Reflection - Beckysue Duran
Reflection Chapter 1: Mirror-dom © Rebecca Sue Duran 2009
From "The Writer's" Perspective:
She had always been the weird one. Caught between worlds yet able to see both. Neither of them understood her.
She had always been the genius. Maybe that was why she could reflect what she wanted onto any of the Mirror Worlds.
But she was an anomalie. Perhaps I should tell you first how things started....what our normal is.....then you can see why she is so different....
Let us start with the ways of the Mirror-dom.
You see, I write you, not because I am suddenly permitted, but because a breech already exists, so I see no point to keeping you hidden from the dark any longer. Keep in mind that I cannot reveal my identity, for this is a purely illegal message, and I am not one to appreciate punishment. I also realize that with your world's more recent development of wider communications, that many will not believe a word I have to write. Perhaps that is better anyways. Your world has been guided where it has gone for reasons that those wiser than I cannot understand. I should warn you, perhaps, that many are wiser than I, and so, while it may be your best option as of yet, listening to me is not the smartest thing you could do. If you should choose to read on, then I think you'll find that though I do not know as much as some, I understand the situation that our Mirror-dom has gotten itself into. And maybe the Hidden will read this....well....perhaps I shouldn't think that highly of myself. Chances will be chances, after all.
Enough of such nonsence - forgive me, I must remind myself when I am rambling. I fear it comes of old age. Where was I then? Ah, yes....Mirror-dom....
Mirror-dom is a series of dimensions that share a bond by a thing that all call "Mirrors". You ought to know of these Mirrors, I think. You should be able to see yourself in them. Perhaps you are unaware that you can also see your perception of reality in it, and that your neighbor can see theirs. Which translates into the fact that a mirror can reflect more than one reality at a time. There are Mirrors that can be seen through, and Mirrors that can be traveled through, but all in a Mirror is based on perception of reality. So if a person looks through a Mirror to the other side and sees who stands there, what they see will be based off their perception far more than the other's reality. In this way, we each live in our own world and see our own mind laid out.
But there is one world in Mirror-dom that is different. It contains more than one person, more than one perception, and blends them to make a reality that is combined of all of them. Long ago this world was called the Pardocia, a place that explorers went to learn what others viewed of them. For many ages this was a safe trip and most returned with ease and knowledge gained. Then, like all else there, strangeness spread throughout Pardocia. Those that traversed there became content to stay there, beginning to believe that reciprocal relationships were more important than the introverted reality that the rest of Mirror-dom portrayed. In those first whiles it was overlooked. Those would choose their own preference, of course. But as Pardocia became more crowded by the curious and populated by the content, many outside that world became wary. These individuals began to believe that something less than obvious was happening, and so naturally when they looked through the Mirror to Pardocia that is exactly what they saw. Soon it became outlawed for anyone to enter Pardocia. The rest of Mirror-dom became known as Elsewhere.
A council was formed; the Council of Keeping. They watched their Mirrors and waited to see what would become of Pardocia. They saw malice and hatred, but the people of Pardocia only lived the way that any might. When Pardocia naturally evolved into itself and created new languages, the Council of Keeping saw conspiracy and secrets. Very few were left with open minds in all of Elsewhere, and those that were there saw how things were changing and kept themselves quiet. It was better not to anger a group that was already past reason.
Soon the people of Pardocia forgot their former ways. Generations came and passed, and stories changed with time. They began to call their world "Earth" and themselves "Humans." They made standards of living that no one should fall beneath (at least in theory), and they made laws and guidelines so peace could be kept. As a whole, their main goal seemed to be happiness and prosperity. There were many disagreements between them, but they found ways to live together despite them. The Earth was far from perfect, but they had found a way to live, and they were content.
By this point, many of the peoples that lived in Elsewhere had moved on to things more interesting, forgetting about the stories of Pardocia and a land they could not enter regardless. But the Council of Keeping was undoubtedly obsessed. Stories and prophecies wound through their minds in a likeness that fear could pride itself in. One prophecy in particular they feared....not even because the prophesized would be aweful in itself, but because they were beginning to fear that the Humans were right in their ways. The biggest hinderance to acceptance of this "Earth" was the Council's unwillingness to admit that someone else's perception might be as accurate, or perhaps even moreso, then their own.
