, Tavi hated her. It didn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone- for who would love the person to whom they are only mere reflections- but the Elders sternly corrected her whenever she mentioned her dislike. Hating your own charge, they reasoned, was equivalent to hating yourself, because every Watcher is the essence of their charge. Alone, a Watcher is no one, a meaningless wisp of clouds, an invisible soul without a reason to exist, the Elders would repeat to her as she scowled defiantly. Tavi did not take them seriously, for she hated the Elders nearly as much as she hated Belle. But she had learned long ago that resisting the Elders would only mean more trouble, so she calmly pretended to listen and agree. Tavi had resolved never to mention her hatred to anyone again after she had repeatedly been slapped and told the same lecture.
Now Tavi glared at Belle defiantly, daring not to mimic her charge’s expression. It took Belle a few moments to notice that her reflection bore a hardened, hostile face. She only laughed, marveling at how good of an actress she must be, before grinning widely again. Tavi, however, kept her cynical, defiant stare as she shot the darkest looks she could manage at Belle. Perspiration dotted her brow, and she snarled with rage. Her cheeks burned a bright crimson. She was tired of only reflecting this being that could freely do whatever she wished!
Belle became conscious of the wicked expression her reflection was wearing. Her face became a mask of confusion and, horribly hidden beneath, fear. She was an ignorant human who did not know of the parallel world and her true reflection, of the being that waited on her night and day. Just as Tavi began to growl and lunged at her mirror, mounted on a fragile wall, Belle leaped away and screamed. Now she was invisible to Tavi, who couldn’t be more relieved that her charge was gone. Tavi even allowed herself a smug smile. The grin may have faded, but she remained smug as she sat before her mirror, confident that Belle would not dare to show herself again that day. Tavi did not notice the blond head of a messenger duck out of her room. He headed straight for the courtroom where the Elders resided.
News traveled quickly, especially when it regarded Tavi. Within three hours, another breathless messenger arrived next to Tavi.
“The Council of Elders wishes to meet with you,” he wheezed. “At once.”
Tavi sucked in her arrogant expression and rose to follow the man. She wasn’t worried- the Elders punished her the same way each time she broke a sacred rule.
It took only minutes before she arrived at the all too familiar courtroom of the Council of Elders. A long wooden table glazed to a shiny finish gleamed upon a raised platform. Nineteen Elders dressed in grey sat in matching chairs around the table, with Lionel Belinov in a navy blue suit seated at the head. The discussing officials did not notice Tavi enter the room with the messenger, who was so out of breath that he neglected the bugle call that announced the arrival of a rule breaker. Standing next to the platform, her head barely reaching a third of the way to the top of it, Tavi let out an annoyed sigh.
“We should shatter her mirror,” piped a high, excited voice- the newly appointed Nineteenth Elder, Tavi recalled.
The Eighteenth Elder, seated next to him, whispered gruffly back. “Are you crazy? This is all because of that father of hers- first breaking the rules, and then shattering the mirror himself.” The man wasn’t aware that he was speaking loud enough for the entire courtroom to hear.
Finally, the messenger pulled out his trumpet and gave one long blow. The room quieted and Belinov called to Tavi to climb onto the seat that was used to house the rule breaker. She reluctantly obeyed and made her way up the stone stairs. Her eyes gleamed defiantly and smiled confidently to the Elders.
One of the Elders piped up. “What did she do now?” He asked, shuffling through the pile of papers passed his way.
“Yes,” Belinov said. “Yes. Tavi Allendorf, I think you should tell us. What is it you did now?”
Tavi maintained her confident expression as she turned calmly to face Belinov. “I broke the most important rule, as you call it.” She spoke as though the fact that she had gone where no Mirror Watcher had gone in the past century- breaking the sacred rule of always mimicking their charge- did not bother her in the slightest. In truth, it bothered her a bit more than she cared to show. She knew that her offense could mean the worst penalty an Elder could resort to- the shattering of her mirror, the end of her existence as a Mirror Watcher.
