Lightning flashes, brightening the elegant sitting room in the Sorensons elegant home shortly before thunder rattles the windows. The summer storm had come on suddenly, quashing the outdoor adventures the three ladies had had for their June afternoon, leaving them playing Bridge by candlelight. Unsuccessfully, that is, as Bridge is always better with four.
Bessie Sorenson tucks a stray strand of her brunette hair behind her ear as she gets up to light a few additional candles to adjust to the darkness. “It sounds like a bad one,” she frowns as she lights a match, holding it close to the candelabra. “We might be stuck here a while.”
“Then perhaps, we should do something more enjoyable.” Ada flashes her friends a grin as she lowers her cards. The look is conspiratorial, and Bessie instantly knows that this will be something beyond their everyday activities.
Charlotte also raises an eyebrow. “That’s your up to something face.”
“I have a face for that?” Ada laughs. “I never realized.”
“What are you getting at, Ada?” Bessie sighs as she comes back to the table. “Another parlor game you learned in Chicago?”
“Perhaps.” Ada turns to Bessie with a curious look. “Do you have a hand mirror?”
“Of course I do.” Vanity is the pride of every upper-class woman; therefore, they must be able to look at themselves at all times. Bessie’s mother has been buying them for her since she was a young girl, and while most of them have become broken at some time or other, she does have a lovely silver framed one that she did love. “Why?”
“When I was in Chicago, the women there taught me this ritual. They say that if you walk backward up the stairs while holding a candle and a mirror while reciting an incantation, you’ll see the face of your future husband in the mirror.”
Intrigued, Charlotte leans forward curiously. “And it works?”
“Hardly. We’ll look out for each other, won’t we, Charlotte?” Ada tosses her blond hair over her shoulder. “All you have to do is invoke Mary, and she’ll tell you your future.”
“Mary?” Bessie pushes the issue. It isn’t that she’s superstitious so much as having the uncanny ability not to tell the whole story. “Mary who?” Silence falls between the group for a moment, and Ada’s voice comes again, this time more firmly. “Ada.”
“Bloody Mary,” Ada admits sullenly. “You summon Bloody Mary.”
“Bloody Mary?” Bessie rolls her eyes. “Not that I believe in such things, but you want to invoke a ghost to learn the future?”
“It’s just a game, Bess. You don’t have to play if you do not wish.”
“No, you just wish to use my mirror and accidentally kill yourselves on my family’s stairs.”
“Oh, come on, Bess. It’ll be fun.” Well-meaning Charlotte flashes her a warm, well-meaning smile. “What harm could it do?”
Bessie, knowing she’s outnumbered and outsmarted, sighs heavily before getting to her feet. “Fine. I’ll go get the mirror.”
Ada claps her hands together happily. “Trust me, Bessie. Once you see your future husband, you won’t regret it.”
It takes ten minutes to fetch the mirror in question, as well as a candle that was easier to hold than the decorative candelabras in the parlor. Tipping the thicker candle towards the ones already lit, Bessie watches the quick flair as the wick catches before turning and holding it and the mirror off to the two girls in front of her.
“So? Who would like to go first?”
Both women seem apprehensive at the suggestion, and Bessie raises an eyebrow in return. “Oh, no. It’s not going to be me.” She eyes the two of them before turning and pointing the handle of the mirror at Ada. “It’s your game. Might as well show us how it’s done.”
Ada purses her lips at the suggestion before she finds her nerve and straightens her shoulders to take the mirror. “Right. Of course.” The free hand reaches out to take the candle before Ada leads the way to the Sorensons’ ornate front staircase. Long skirts swirl against the marble floor before she turns her back to the stairs and holding up her two tokens.
“Please be sure I won’t fall.”
Bessie opens her mouth to tell her that the best way not to fall is not to play this silly game at all, but Charlotte senses her impending need to be contrary and silences her with a look. Bessie sighs instead before offering something slightly more constructive. “Pick up your skirts, so you don’t trip backward.”
Before setting the candle on the end of the handrail, Ada looks down before reaching down and scooping her long skirt up in her hand, revealing some ankle but clearing her shoes for her inevitable backward rise. Once the material was secure in her fist, she picks up the candle again and takes a deep breath. Then, Ada lifts one foot and steps up onto the bottom step. Once that goes without any additional harm, she takes another.
