Mirror Mirror Read online

  Mirror Mirror

  by Jennifer Robins

  Published by Astraea Press

  www.astraeapress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  MIRROR MIRROR

  Copyright © 2014 JENNIFER ROBINS

  ISBN 978-1-62135-294-5

  Cover Art Designed by Book Beautiful

  In memory of my daughters Kathleen and Lora.

  While watching them fight a losing battle of fourth stage cancer, I prayed for a miracle that never came. My mind wandered, thinking about many things that might happen, could happen, even the impossible. I’ve learned to trust in God and pray for help to see a terrible situation through with faith instead. There’s a plan for all of us and it can’t always be changed. My girls are not gone; they live inside my mind. The memories give me comfort and pain, but it keeps them alive for me.

  Chapter One

  Settling in a new place had Britney at her wits’ end. With so much to take care of, she hadn’t had a chance to really inspect the third floor attic which had piqued her curiosity during the showing.

  Her reddish brown hair piled on top of her head held up by a claw let a few strands dangle to the side of her face. Her arms were filled with blankets for the beds upstairs, and she hastily blew it away. The strand of hair flew back away from her face.

  Interest in some great looking antiques left stored in the attic by the previous owner lingered in her mind. She heard the previous owner, a sea captain, Leopold Archer had been accused of many things including witch-craft.

  The captain left behind some special things like a great mirror in its wooden oval frame standing at attention in the attic. Britney wanted to take a better look, but first came the work of settling in.

  From the moving truck, the drivers brought in the last of the boxes and piled them on top of the others in the living room of her new Victorian home.

  Her husband, Angelo, who didn’t believe in anything of the super natural or the so-called after-life helped her put things away. Britney had teased him with the idea of ghosts lurking in the house. After all, it was many years old so the possibilities of spirits were not so far-fetched to her.

  Happy with the move because it meant larger living space in this grand old century house, Britney was ready to take charge of her new home. What was once the parlor, now called a den, would be a great office for work. Having to be at the accounting firm every day meant traveling several miles both ways five days a week and with the cost of gas going through the roof, she really liked the idea of moving her work to this new home. No more dressing up in uncomfortable clothes and those awful pantyhose she couldn’t seem to get through a day without ruining. Make-up and high-heeled shoes would be gone from now on. Get up in the morning, put on a robe, get a cup of coffee, then relax during her work day without interruptions or people messing up her thoughts. Who said life can’t be wonderful?

  The spacious den would be just the thing for her computer and files. A little window dressing, some new furniture and she’d be all set up.

  ***

  The light of day moved into the dark of night. The place had shaped up nicely, with most things in order and put away. Britney flopped down on the sofa next to Angelo and put her feet up on the coffee table.

  “I’m exhausted,” she said as she looked over at him. “Can’t wait to get a shower and go to bed, how about you?”

  He yawned. “I’ll buy that. A shower and bed sounds good to me. Won’t take me long to be sawing logs. Gotta big day at work tomorrow, so don’t plan on my help around here.”

  “I hoped you’d help me up in the attic to investigate all those treasures. I know there’s a desk, and if it’s in decent shape, I could use it in my little office so I won’t have to buy one. There’s also an old stand-up full size oval mirror I’d like to bring down here.”

  Angelo gave her leg a gentle pat as he rose. “All right, when I get home tomorrow. Come on; let's call it a day. I’m exhausted.” They lazily climbed the stairs to the second floor, walked down the hallway to their spacious bedroom.

  While Britney took a little time to tidy the closet by lining up the shoes her husband casually threw in there, Angelo went to take his shower.

  Her turn to shower took much longer than his as she stood under the warm water enjoying the soothing feel of it.

  With a towel wrapped around her she came into the bedroom to find her tired husband in bed, sound asleep with the blanket pulled up to his face. She stood there gazing down at him with thoughts of how great he looked with his dark wavy hair and deep blue eyes. She fell in love with him the very first time she saw him. Even more when he spoke to her with his sexy voice.

  Carefully, she crawled in bed, being cautious not to wake him. She lay down and looked over at him with a little snicker. Silly of me to worry about waking him when I don’t think I could. She turned around and snuggled in.

  ***

  Breakfast in the neat little kitchen nook with a table, benches and a window overlooking the spacious back yard made her first full day in the house pleasant. Flowers in full bloom dressed the yard with colorful growth. Britney opened the window to let in the soft warm breeze blowing across the lovely green yard. The smell of lilacs drifted in to add to the morning's delight.

  Angelo finished his eggs and toast, then took a few swigs of coffee. “Gotta go sweets, I’ll be home around five,” he told her as he set his cup down and rose from the table.

  Left to deal with the matter of unpacking what boxes were still waiting, Britney took to the chore with enthusiasm. With only the contents of three small ones to disburse, she was finished in less than an hour and ready to venture off to the den which would become her new office.