Belinov loved torturing Tavi. “And how, exactly,” As he cleared his throat, Tavi saw clearly the amused expression on his face. “How did you do that?”
With a teasing smile on his face he turned to each of the Elders in turn. “I’m sure all of us need reminding. What, my dear Tavi, is the single most important rule which all Mirror Watchers must follow? And will risk the end of their existence if they break it?” By the end of his short speech Belinov’s voice had turned hostile. He glared angrily at Tavi, who did not appear to care in the slightest.
“Well,” she paused. “I did a lot of things wrong since you last forced me to go here. Where should I start?” She turned smartly to Belinov.
“How about you start with today?” he snarled. No chief Elder had needed to shatter a mirror in ages- Belinov did not want to be the first.
“I- I didn’t do the same thing as Belle,” she whispered. “I didn’t…”
“Exactly.” Belinov turned to the nineteen Elders staring open-mouthed at each other. “Now what do you suggest we do to punish this young lady?”
Each Elder spent a great deal of time in silence, thinking of suitable punishments. They considered breaking Tavi’s mirror. This idea was quickly cast out by a frowning Lionel Belinov, who reminded everyone that no matter how large her offenses were Tavi Allendorf was merely thirteen years old. So in turn, every Elder mentioned his idea for a penalty. Most were, like the first, abandoned.
In the end, Belinov called to the messenger to bring the code of laws. Hidden in the chief Elder’s study, it had not been needed for the past three centuries. There had never been any need for it- no crime was so offensive that it required consulting ancient rules for the direst consequences. Naturally, it took a great deal of time for the skinny man- only a boy, really, Tavi realized- to lug the enormous book through the halls and into the courtroom. Tavi could not restrain the quiet gasp that escaped her just then. She had not thought that what she did was so horrible. At the little sound, every head in the room turned. Tavi did not look quite as brave anymore. On the contrary, she appeared sick. It did not take long for her to change her expression to a blank stare. She mustn’t appear weak before the Elders, she thought.
The book of laws was placed before Belinov and he gingerly, almost hesitantly reached out to open it. First, a thud echoed through the room- the thick cover of the book had been opened. Next, a gentle rustling of papers ensued as Belinov carefully turned each page and skimmed it for any information regarding Tavi’s crime. Silence reigned in the courtroom. Soon a pattern of sounds began to form: the papers rustling as the chief Elder searched, an occasional grunt from another Elder. The soft pitter-patter of feet upon the floor as the messenger left the room, headed to his own mirror. The whine of the door as secretaries and other messengers began to file in for the final court ruling. Tavi, tapping her feet ever so gently. The ticking of a clock hung above the Elder’s table.
The Nineteen Elders, Tavi and the entire audience began to relax. A sudden, violent thud woke them from their dreamy state. Belinov had slammed the code of laws closed in a sudden burst of frustration, and Tavi’s head snapped towards the audience- and her mother, who was wearing a pained expression.
“The book is too large to find an answer so quickly. Let us keep her under watch until we find a better solution,” Lionel Belinov cried. With that, he dismissed the audience, Tavi and the rest of the Elders.
Two of them accompanied Tavi on her way home, and they did not leave her side for two full days. Her mother was only allowed to give her occasional smiles and looks of disapproval when she passed Tavi’s watching room. No one was allowed to speak to her. A messenger brought them the latest rulings and ideas of the chief Elder periodically. Finally, they were summoned again to the court. Tavi was instructed to stay behind until she was sent for. She could not have been happier to oblige and waited eagerly until she was alone before her mirror. Reveling in the moments of solitude, she did not notice the messenger, dressed in a bright red suit, enter her room. His sharp burst of words startled her.
“You are summoned by the chief Elder, and must report to the courtroom at once.”
The messenger was a boy barely older than Tavi with shaggy blond hair and a lost expression. As he reached to help her out of her chair, his leg entangled with the chair’s and he fell forward onto Tavi, who crashed into the mirror. A terrified scream pierced the air, followed by the furious footsteps of Tavi’s mother. The horrified messenger only glimpsed the shattered shards of Tavi’s mirror before the girl disappeared into thin air.