“Bloody Mary.” Another step up the stairs punctuates each phrase. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Please show me the face of the one I will love most.” She repeats the incantation again and again as she makes her way up the stairs until she reaches the top and lets out a delighted laugh. The smile stays bright on her face as she begins to sweep her way back downstairs again.
“Oh, girls, you should have seen him. He’s divine.” She reaches the bottom and twirls in place, snuffing out the candle in the process. Bessie fights the urge to roll her eyes before taking the candle and making her way over to light it again.
“I’m glad you’re so pleased with your invisible suitor.” She returns to the entryway before thrusting the candle in Charlotte’s direction. “You’re next.”
“What?” Charlotte falters before blushing in surprise. “Oh, no. I couldn’t go next.”
“It’s nothing, Charlotte.” Ada eggs her on as she passes the other woman the mirror. “You’ll see. Go.”
Before repeating the process, Charlotte nods, gathering her skirts and making her slow, backward trek up the stairs. Her hand trembles slightly with the candle, but she keeps her eyes straight ahead on the mirror in her hand.
“Bloody Mary,” she begins, her voice softer and far less sure than Ada’s, almost as though she’s trying to be sure that she gets every word entirely correct. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Please show me the face of the one I will love most.”
Charlotte repeats the words again and again until she reaches the top, and a smile brightens her features. It seems to almost lend it more credence at the moment, as Ada is more likely to play up the situation to prove that she’s correct, but Charlotte wasn’t the same. She wasn’t the type to lie, which means she likely saw something. Whether it was an optical illusion or actually, the face of her true love is unclear.
Charlotte floats down to the other two. “He had the kindest eyes,” Charlotte replies, holding out the mirror to Bessie as she does. “I hope I meet him soon.”
“I hope you do too,” Bessie nods. If anyone deserved to be a mother and in a happy marriage, it was Charlotte. She was the kindest and most warm-hearted of the three of them, and Bessie only wanted the best for her.
Bessie then looks between the two of them and sighs as she takes the mirror. “I guess this means it’s my turn, then?”
Ada nods before waving one hand to the stairs. “To the top with you.”
Scooping her skirts in her hand, she takes the candle and makes her way to the foot of the stairs. The cold ledge of the bottom step digs onto her ankle, and she keeps track of the feeling, knowing that it will be the key to her not falling. Bessie going last means there can’t be any chance of her falling on her face.
“Bloody Mary,” she begins as she begins taking a step up towards her destination. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Please show me the face of the one I will love most.”
The thunder rattles the house again, catching Bessie by surprise and almost causing her to stumble. The hand with the candle reaches out to grab the banister as she begins to lose her balance. She pauses in her trek, bidding her heart rate to slow, and her breathing to calm, and Ada looks up at her, concerned, from the foot of the stairs.
“You alright, Bess?”
Bessie nods before straightening again. “Yes, I’m fine. It just caught me by surprise.”
A dark shape hovers in the corner of the mirror, but by the time she brings it up again, the form is gone. Bessie attributes it to one of her dress folds while she was catching her balance and tries again.
“Bloody Mary,” she begins again; this time, her voice slightly less sure of itself. She takes another step, continuing her ascent and repeating her plea. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Show me the face of the one I will love most.”
She glances away, briefly, when she reaches the top of the stairs to make sure she was steady at the top. When her eyes return to the mirror again, she sees a reflection staring back at her, but it isn’t hers. The woman had deep black hair parted down the middle and held back in a low bun. Her face was thin and long, but not unbecoming – or it wouldn’t have been, were it not for the deep, dark circles under her eyes. She stares back at her intently, and Bessie sees her mouth move as though to speak.
“Help me.”
Wind whips around her, blowing out the candle as a scream tears through her. The mirror slips from her fingers, falling onto the solid stair and shattering into several large pieces as a result. The world begins to swirl, and Bessie stumbles before everything fades to darkness, and she tumbles to the ground.
