I didn’t mean to do it.
Of course, I knew that the eyes were windows to the soul, but I wanted to test that theory for myself. Tonight seemed like the perfect time, so I brought a mirror to work and barricaded myself in the empty office.
It began innocently enough. I started with my mouth, looking for any misplaced lunch and checking my makeup. Then, I moved to my nose, checking the status of a zit I found that morning (which had, thankfully, vanished).
Finally, I moved to my eyes.
My eyes have always been bright green, but today they were dark as I wondered what new information this experiment would give me.
Honestly, I was nervous.
I stared into my eyes, focusing and unfocusing, trying to find something interesting, when I realized that I could see the room around me reflected in my eyes. The colors were darker, skewed, and I felt uneasy as I examined this alternate world.
I should have stopped. I should have listened to my gut and ended the experiment, but something about peeking into an alternate reality kept me focused.
That’s when the shadows began to move. It slithered toward me and formed into the shape of a man, but I knew there was nothing human about it. I wanted to pull away, to blink, to sever the connection, but I couldn’t.
All I could do was watch as this shadow figure examined me with a morbid curiosity. I could feel its presence in the room with me, and I felt cold wherever it touched my reflection.
Eventually, the shadow fell into me, and I felt a surge of icy dread as my alternate self crumbled under the weight. I started back, blinking and severing the connection, but it was in vain.
I feel different. Colder. Darker. Something has taken over, and I’m not sure how long I have left.
To whoever reads this, beware the eyes! They aren’t windows into the soul, and I believe that’s why we have trouble maintaining eye contact with ourselves and others.
My mind is clouding. I don’t know what this means for me, but I want to apologize in advance.
I didn’t mean to do it.
“We found the note on the floor of an abandoned warehouse, along with a broken mirror. Nothing else.”
The officer handed the evidence bags to his superior, who sighed and turned to the missing poster that lay across the passenger seat of his cruiser. After examining the face for the millionth time, he turned back to the officers under his command.
“Alright, let’s keep looking.”
Erynn Crittenden 