The first thing Tavi noticed was how she seemed to float above the ethereal darkness speckled with white stars. It spread out all around her, and a fierce light shone from one side. From another, a red orb, and just visible on the other was a floating blue circle. Blue…. Tavi fought to float towards the blue globe far off in the distance, but some unseen force pushed her back to the red light. She screamed, but the sound was lost in the blackness. A vibrating wave of sound hit her and Tavi felt herself blasting forwards, towards the wondrous blue. As she came closer, some specks of green and brown became visible. Then the darkness consumed her, and even the blue light disappeared.
At first, Tavi wasn’t surprised. In fact, she felt rather relieved. She found herself on firm, sturdy soil, and before her, in the distance, was the town she had lived in all her life. The trees, the houses, even the courtroom roof rising up into the air- it all beckoned Tavi forth.
But as she came closer to the familiar town, Tavi sensed something was wrong. She couldn’t read the odd sign as the very outskirts. It looked identical to the one she knew so well, but the words were undecipherable. The streets seemed unusually crowded. Then Tavi noticed why. The sidewalks were crammed with more people than she had ever seemed in one place, and large metal vehicles with four wheels roared so loudly that Tavi wondered if she had gone deaf.
Nearly all of the people passing her bore unfamiliar faces. Some nodded her way and greeted her before quickly continuing to their destinations. The few that Tavi did recognize stared at her blankly when she approached and asked the way to her home. They shook their head and said that they were sorry, but they did not know her. And they went on their way. Tavi identified Belinov and numerous messengers. She was so desperate in her search that she turned to approach the Elder. She stopped in her tracks when she saw what Belinov was wearing. The trademark navy blue suit worn by all chief Elders was gone. In its place were unfamiliar fabrics: stiff blue pants, a thin, loose shirt that appeared at least two sizes too big for him, and unnatural shoes with shockingly white laces. Such attire was never seen or used in the land of reflections where Tavi was from. Even the messengers wore unusual clothes nothing like their uniforms. With a churning feeling in her gut, Tavi forced herself to realize that she was not in Mire anymore. But where was she?
At least one thing was familiar- wooden benches painted black were visible on each street. Tavi dropped down onto one in despair. Everything appeared to be the same as it was at home- but then it was nearly the opposite: hundreds of people, grinding metal cars, signs written backwards. Roaring, a thunderous metal beast nearly three times the size of the others crashed past Tavi. It screeched to a violent stop a few yards away- and out stepped someone who Tavi thought she would never see again.
A tall, dark-haired man with olive skin that even from a distance appeared handsome emerged from the beast in strikingly familiar clothes- a two piece, red suit, like that which each messenger wore. His quick, singular gait made Tavi certain that this was who she thought it was. She sprinted towards the disappearing figure.
“Father!” she yelled, her voice barely noticeable above the din of the city. “Pieter! Pieter!” The rest seemed to happen in slow motion. The city sounds became a quiet blur, and Tavi’s long-lost father turned around to see a girl running to him. Her features were nearly undistinguishable, but he immediately recognized Tavi- his daughter.
“Tavi!” he cried, and ignoring the rest of the world, first walked and then ran to greet his daughter. Tears of joy sprung from his eyes as he finally reached her. “Tavi,” he repeated softly, embracing her tightly and hoping to never let go. It was Tavi who finally stepped away.
“Tavi,” Pieter whispered. “Why are you here? What happened?”
“They broke my mirror, I mean, I did, on accident,” Tavi said.
“How is your mother?” There was a pained, hopeful look in Pieter’s eyes.
“She is still in Mire. Ever since you left, she has been different. And now…” Tavi looked at her father hopelessly. “Where are we?”
Pieter suppressed a grim smile and said, “Tavi, we are no longer in Mire. We are on the Earth- the land of our charges.”
Tavi’s jaw dropped. Her racing thoughts settled on one question. “Is there a way to come home, to Mire?”
Pieter shook his head solemnly. “I have tried, Tavi. I wanted to go back for you, and for your mother.”
