said, and started to laugh.
Instantly, all four of us were laughing. Nervous, high-pitched laughter.
It was a mirror in front of us. In the pale yellow light filtering into the small, square room, I could see it clearly now.
It was a big, rectangular mirror, about two feet taller than me, with a dark
wood frame. It rested on a wooden base.
I moved closer to it and my reflection moved once again to greet me. To my
surprise, the reflection was clear. No dust on the glass, despite the fact that
no one had been in here in ages.
I stepped in front of it and started to check out my hair.
I mean, that’s what mirrors are for, right?
“Who would put a mirror in a room all by itself?” Erin asked. I could see her
dark reflection in the mirror, a few feet behind me.
“Maybe it’s a valuable piece of furniture or something,” I said, reaching
into my jeans pocket for my comb. “You know. An antique.”
“Did your parents put it up here?” Erin asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Maybe it belonged to my grandparents. I just
don’t know.” I ran the comb through my hair a few times.
“Can we go now? This isn’t too thrilling,” April said. She was still
lingering reluctantly in the doorway.
“Maybe it was a carnival mirror,” Lefty said, pushing me out of the way and
making faces into the mirror, bringing his face just inches from the glass. “You
know. One of those fun house mirrors that makes your body look like it’s shaped like an egg.”
“You’re already shaped like an egg,” I joked, pushing him aside. “At least,
your head is.”
“You’re a rotten egg,” he snapped back. “You stink.”
I peered into the mirror. I looked perfectly normal, not distorted at all.
“Hey, April, come in,” I urged. “You’re blocking most of the light.”
“Can’t we just leave?” she asked, whining. Reluctantly, she moved from the
doorway, taking a few small steps into the room. “Who cares about an old mirror,
anyway?”
“Hey, look,” I said, pointing. I had spotted a light attached to the top of
the mirror. It was oval-shaped, made of brass or some other kind of metal. The
bulb was long and narrow, almost like a fluorescent bulb, only shorter.
I gazed up at it, trying to figure it out in the dim light. “How do you turn
it on, I wonder.”
“There’s a chain,” Erin said, coming up beside me.
Sure enough, a slender chain descended from the right side of the lamp,
hanging down about a foot from the top of the mirror.
“Wonder if it works,” I said.
“The bulb’s probably dead,” Lefty remarked. Good old Lefty. Always an
optimist.
“Only one way to find out,” I said. Standing on tiptoes, I stretched my hand up to the chain.
“Be careful,” April warned.
“Huh? It’s just a light,” I told her.
Famous last words.
I reached up. Missed. Tried again. I grabbed the chain on the second try and
pulled.
The light came on with a startlingly bright flash. Then it dimmed down to
normal light. Very white light that reflected brightly in the mirror.
“Hey—that’s better!” I exclaimed. “It lights up the whole room. Pretty
bright, huh?”
No one said anything.
“I said, pretty bright, huh?”
Still silence from my companions.
I turned around and was surprised to find looks of horror on all three faces.
“Max?” Lefty cried, staring hard at me, his eyes practically popping out of
his head.
“Max—where are you?” Erin cried. She turned to April. “Where’d he go?”
“I’m right here,” I told them. “I haven’t moved.”
“But we can’t see you!” April cried.
4
All three of them were staring in my direction with their eyes bulging and
looks of horror still on their faces. But I could tell they were goofing.
“Give me a break, guys,” I said. “I’m not as stupid as I look. No way I’m
falling for your dumb joke.”
“But, Max—” Lefty insisted. “We’re serious !”
“We can’t see you!” Erin
Instantly, all four of us were laughing. Nervous, high-pitched laughter.
It was a mirror in front of us. In the pale yellow light filtering into the small, square room, I could see it clearly now.
It was a big, rectangular mirror, about two feet taller than me, with a dark
wood frame. It rested on a wooden base.
I moved closer to it and my reflection moved once again to greet me. To my
surprise, the reflection was clear. No dust on the glass, despite the fact that
no one had been in here in ages.
I stepped in front of it and started to check out my hair.
I mean, that’s what mirrors are for, right?
“Who would put a mirror in a room all by itself?” Erin asked. I could see her
dark reflection in the mirror, a few feet behind me.
“Maybe it’s a valuable piece of furniture or something,” I said, reaching
into my jeans pocket for my comb. “You know. An antique.”
“Did your parents put it up here?” Erin asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Maybe it belonged to my grandparents. I just
don’t know.” I ran the comb through my hair a few times.
“Can we go now? This isn’t too thrilling,” April said. She was still
lingering reluctantly in the doorway.
“Maybe it was a carnival mirror,” Lefty said, pushing me out of the way and
making faces into the mirror, bringing his face just inches from the glass. “You
know. One of those fun house mirrors that makes your body look like it’s shaped like an egg.”
“You’re already shaped like an egg,” I joked, pushing him aside. “At least,
your head is.”
“You’re a rotten egg,” he snapped back. “You stink.”
I peered into the mirror. I looked perfectly normal, not distorted at all.
“Hey, April, come in,” I urged. “You’re blocking most of the light.”
“Can’t we just leave?” she asked, whining. Reluctantly, she moved from the
doorway, taking a few small steps into the room. “Who cares about an old mirror,
anyway?”
“Hey, look,” I said, pointing. I had spotted a light attached to the top of
the mirror. It was oval-shaped, made of brass or some other kind of metal. The
bulb was long and narrow, almost like a fluorescent bulb, only shorter.
I gazed up at it, trying to figure it out in the dim light. “How do you turn
it on, I wonder.”
“There’s a chain,” Erin said, coming up beside me.
Sure enough, a slender chain descended from the right side of the lamp,
hanging down about a foot from the top of the mirror.
“Wonder if it works,” I said.
“The bulb’s probably dead,” Lefty remarked. Good old Lefty. Always an
optimist.
“Only one way to find out,” I said. Standing on tiptoes, I stretched my hand up to the chain.
“Be careful,” April warned.
“Huh? It’s just a light,” I told her.
Famous last words.
I reached up. Missed. Tried again. I grabbed the chain on the second try and
pulled.
The light came on with a startlingly bright flash. Then it dimmed down to
normal light. Very white light that reflected brightly in the mirror.
“Hey—that’s better!” I exclaimed. “It lights up the whole room. Pretty
bright, huh?”
No one said anything.
“I said, pretty bright, huh?”
Still silence from my companions.
I turned around and was surprised to find looks of horror on all three faces.
“Max?” Lefty cried, staring hard at me, his eyes practically popping out of
his head.
“Max—where are you?” Erin cried. She turned to April. “Where’d he go?”
“I’m right here,” I told them. “I haven’t moved.”
“But we can’t see you!” April cried.
4
All three of them were staring in my direction with their eyes bulging and
looks of horror still on their faces. But I could tell they were goofing.
“Give me a break, guys,” I said. “I’m not as stupid as I look. No way I’m
falling for your dumb joke.”
“But, Max—” Lefty insisted. “We’re serious !”
“We can’t see you!” Erin