#007 ~ reflections ~ original ~ 1,711
Lightning flashes, brightening the elegant sitting room in the Sorensons elegant home shortly before thunder rattles the windows. The summer storm had come on suddenly, quashing the outdoor adventures the three ladies had had for their June afternoon, leaving them playing Bridge by candlelight. Unsuccessfully, that is, as Bridge is always better with four.
Bessie Sorenson tucks a stray strand of her brunette hair behind her ear as she gets up to light a few additional candles to adjust to the darkness. “It sounds like a bad one,” she frowns as she lights a match, holding it close to the candelabra. “We might be stuck here a while.”
“Then perhaps, we should do something more enjoyable.” Ada flashes her friends a grin as she lowers her cards. The look is conspiratorial, and Bessie instantly knows that this will be something beyond their everyday activities.
Charlotte also raises an eyebrow. “That’s your up to something face.”
“I have a face for that?” Ada laughs. “I never realized.”
“What are you getting at, Ada?” Bessie sighs as she comes back to the table. “Another parlor game you learned in Chicago?”
“Perhaps.” Ada turns to Bessie with a curious look. “Do you have a hand mirror?”
“Of course I do.” Vanity is the pride of every upper-class woman; therefore, they must be able to look at themselves at all times. Bessie’s mother has been buying them for her since she was a young girl, and while most of them have become broken at some time or other, she does have a lovely silver framed one that she did love. “Why?”
“When I was in Chicago, the women there taught me this ritual. They say that if you walk backward up the stairs while holding a candle and a mirror while reciting an incantation, you’ll see the face of your future husband in the mirror.”
Intrigued, Charlotte leans forward curiously. “And it works?”
“Charlotte,” Bessie scolds gently. “It sounds dangerous.”
“Hardly. We’ll look out for each other, won’t we, Charlotte?” Ada tosses her blond hair over her shoulder. “All you have to do is invoke Mary, and she’ll tell you your future.”
“Mary?” Bessie pushes the issue. It isn’t that she’s superstitious so much as having the uncanny ability not to tell the whole story. “Mary who?” Silence falls between the group for a moment, and Ada’s voice comes again, this time more firmly. “Ada.”
“Bloody Mary,” Ada admits sullenly. “You summon Bloody Mary.”
“Bloody Mary?” Bessie rolls her eyes. “Not that I believe in such things, but you want to invoke a ghost to learn the future?”
“It’s just a game, Bess. You don’t have to play if you do not wish.”
“No, you just wish to use my mirror and accidentally kill yourselves on my family’s stairs.”
“Oh, come on, Bess. It’ll be fun.” Well-meaning Charlotte flashes her a warm, well-meaning smile. “What harm could it do?”
Bessie, knowing she’s outnumbered and outsmarted, sighs heavily before getting to her feet. “Fine. I’ll go get the mirror.”
Ada claps her hands together happily. “Trust me, Bessie. Once you see your future husband, you won’t regret it.”
“Believe me,” Bessie mutters softly. “I already do.”
It takes ten minutes to fetch the mirror in question, as well as a candle that was easier to hold than the decorative candelabras in the parlor. Tipping the thicker candle towards the ones already lit, Bessie watches the quick flair as the wick catches before turning and holding it and the mirror off to the two girls in front of her.
“So? Who would like to go first?”
Both women seem apprehensive at the suggestion, and Bessie raises an eyebrow in return. “Oh, no. It’s not going to be me.” She eyes the two of them before turning and pointing the handle of the mirror at Ada. “It’s your game. Might as well show us how it’s done.”
Ada purses her lips at the suggestion before she finds her nerve and straightens her shoulders to take the mirror. “Right. Of course.” The free hand reaches out to take the candle before Ada leads the way to the Sorensons’ ornate front staircase. Long skirts swirl against the marble floor before she turns her back to the stairs and holding up her two tokens.
“Please be sure I won’t fall.”
Bessie opens her mouth to tell her that the best way not to fall is not to play this silly game at all, but Charlotte senses her impending need to be contrary and silences her with a look. Bessie sighs instead before offering something slightly more constructive. “Pick up your skirts, so you don’t trip backward.”