“Then there is no way? We are stuck here forever?”
“There may be a way to return to Mire. A fountain is found at the corner of the Calathean Forest. In its depths is a door to Mire, but we will have only four hours before we will be transported back to Earth.”
“A fountain? But will Mother be able to return with us?” Tavi asked.
“Yes. It is the only way. Do you remember, after your mirror was shattered, the red and blue lights? The blue is Earth. The red is where nearly all of the reflections go when their time is up. Only a certain few have the power to resist the pull of the red light, and I fear taking a chance to see if your mother is one of them.”
Tavi nodded, and Pieter turned to speak to her again. “I do not know where the forest is, or in which corner the fountain will be. But I have found a book that may hold the answers.”
The book was an immense and heavy volume. Unlike the writing used on the strange Earth, its words were written in the tongue each resident of Mire knew. Tavi did not ask where her father had gotten the book. She simply rejoiced in his company and him. The fateful moment four years ago, when her father had shattered his mirror in a fit of anger, no longer ran through her mind as constantly as it once had. Together, Tavi and her father studied the book for desperate hours. Hours that turned into days, then weeks. Tavi stole what necessities she and her father needed to survive. The vendors on the streets, people in stores- nearly everyone made a good target. The very first time she had stolen, she had waited until the street vendor was engaged in a conversation with a customer. Then she had rushed in and grabbed whatever was in reach, and sprinted away. Shouts and thumping feet followed her as she ducked into the alley that led to her home. Pieter was waiting for her in an abandoned tenement building on the west side of the town. Visible from one of its smashed windows was a spreading, never-ending forest on the outskirts of the town.
As Pieter read, Tavi waited. She stared out of the window and into the depths of the forest. She saw the horizon, a line of trees rising into the distance before her. Beyond even those were three mountains. Two on either side formed a ravine, the one between them, a beak holding an olive branch. Tavi thought of a bird flying through the deadly ravine to save its family in some distant land. The bird reminded her of herself, trying to return to Mire to save her mother.
In Mire, she would have given anything for such idle days free of being a Mirror Watcher. On Earth, Tavi longed for anything to happen.
It was three weeks before Pieter found the Calathean forest mentioned in his book. One sentence spoke of three mountains and a dove in the midst of trees. The next instructed to turn to the rising sun to find the fountain.
For the first time since Tavi’s arrival, Pieter set down his book. Staring out the window with Tavi, he noticed the distant mountains as if for the first time. He turned to face Tavi.
“A dove,” he murmured. “Three mountains…. Trees.” Then Pieter’s head snapped up to look at the mountains. The beak with an olive branch was a dove!
“Tavi!” Pieter said. “I know where the forest we are looking for can be found. It was right here before us the whole time.” And he gestured out the window.
Carrying the few belongings they had on their backs, Tavi and her father walked to the edge of the vast forest. The leaves high above their heads shone a light green in the sun, and the road underfoot crunched as they walked. The inside of the forest was shielded from view by the growth and the impenetrable darkness.
Tavi had stolen a compass from the store, and pulled it out. She pointed her father due east, and followed him into the gloom, listening to the crunch of stones beneath their feet turn into the soft whisper of leaves. Pieter had scavenged a flashlight and a pair of batteries, and the dim beam lit their way. Due east took them straight along the edge of the forest that bordered the city. The corner was not far away at all, and both Tavi and Pieter marveled at the simplicity of their task. Their voices seemed like a whispering wind squeezing through the forest’s dense undergrowth. It calmed them and kept each other sane in the silence of the woods.
For a while, they walked in silence. Tavi observed Pieter. He had changed since he had disappeared from Mire. Faint wrinkles were visible on his forehead, and his eyes shone of a weariness that hadn’t been there in Mire.
The east corner of the forest was so near that Tavi and Pieter reached it before nightfall. The last, dim light did not reveal any fountain to their eyes. Tavi’s bleary ones only saw a blur of green and brown and black. Even Pieter’s observant, sharp eyes saw nothing but a forest. In an unspoken agreement, Tavi turned south and Pieter began to search towards the south-west. Tavi propped up the flashlight and turned it on. The beam shone straight up and would help guide them back to their camp.
