ILeena Nottingham

Prompt #5

I looked into the mirror, and I didn't see me.


         I looked into the mirror, and I didn't see me. It freaked me out when the mirror began to speak. The mirror said, "You will never see your face again. Your face is too hideous for me to do a reflection of you. It's not becoming to me. Do yourself a favor and hide from everybody. Don't think that you'll ever be free from my spell; it can never be broken."

         ILeena Nottingham wondered what was going on. This mirror is talking evil to me. How awful is this? She broke down and bawled. Why would my mirror say such sinister things to me? My friends told me that I was beautiful. She was riddled with tons of doubt. She felt miserable. She was prepared to run away from her relatives and friends. She felt that she was forced into hiding. Being told that this spell could never be broken, she felt trapped inside of herself. She felt that she was disgusting to look at.

         Being rejected by her mirror, it didn't take long before she felt depressed, angry, and hurt. What possessed the mirror to say such things?", she said in angst. Just when everything was going well for her, she was now living in fear. She felt that her freedom was lost, gone, and destroyed. She knew that she needed help, but was sore afraid to ask. What am I going to do? she said with a despairing voice.

         The mirror that ILeena once loved, followed her everywhere. This was a very haunting experience. She kept going around in circles trying to escape the heaviness of the mirror; she was in constant agony and turmoil. Another way of saying this is that it was like a thorn in the flesh, just waiting for someone to pull it out.

         The future was looking bleak for ILeena. Whatever hope she had diminished. She couldn't help but feel that the mirror was a lost cause. She mentally thought that somehow, some way that she'd be able to conquer the distress that she was under. She grew tired of carrying this weight upon her shoulders; she was desperate.

         The sinister plot of the mirror didn't stop tracking her; it kept following her. The mirror began its annoying habits toward ILeena. It started to attack her name, ILeena Nottingham, by saying that it was her fault that this was happening. It said that her name was a disgrace to the community. The mirror was bullying her to the point where she couldn't stand it.

         ILeena took herself back to the days when she was taught how to stand up for herself. She said to the mirror, "I am beautiful and worthy of love. You say awful things; you should be ashamed of yourself. You are a bully; you don't deserve to be treated with kindness by other people. I won't stand being put down by you. Do yourself a favor and walk away. Some mirrors are much better off than you. Just get out of my room; I don't need your negativity." The mirror replied, "I'm not leaving. I enjoy terrorizing you. It's my duty and privilege to do that." "It's your duty and your privilege, but what gives you the right", she says. "Oh, but I do have rights", insisted the mirror. "If you say anything to anybody about the problems that you're having with your mirror, they will think that you're crazy", insinuated the mirror, "you'll be trying to solve this case at your own risk. You don't have a chance. Don't even think about it. I'm giving you a fair warning. Don't mention our conversation to anyone".

         Fear began to set in ILeena's mind. She was beginning to lose hope. She didn't need to have a sinister plot against her. She was at the beginning of a panic attack. The mirror wasn't nice to her. No, it was not. She was getting tired of this and was losing the strength she once had.

         ILeena began to focus on a solid object. It was a piece of petrified wood that showed strength. This object showed signs of endless possibilities. This was the beginning of going back to her roots of trusting in her faith. It was her faith in God that sustained her. It would restore the hope that was lost. This would be her lifeline for getting out of the bullying the mirror gave her. Would she be able to go back to the time when she felt happy? She had lots of energy, confidence, and the drive to dream of new and better things. She had a lot of questions, but couldn't get any answers.

         In desperation, ILeena excluded herself from the outside world. Loneliness, an overwhelming feeling of isolation, breaks a heart into many shattered pieces, and the mirror is adamant to put the pieces back together. "Curses to you, ILeena, I'm going to let your eyes focus on the broken pieces of your heart". ILeena was dumbfounded by everything that happened to her. She felt that she had failed God. Without feeling the presence of God, there's a huge void in a person's life, and ILeena was beginning to feel this void. She kept going back to hearing what the mirror said to her about having no way out. How would she reach out to the Lord? She forgot how to pray. She was a total wreck.

         There's a bright future ahead for ILeena Nottingham. She's unaware of this, but it's coming, perhaps not anytime soon, but once she establishes her faith, she will be a stronger person. This will be an exciting day for her. She will trust God in all situations. Let's pray that ILeena will come out victorious when that day comes. Hope and faith will become alive with the Lord's help. Believe and trust; it will work every time.

         999 Words


         Written by Anna Marie Carlson
         Thursday, February 9, 2023