  She inspected the area for placement for her office furniture. The room had plenty of space for everything including an extra file cabinet and bookcase.

  Finished with insulated walls, the third floor was cool and showed signs of being used as another room to the house. She opened the window at the front opposite the stairs to let in the morning breeze. Her gaze wandered to the cliff at the end of the property and the feverishly flowing ocean beyond it. Seagulls dipped down behind the backdrop of the cliff to swoop down in search of their morning meal. The air smelled of the sea while a bright clear sky overhead mirrored on the water. Britney took a deep breath then turned away from the wonders of the earth to attend to her planned visit to the attic.

  A fine crafted oak desk in great shape beckoned off to her right. At first sight, she knew it fit her needs. The right size, plenty of drawers and a place for her computer and printer. She ran her hand over the top to discover how well kept this old piece of furniture was. Varnished to a high gloss, it stood out as though it were new. She sat down in the office chair by the desk and studied how she would set this beauty up in her office.

  She suddenly felt like there was someone in the room with her. An unexplainable movement around her gave her cause to look around only to find nothing there. How silly. . I hope this old house isn’t haunted. Century homes often are.

  She went back to inspecting the desk. Couldn’t have asked for anything better . . . right size, great oak finish. “This will do,” she mumbled.

  The sudden whisper of a soft voice had her look around again. She could have sworn she he
ard someone say, It’s been waiting for you.’

  Movement to the side caught her attention, but all she could see was the mirror. She rose from the chair and walked over to admire it. What an old fine looking piece. It would go well in her bedroom, or even in the guest room. A cheval oval mirror made of fine wood.

  She held her hand up to her chin thoughtfully to picture it in each of the rooms downstairs. She looked up from her mental picture to see her full image in the mirror. She reached down to her stomach and sucked it in with a gentle push then turned for a side view of her sleek figure. Her image in the mirror had her smiling. A stream of sunlight flowed in from the window and met the highlights in her long brown hair. “Glad those few pounds I gained are gone. Maybe I lost weight with all the moving,” she said then turned away from it to go back to the desk to give it another look. All it needed was some furniture wax, and it would be as good as new. As she pictured her computer and lamp sitting on it, she again felt like someone was watching her. She turned her head to let her eyes scan everything in sight. There was nothing, no one in there.

  The paranoia was only a product of being tired. She went on to explore the rest of the items in the large attic room. It was getting late, and soon she would need to prepare dinner. She opened a large chest in the corner and peeked inside. Books, old photos, and a cotton throw which she surmised was dry rotted or in need of a good washing.

  The feeling of a presence persisted, causing her to constantly turn to look around. This is crazy, she thought as she closed the lid to the chest. She went down the stairs, ready to give up her afternoon search of the third floor of this wonderful old house. There were other things she needed to attend to, like cooking utensils and setting up her kitchen.

  Her concern turned to what to make for dinner. Not all the pots and pans had been put away and the fridge was almost empty, but for a few eggs, butter and a package of bagels. She bent down to search further in as she held the door open.

  “Haha!” she yelled when she spotted a quart of milk and remembered they’d stopped at a small store on the way to the house. “Scrambled eggs and buttered bagels will have to do,” she said as she took the eggs out. I know there’s a box of cookies somewhere in those boxes over there.

  The sheer idea of having any kind of dinner without first getting cleaned up set her feet in motion for the bathroom upstairs. As she climbed the stairs, she brushed at her jeans now full of dust from the attic. I’d love a good soak in the tub, she thought, knowing all too well she only had time for a quick shower.

  Tired, but happy to be settling in, she hurried to get on with preparing for the evening ahead of her. In a robe and slippers, she went down to the kitchen just in time to hear her husband coming in the front door. She brushed at her hair with an open hand as he came walking in to make his appearance. He put his arms around her and kissed her. “How was your first day in our new place?”

  “Great, and busy. I went up in the attic to check everything out and found a wonderful desk for my little office. I’d like you to bring it down for me. And, there’s a mirror up there. I also want it brought down, too.”

  “Can it wait until after dinner?” He gave her a sheepish smile and she grinned.

  “It shouldn’t be so difficult to get the mirror down. Maybe we will need help with the desk, but we can try.” She pranced around the kitchen setting plates on the table. “All right, let’s eat first.”

  Satisfied with waiting, Britney served their meal while Angelo poured wine from the bottle he’d brought home. “I was so anxious to get home. I already love this place,” he told her as he gave her hand a little squeeze.

  ***

  Struggling to get down the attic staircase, Britney and Angelo hauled the mirror down. They tried not to scratch it on the way. Britney helped guide it while Angelo bore the most of the weight from below. The desk was another matter. “We can give the other piece of your find a try later. It looks a little too heavy for just us.” Angelo closed the attic door. “Where do you want the mirror?”

  “In our bedroom. There’s a place near the window. I was going to put a chair there, but the mirror will look better. Besides, the room is so big, I can set a chair almost anywhere.”