After ages of taking heed to this fear, the Council of Keeping watched in horror as a babe was born into both Earth and Elsewhere. She watched all Mirrors as she grew, aware yet silent. She spoke little in Earth, and less in Elsewhere; never telling the one the secrets the other held. Could this be the fulfillment of prophesies feared? If so, where were the Hidden said to aide her? The Council of Keeping watched silently and anxiously; watched and waited for the day she would speak out and cross a line. Everything depended on her choice. Everyone's perceptions could change based off hers.
I still find it hard to believe who those First Words were to...
Reflection Chapter 2: Pardocia © Rebecca Duran 2009
From "The Seeker's" Perspective:
Great. Nothing but an internet scam emailed to millions of people about a fictional story. Obviously made by someone who needs to get a life and wants you to believe they have one.
Another pathetic attempt to distract me.
Not that there was a lot to be distracted from. Another mindless day of school, lost in the nothingness of concepts too dull to keep interest. Why could these people not realize he was above this? Why couldn't they give him something that was actually challenging?
The only thing left to do lately was to explore. He went to the cyber world he called home and researched everything he found, everywhere from what this girl claimed on her blog status all the way to where spam came from. He wanted to know what made people tick. He was looking for something to prove they weren't the mindless drones he saw them as. So he searched. That was how he found out the strange thing about this "scam": it came from no where. There was no obvious return address, and when he looked into it further there was nothing else on the entire internet to suggest that such an email ever existed. In fact, when he went back to his inbox, it was gone.
Gone?! He hadn't deleted it! Could he have dreamed it? No, he was fairly sure he was wide awake and not even sleep deprived enough to start hallucinating. Then the only explanation left was that it was in fact deleted without his concent. He began frantically searching for anyone that could have hacked into his computer. But after hours of parinoia, he found that both his computer and his email were safe from other hackers.
After his breath of relief was breathed, he began processing what he knew. Either he got an email sent from no where that self destructed shortly after being recieved, or he had gone mad. If the first was true, then maybe (just maybe) the content of the email had been accurate. If the second was true, and he was indeed mad, then there wouldn't be any problem if he believed the first anyways.
He mulled over what he had learned of this writer as he prepared for sleep. It was obiously an older character, possibly male - although that was unclearly defined. The Writer didn't seem to think very highly of his own wisdom, but still felt justified in his own opinion. Remotely hypocritical, but that pattern had been seen many times a'fore. The Writer seemed convinced that there were worlds with sentient beings beyond this one, and that this one was unique. In fact, The Writer was convinced that he was in another world, and the only one in his own.
The ironic thing was, no matter which way he looked at it The Writer had to be right for one simple reason. We do each create our own reality with our perceptions. So if this was The Writer's perception, then it must be reality, at least to him. The question remained: was this reality a reflection of truth or of misconcieved perceptions? Were it truth, how much of a threat could this Council of Keeping impose? What was The Writer talking about when referring to the girl at the end? Or the Hidden at the beginning? And what would such a breach between worlds mean to the keeping of ours?
~
When his alarm went off, Jason realized that he had fallen asleep mulling over it. His computer had automatically shut down in the night, and he had exactly 29 minutes to shower, dress, eat, grab his backpack, and walk out the door. He had this down to an art-form. There was then 10 minutes to run the half-mile to the bus stop, which gave him plenty of time to count in traffic and other annoyances along the way. He had exactly one minute to err in any direction, and no time to think more on what he fell asleep to.
Even once he got on the bus he remained distracted. He sat down by Geezer and Tanasha as they b-s'd about the Charles event of lunchtime two days ago. Routine took over, and the ordinary life he hated showed just how accostomed he secretly was to it. The bus pulled into the school parking lot, and his friends were already waiting to rudely jesture at the bus driver and jump Geezer for his snack-food, just like any other Tuesday.
He probably would have forgotten altogether what had occured the night before if it didn't happen then.
Tanasha to Heather: "Hey, did you get that f***in lame-a** spam last night 'bout mirrors or somethin?"
Heather: "I didn't check my email last night, but I'll look for it at lunch. Why?"
Jason: "I got it. It actually got me thinking last night."
Geezer: "Woah. Deep."
Ben-ster: "Nah. More like laaaaammmmmeeee."
Random girl walking by: "The Mirrors are starting to shatter again, just like they did before. Maybe you should all be thinking."
Jason looked then, but only saw a girl that was believed to be mute. She went to regular classes because she was so smart, but everyone knew not to talk to her because she'd just stare off into space and ignore them. They always thought something was wrong with her. What was her name? Andrea? Anasia? Anna-something, he thought. Regardless, could it really have been her that just spoke?