When the first beams of sunlight shone through the canopy of leaves above, they illuminated two slumped figures on the forest floor. One was gently snoring, the other tossed every so often. Two bags lay next to them.
The morning chatter of the birds awoke Tavi first. She opened her eyes blearily and turned to see Pieter next to her. She gently nudged him until his eyes fluttered open.
“The fountain,” he whispered as he sat up. “It wasn’t there. I was wrong.”
“But the sun does rise in the east,” Tavi reminded him. “Doesn’t it?”
As if in revelation, Pieter shot up. Tavi rose to her feet more slowly.
“The book is not written for the people who live on Earth. It is written for us, the Mirror Watchers. The people of Mire. And there, the sun rises in the west, not the east.”
“How far away is the west corner?” she asked.
“It must be far away. We must hurry.” Pieter stood up and walked towards the heap of bags. He grabbed his and slung it carefully over his shoulder. He took a step, and ignoring a loud cracking, took another. Then the ground seemed to swallow him up.
Tavi rushed to the edge of the gaping hole. Barely visible down below was a fountain, and in it was Pieter. She sat down at the edge of the opening and eased herself in. Pieter moved below her and called out. Tavi loosened her hold on the dirt, and let herself drop. She landed securely in Pieter’s arms.
“The water is shallow here, but it is deep near the center. Hold onto me,” Pieter said. With that he lowered Tavi to the ground, grabbed her arm and walked into the deeper water. Skillfully he swam down to the floor of the fountain. A metal handle glistened to one side, and he reached for it. Tavi put her free hand onto the handle with her father’s, and together they pulled. It had not been opened for years, but the door finally gave in and opened. Some strange current seemed to pull Tavi and Pieter through the opening.
Once again, there was the floating and the darkness, and the three strange lights. And this time, Tavi drifted home, to Mire, to the bright, white light. Her father still gripped her arm, and together they waited for the moment of complete blackness. It didn’t come. Instead a wave was pulling them back to the red light, the Underworld of Mirror Watchers. They shot backwards until darkness overcame them. Both shared the same last thought before the blackness: they were heading not to Mire, but to the land of the dead.
It didn’t seem like they were in the land of the dead when Tavi and Pieter woke up. They were on the edge of their town, with a sign that they could read. Somehow, both dreaded the moment they entered the town. A strange air hung over the area; an air of doom and emptiness. Although neither Tavi nor Pieter wanted to admit it, both feared that Alana would not be waiting for them.
The road had never seemed so long and foreboding. Every footstep echoed loudly, and a high wind blew the dust into the air. Pieter shifted the bag on his back and reached for Tavi’s hand. She took large, striding steps to keep up with Pieter’s.
The street sign at the corner of their block was surprisingly familiar. The street, however, appeared empty of all life. Not a single Watcher, messenger, Elder or animal appeared. Each house was dark and the shades were drawn. Only one home had a light in its window. Visible through the glass was a silhouette of a crying woman.
It was that in that house that Tavi had been hoping to find life. That house was her house. Together, she and Pieter ran up the sidewalk to the door. Already the woman in the window had risen.
The door opened quietly. Then a quick cry of joy echoed down the street, and Tavi’s mother rushed out to greet her daughter and husband. An expression of shock and joy was frozen on her face, and her feet moved quicker and quicker. Pieter and Alana reached each other first. As Pieter held his wife tightly, she whispered to him, her head resting on his shoulder.
“Oh, Pieter, how did you come back?” Tears dripped down her face. Pieter raised a finger to her lips as Tavi ran up to them and grabbed her mother’s hand.
“Shh, we must leave Mire,” he said. “We have only a few minutes left.”
With that, darkness enveloped the family, and they began to drift towards the blue light.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would love any feedback if you have time to give some. It is dure on Friday! eek.
I am very aware that the ending is HORRIBLE.
