Looking Glass

Buying a mirror with supernatural powers online takes a dark turn.

Day 1:“It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus.” — Hocus Pocus (1993)

"Why did you get this? It's so stupid!" Herman grumped. His wife was always buying things from ads or posts on social media. First it was the juicer that promised to extract youth from lemons. Then there was the hair dryer that said it could make hair grow thicker. Now she'd purchased a mirror that was creepy.

"I know you think it's just a bunch of hocus pocus," Cyndi said. "Still haven't you wondered what we'll look like in the future? This mirror can show us!"

Herman sighed, and flapped his arms once. "I just see a couple of fools who wasted a small fortune," he said. "We're going to contact the seller and—"

There were a couple of flashing glints across the mirror's surface. What it showed left Herman and Cyndi wide eyed and pale. In the reflection blood dripped down Cyndi's face that stared out at them from an unnatural angle. Beside her, Herman's decapitated body spurted from its neck like a fountain.

The grisly image was gone as quickly as it appeared. The couple looked at each other; speechless for a moment. "We gotta get rid of this thing," Herman said. "Call the person you bought this from PDQ."

Cyndi reached into her pocket and dialed her phone as she brought it up to her ear. Sitting there, listening to the dial tone made her chest feel tight. After the seventh ring, it went to voicemail.

"You have an address for this sleaze bag?" He asked. "They're getting it back. Don't care about the money, this thing has got to go."

Together they drove down the highway ten miles over the speed limit. Cyndi prayed they didn't get pulled over. Following the GPS directions, they made it to the house. Hernan knocked forcefully on the door. "Anybody home?!" He yelled. "We got the shit my wife bought. You're taking it back or else."

A long pause passed and nobody answered. "This guy's gotta be avoiding us," Herman guessed. "Go peek in the window."

Cyndi obediently and awkwardly climbed onto a stone in the rock garden for a better view. She gripped the mirror tight as she peered inside. The cursed object slipped through her hands shattering on the gravel below. "Oh my god! He's dead," she shrieked.

"What? You sure?" He asked.

"Unless people stare at the ceiling with their mouth open for some other reason," she said. "Plus there's a giant hole in his chest!"

"C'mon we gotta get outa here!"
"Shouldn't we call the cops?"
"Cyndi! Whomever did that might still be here! Lets go!"

They drove away even faster under the dark green clouds that were gathering. An emergency alert sounded on their phones. Cyndi looked at hers. "Oh no," she said. "There's a tornado warning!"

"It's a bit late; hang on," Herman said. He swerved across the median in an attempt at evasion. The funnel cloud picked the car up. Debris swirled around as they rose. A road sign came through the window. Herman's head landed on his lap. The post caught Cyndi in the side of her head; it twisted her neck until it snapped.

The car creaked and groaned as it was thrown back to the ground. The mirror's prediction was fulfilled for all its victims.

Word count: 556