Infinite Mirrors: A Tale of Time
In the quiet little town of Loomis, where grey skies were more common than clear blues, a small antique shop overlooked the sea. That antique shop - known as 'Wonders of Yesteryear' - was teeming with lost artifacts with secret histories.
Mr. Bartholomew - the wiry, enigmatic owner of the shop - had a peculiar interest: mirrors. Down to the very back of the shop was a special room that housed them. But none was more peculiar than the Vintage Cheval full-length mirror, with its ornate silver frame dusted with time.
One day, a young boy named Oliver wandered into the shop. Mr. Bartholomew - who took great pleasure in sharing stories of the past - took Oliver under his wing. The vintage mirror was what caught the boy's attention. It was glistening unlike the others, despite its old age, and reflecting twinkling stars that weren't aligned on the shop’s ceiling.
'You see, Oliver,' began Mr. Bartholomew, 'this mirror is not ordinary. It reflects not only your face but also your soul, your past, and your potential future. It has traveled through time, collecting centuries of stories and secrets.'
Such a notion, outrageous and thrilling, sparked Oliver's curiosity. He approached the mirror, his reflection staring back at him. He tilted his head, and much to his amusement, his reflection did as well. Just when he thought it was all a farce, the mirror revealed something else - a vie of a location he had never visited.
He was standing in a vast field, under the cerulean sky speckled with white fluffy clouds. Then, just as suddenly, he was in a bustling market at the heart of Victorian London, awe-struck and dizzy. He pulled away, catching his breath.
Over the coming years, Oliver was a frequent visitor to the shop. He started to understand the mirror wasn't just a door to different times, but also a window into himself. The sceneries reflected in the mirror changed overtime, portraying his growth and changes - the mirror reflected his fears, his dreams, maybe even his destiny.
As he grew older, he began to see shadows in the mirror - equating them to the future he couldn’t yet see. It held an allure so strong that he decided to buy the mirror when he turned 18, with all his saved pennies.
Oliver moved to the city for college, the vintage cheval mirror being his only companion. Those nights when he felt homesick, Oliver would stare into the mirror, seeing the fields of Loomis or the cozy corner of Mr. Bartholomew’s shop.
One crisp autumn day, an old man's reflection stared back in the mirror. Panicked, Oliver backed away. It took him a couple of days to muster the nerve to confront the mirror again. This time the mirror reflected his own face amid a hospital room, his parents by his bedside. A cold dread washed over him as he rang up his parents. His fears came true. He dashed towards home, his heart heavy with fear and guilt.
The following months were devastating, yet they brought Oliver closer to his family. After his father’s recovery from a severe illness, Oliver vowed to focus on his present. Taken aback by the power of knowing too much, too soon, he resolved to cover the mirror with a cloth. However, he never could bring himself to get rid of it.
Years rolled by, and the mirror remained covered, nestled at the corner of Oliver’s studio. He had lived a rich life – a loving family, a prospering career as a writer, inspired by the very tales Mr. Bartholomew narrated – and a serene life back in Loomis. His visits to the antique shop were less frequent now, the pain of missing Mr. Bartholomew, who had passed years ago, still fresh.
One day, stuck in a severe writer’s block, he found himself standing before the covered mirror again. With trembling hands, he pulled away the cloth. His aged reflection stared back. But instead of dread, a sense of calm engulfed him.
As Oliver gazed into the mirror, he saw the young boy he once was, mesmerized by the tales of time travel and magic. He saw himself growing into a brave young man who had faced life head-on. The mirror had indeed shown him a glimpse of his future and his past, but most importantly, it held a lifetime of his dreams and fears, victories and losses, and love and sorrow.
The mirror, for Oliver, had transformed from a window to his soul to becoming a friend, a advisor, and more importantly, a part of his life’s story. It had absorbed his life, his essence, and guarded it with the dignity it deserved.
Watching this mirror of infinite tales, Oliver was reminded why exactly he got fascinated by it in the first place. It reflected not the future and past, but the person he was and the person he could become. Oliver felt grateful for life – for the lessons life taught. With a smile and tears strolling down his aging face, he returned to his writings. Inspired by his own life, he began working on his memoir, to share his journey, and maybe inspire a few others along the way.