  Angelo scooted it over by the window with a grunt. Britney took a cloth from the back pocket of her jeans and began to wipe it down. The wood shined like new. “It’s much nicer down here than it looked up in the attic,” she remarked as her tired husband gave her a nod of approval.

  He stood back for a moment. “I’m going to take a shower and relax. I want to watch the game. It’s on at eight.” He waved at her again before leaving the room.

  As she continued to wipe the mirror, it rocked up and down on the hinges holding it in its frame. It was amazing how clean and free of dust it was compared to the other things up in the attic. The desk would only need some elbow grease and fine oil.

  Her image in the mirror suddenly faded as the glass seemed to fog and clear again. Britney stood back to assess what was going on, but decided it was only because she was so tired; her vision had played a trick on her.

  Moving and trying to set up an in home office had her nerves on end. She was exhausted, yet happy to be in a house she fell in love with. That alone, gave her the energy to keep going to get things in place and begin their new life there. She went about moving things from one place to the other, then taking them back with wonder to where she really wanted them. She took a deep breath, then started once again to get organized.

  The desk had to come down from the attic, and she needed to get her computer up and running by next week, which only gave her three more days. A box in the den held all of her files and belongings from her office at the accounting firm. She longed to get it unpacked and set up her workspace. One more look into the mirror, and she was off to join Angelo in the living room.

  “Can you get someone to help with the desk?” she asked as she sat on the chair next to the window opposite the overstuffed recliner he occupied.

  “I’ll have Denny come over tomorrow and help me with it. It’s going to be a job hauling it down two flights of stairs.”

  Denny was an old friend of Angelo and would do most anything for him. Britney knew he would come to help. He could probably haul the desk all by himself. He stood over six feet, weighing at almost three hundred pounds all muscle. Angelo on the other hand stood only to Denny’s chest and never came near his weight. She knew it would be quite a show, the two of them bringing something so heavy down so many stairs, but she also knew it was the only way to get it down to her in home office.

  Angelo settled back in his recliner to read the newspaper before the game started. Britney went upstairs to put away everything in the front bedroom. The pile from the box in question sat at the foot of the bed ready for her invasion.

  Delighted to almost have this room situated, she decided to make the evening a little more glamorous with the light peach colored lacy silk nightgown she pulled out of the box. She held it up to her while standing in front to the oval mirror they had brought down from the attic. Lovely, absolutely lovely, she thought as she looked at the garment with delight. It went so well with her long brown hair and dark green eyes. *

  The sudden sound of someone softly laughing, made her turn her head toward the door, thinking it was her husband, but there was no one there. She let the nightgown slide down her side to let it hang loosely in her hand. For whatever reason, she had the feeling someone was watching her, but had to believe it was only her imagination. The strange feeling continues so she took the nightgown with her to the bathroom, where she would shower and put it on in private.

  She emerged from the bathroom refreshed wearing her soft tempting nightgown Angelo whistled when he saw her. “I knew there was a reason I needed to come up here. You really have it, sweetheart. That silky thing you have on makes me wild.” He approached her with open arms to embrace her. His mouth had no hesitation in finding her lips.

  The open veranda doors to
the balcony outside the bedroom let in the night breeze with the pleasant perfume of the sea beating the rocks at the bottom of the cliff not far from the back of the home. Noisy seagulls searching for a late meal joined in with the sounds of the waves. Clear skies with the full moon shining brightly gave the night a perfect background.

  Chapter Two

  The following day, Denny came to the house to help Angelo bring down the desk from the attic. Britney watched them start up the stairs to get the furniture in question. The wrestling champion looked so big along side her husband. Angelo wasn’t a small guy, but compared to his friend he looked like a bulldog beside a mastiff.

  It only took the men fifteen minutes to have the desk down in the den. Now Britney could get her office in order and be up and running by Monday.

  She arranged the furniture and placed her computer and copy machine on the desk. An armed chair, small end table, and a fine Tiffany lamp left plenty of room for a file cabinet and bookcase. The only thing left was to get the phone plugged in. She would leave it up to Angelo. His opinion was important to her because she often relied on it, just like he did hers.

  Angelo finished off his coffee, then set the cup down. “Dinner was good, sweetheart. I know how busy you’ve been getting things around here in order. Wish I could be more help, but we have to work to pay for all of this. Let’s go to the living room to catch the news and weather before we go upstairs to bed.” The next day Angelo would have an early start for the half day he worked every other Saturday. He’d been at the car dealer for over ten years and still complained about working on the weekends, but it was a good paying job.

  Sleep came easily for both of them. It wasn’t long before Britney’s slumber was interrupted by the appearance of a dark shadowy figure setting down on the end of the bed. She grabbed at the blanket and pulled it up around her but then the intruder disappeared. Her heart skipped, she almost yelled out, but kept her cool, thinking she must have been dreaming. Her wide-open eyes roamed the room in search of any glimpse of what she thought she had seen.