Before setting the candle on the end of the handrail, Ada looks down before reaching down and scooping her long skirt up in her hand, revealing some ankle but clearing her shoes for her inevitable backward rise. Once the material was secure in her fist, she picks up the candle again and takes a deep breath. Then, Ada lifts one foot and steps up onto the bottom step. Once that goes without any additional harm, she takes another.
“Bloody Mary.” Another step up the stairs punctuates each phrase. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Please show me the face of the one I will love most.” She repeats the incantation again and again as she makes her way up the stairs until she reaches the top and lets out a delighted laugh. The smile stays bright on her face as she begins to sweep her way back downstairs again.
“Oh, girls, you should have seen him. He’s divine.” She reaches the bottom and twirls in place, snuffing out the candle in the process. Bessie fights the urge to roll her eyes before taking the candle and making her way over to light it again.
“I’m glad you’re so pleased with your invisible suitor.” She returns to the entryway before thrusting the candle in Charlotte’s direction. “You’re next.”
“What?” Charlotte falters before blushing in surprise. “Oh, no. I couldn’t go next.”
“It’s nothing, Charlotte.” Ada eggs her on as she passes the other woman the mirror. “You’ll see. Go.”
Before repeating the process, Charlotte nods, gathering her skirts and making her slow, backward trek up the stairs. Her hand trembles slightly with the candle, but she keeps her eyes straight ahead on the mirror in her hand.
“Bloody Mary,” she begins, her voice softer and far less sure than Ada’s, almost as though she’s trying to be sure that she gets every word entirely correct. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Please show me the face of the one I will love most.”
Charlotte repeats the words again and again until she reaches the top, and a smile brightens her features. It seems to almost lend it more credence at the moment, as Ada is more likely to play up the situation to prove that she’s correct, but Charlotte wasn’t the same. She wasn’t the type to lie, which means she likely saw something. Whether it was an optical illusion or actually, the face of her true love is unclear.
Charlotte floats down to the other two. “He had the kindest eyes,” Charlotte replies, holding out the mirror to Bessie as she does. “I hope I meet him soon.”
“I hope you do too,” Bessie nods. If anyone deserved to be a mother and in a happy marriage, it was Charlotte. She was the kindest and most warm-hearted of the three of them, and Bessie only wanted the best for her.
Bessie then looks between the two of them and sighs as she takes the mirror. “I guess this means it’s my turn, then?”
Ada nods before waving one hand to the stairs. “To the top with you.”
Scooping her skirts in her hand, she takes the candle and makes her way to the foot of the stairs. The cold ledge of the bottom step digs onto her ankle, and she keeps track of the feeling, knowing that it will be the key to her not falling. Bessie going last means there can’t be any chance of her falling on her face.
“Bloody Mary,” she begins as she begins taking a step up towards her destination. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Please show me the face of the one I will love most.”
The thunder rattles the house again, catching Bessie by surprise and almost causing her to stumble. The hand with the candle reaches out to grab the banister as she begins to lose her balance. She pauses in her trek, bidding her heart rate to slow, and her breathing to calm, and Ada looks up at her, concerned, from the foot of the stairs.
“You alright, Bess?”
Bessie nods before straightening again. “Yes, I’m fine. It just caught me by surprise.”
A dark shape hovers in the corner of the mirror, but by the time she brings it up again, the form is gone. Bessie attributes it to one of her dress folds while she was catching her balance and tries again.
“Bloody Mary,” she begins again; this time, her voice slightly less sure of itself. She takes another step, continuing her ascent and repeating her plea. “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Show me the face of the one I will love most.”
She glances away, briefly, when she reaches the top of the stairs to make sure she was steady at the top. When her eyes return to the mirror again, she sees a reflection staring back at her, but it isn’t hers. The woman had deep black hair parted down the middle and held back in a low bun. Her face was thin and long, but not unbecoming – or it wouldn’t have been, were it not for the deep, dark circles under her eyes. She stares back at her intently, and Bessie sees her mouth move as though to speak.
“Help me.”
Wind whips around her, blowing out the candle as a scream tears through her. The mirror slips from her fingers, falling onto the solid stair and shattering into several large pieces as a result. The world begins to swirl, and Bessie stumbles before everything fades to darkness, and she tumbles to the ground.
Such a shame about her favorite mirror.