at all?" Jennifer asked. "Did the voice even come from this spot?"
Alexander looked around in bewilderment.
"No," he admitted slowly. "But if you aren't talking, who is?"
"The mirror is." Jennifer was becoming impatient.
Alexander wore a look that said he couldn't be convinced that easily. "But a mirror can't talk."
"A magic mirror could."
"But there's no such thing as magic," he protested.
The mirror cawed and whistled again.
"You, be quiet." Alexander stood defiantly glaring at the mirror. "There is," he repeated slowly and deliberately, "no such thing as magic."
"The prince is a jerk," the mirror repeated.
"Someone is playing a trick on us!" Alexander bellowed, dashing to the door. He flung it open. No one was there.
Jennifer watched him spend the next several minutes running around the cottage, alternating directions in an attempt to catch whoever he figured had to be out there.
Finally she went outside to look for him, and the prince, edging craftily around a corner, found himself nose-to-nose with her. Each gasped loudly.
"Would you stop fooling around?" she pleaded.
Alexander growled an answer she couldn't understand and slunk back inside.
"Anyone out there?" the mirror asked.
"No," Alexander admitted.
"Too bad."
"You are not magic!" Alexander insisted, crossing his arms over his chest and looking as though he felt just a bit silly addressing a mirror. "There is no such thing as magic. I've never seen a witch fly by on a broomstick, or an alchemist change lead to gold, or a frog turn out to be anything but a frog. Those things just can't happen."
"Lesson One," the mirror said: "Don't disbelieve something just because you can't see it."
"You're a fraud!" Alexander cried. "I believe
in what I can see. And there's nothing you can do to keep me from taking you with me."
Before he had a chance to make even a slight move toward the wall, there was a hright flash. It was as though the mirror had caught the reflection of the noon sun, magnified it, and flung it back at them.
Jennifer threw her hands up to cover her face and squeezed her eyes shut.
She was still in that position when Alexander lowered the arm he had tried to shield his eves with and blinked roughly several times.
"Now you can't see
anything,
" the mirror said when it was sure Alexander had caught on to the situation. "What do you believe in now?"
Jennifer lowered her suddenly cold hands and looked into the blinded prince's face. Trembling, she saw his expression change from frightened surprise to outrage.
"How dare you!" Alexander said in a quavering voice that became louder with each word. "You can't do this to me!"
"There is," the mirror said, "such a thing as magic."
"Do you have any idea who I am?" Alexander shouted, shaking Jennifer's hand off his shoulder. "My father is the king!"
The mirror remained calm. "Witches
do
fly on broomsticks, lead is turned to gold, and more princes than you would care to hear about spend their lives squatting on lily pads snapping up flies."
Alexander put out his hand to steady himself and blundered against the table. "Give me back my sight."
"I am a magic mirror."
"Give me back my sight."
"I am a magic mirror."
Alexander's hand tightened around the teakettle. "You are nothing!" he screamed, and hurled the kettle at the mirror.
There was a sharp bang, followed by a yell from Alexander as though he had dealt himself the blow; then there was a clinking, chinking, tinkling noise as if the glass were also crying out.
From the spot where the kettle had hit, Jennifer could see cracks spreading like a crazy cobweb—branching out, meeting, dividing, covering the entire surface of the mirror until it was separated into a thousand shimmering pieces. And in each piece, she saw Alexander's mouth form the same wordless cry as he staggered back and sank slowly, slowly down. Then, with a last crystalline sigh, the countless tiny mirrors released these images and let them join the prince on the
Alexander looked around in bewilderment.
"No," he admitted slowly. "But if you aren't talking, who is?"
"The mirror is." Jennifer was becoming impatient.
Alexander wore a look that said he couldn't be convinced that easily. "But a mirror can't talk."
"A magic mirror could."
"But there's no such thing as magic," he protested.
The mirror cawed and whistled again.
"You, be quiet." Alexander stood defiantly glaring at the mirror. "There is," he repeated slowly and deliberately, "no such thing as magic."
"The prince is a jerk," the mirror repeated.
"Someone is playing a trick on us!" Alexander bellowed, dashing to the door. He flung it open. No one was there.
Jennifer watched him spend the next several minutes running around the cottage, alternating directions in an attempt to catch whoever he figured had to be out there.
Finally she went outside to look for him, and the prince, edging craftily around a corner, found himself nose-to-nose with her. Each gasped loudly.
"Would you stop fooling around?" she pleaded.
Alexander growled an answer she couldn't understand and slunk back inside.
"Anyone out there?" the mirror asked.
"No," Alexander admitted.
"Too bad."
"You are not magic!" Alexander insisted, crossing his arms over his chest and looking as though he felt just a bit silly addressing a mirror. "There is no such thing as magic. I've never seen a witch fly by on a broomstick, or an alchemist change lead to gold, or a frog turn out to be anything but a frog. Those things just can't happen."
"Lesson One," the mirror said: "Don't disbelieve something just because you can't see it."
"You're a fraud!" Alexander cried. "I believe
in what I can see. And there's nothing you can do to keep me from taking you with me."
Before he had a chance to make even a slight move toward the wall, there was a hright flash. It was as though the mirror had caught the reflection of the noon sun, magnified it, and flung it back at them.
Jennifer threw her hands up to cover her face and squeezed her eyes shut.
She was still in that position when Alexander lowered the arm he had tried to shield his eves with and blinked roughly several times.
"Now you can't see
anything,
" the mirror said when it was sure Alexander had caught on to the situation. "What do you believe in now?"
Jennifer lowered her suddenly cold hands and looked into the blinded prince's face. Trembling, she saw his expression change from frightened surprise to outrage.
"How dare you!" Alexander said in a quavering voice that became louder with each word. "You can't do this to me!"
"There is," the mirror said, "such a thing as magic."
"Do you have any idea who I am?" Alexander shouted, shaking Jennifer's hand off his shoulder. "My father is the king!"
The mirror remained calm. "Witches
do
fly on broomsticks, lead is turned to gold, and more princes than you would care to hear about spend their lives squatting on lily pads snapping up flies."
Alexander put out his hand to steady himself and blundered against the table. "Give me back my sight."
"I am a magic mirror."
"Give me back my sight."
"I am a magic mirror."
Alexander's hand tightened around the teakettle. "You are nothing!" he screamed, and hurled the kettle at the mirror.
There was a sharp bang, followed by a yell from Alexander as though he had dealt himself the blow; then there was a clinking, chinking, tinkling noise as if the glass were also crying out.
From the spot where the kettle had hit, Jennifer could see cracks spreading like a crazy cobweb—branching out, meeting, dividing, covering the entire surface of the mirror until it was separated into a thousand shimmering pieces. And in each piece, she saw Alexander's mouth form the same wordless cry as he staggered back and sank slowly, slowly down. Then, with a last crystalline sigh, the countless tiny mirrors released these images and let them join the prince on the
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