As if to answer his thoughts, Anna-something continued: "Maybe we should step back from the Mirrors and see for ourselves. Wouldn't want to be gazing into one when it shatters, after all."
We all stared after her, but she just turned and walked away. Not a moment of eye contact was made, and not a word she said made any sence. Leastways not looking into this Mirror, he thought snidely. Someone made a comment that Heather's mouth was agape, and then the group went back to its routine. Jason didn't follow suite so easy. In fact, as soon as his shock-induced paralysis wore off, he chased after her.
As he caught up to her, she stopped and looked him dead in the eye. His mind felt like someone had screamed load enough to shatter every glass in the world when he saw her eyes. That went beyond soul-piercing. She started to speak, but he was too lost in her eyes to understand. She had to repeat it three times before he was able to answer her.
Jason: "I read this email last night about mirrors. I do believe that everything is based on perception, and that most are mis-guided by their own. But no, I don't know which Mirror I look in. Why do you ask?"
Anna-something: "Because it would be foolish not to before expecting you to understand what you will soon see."
Jason: "And what will I see?"
Anna-something: "The end of this perception. It is time to face ourselves and shatter our own Mirrors. It is time to act in such a way that will alter others' perceptions. It is time to tear down the Council of Keeping and bring up an understanding in the MIrror-dom."
Jason: "What's all that soposed to mean? I mean, without some long explanation, what do I have to do and why should I do it?"
Anna-something: "You should do it because you see that this is less than what it could be. What you have to do is unlearn everything that you have learned. Nothing here is what it appears. You are surrounded by nothing but Mirrors."
Then, as if she had hypnotized him, Jason suddenly became aware of the frames of all the Mirrors he looked into. They were placed at angles all around him in a way that he could see whatever he wanted and ignore the rest. Was this reality? He reached out his hand and touched a Mirror. Could one touch thier own reality? Was perception ever soposed to be this tangible? When he looked back at her, she was only half-protruding out of one of the Mirrors. The half in the Mirror was how he remembered her from a moment before. That which was separate from the Mirror was in black-and-white shades and looked different. She was entirely as piercing as her eyes had been, but void of anything he could grasp onto in the same moment.
Jason: "Okay, you have my attention. What now?"
Anna-something: "What happens when you push past the Mirrors?"
Well, he thought, only one way to find out....
Reflection Chapter 3: Beyond the Mirror
From Anasia's Perspective:
She could not remember the first time she had seen past the mirrors to the existence beyond. It had been too bred into her from her beginning; she did not understand how they were so confined. Therefore it was strange being aware of Jason's perspective as he experienced her world for the first time.
Hers was a world of uncertainty. She could sence the perspectives of others, but had no idea what it was they thought. She could see past her own perception, but could not always understand what was beyond it. She certainly saw her self and her world through Mirrors, but was never limited by them. She refused to be limited by anything, least of all herself.
But even as she watched Jason unlearn everything, she could sence out of the corner of her Mirrors that the Council of Keeping watched in horror. A law had been broken; a law that they held precious. A human had been led out of Pardocia. It was even more illegal to let them back in. As much as the Council feared the ways of this "Earth", they feared even more what would happen if those ways were ever broken. It might be a matter of time before Jason was held hostage by them so he would not return to his home. Then again, maybe not; they had never held her captive.
Then again, she realized with dread, that might also be because she had never spoken before. As long as she had kept quiet they had retained their self-proclaimed safety. What would happen now? She had altered everything by bringing this boy out of his own perceptions. If only she could alter more by bringing those in Elsewhere out of their own perceptions, past their own Mirrors. Then this situation would be resolved. Twice as hard would it be to take anyone from Elsewhere out past their Mirrors than it was for the most well-set Human to comprehend the same. Humans were at least used to the concept that not all was as they saw it.
But there was risk there, also, for even though each Human as an individual would understand, they as a whole would not. So if Jason returned to their world and started witnessing to what he had lived, they were likely to lock him up themselves.
As each side battled against the truth, it seemed she was the only one who fought to preserve it. No, wait, there was also The Writer of that email. Obviously someone from Elsewhere, but those in Elsewhere were not permitted to know so much about Earth and its ways, much less contact the Humans. It seemed that the only explanation was The Writer was himself on the Council of Keeping. But how could that be? Were they not so stuck in their own Mirrors that they could not see to reason? Could it be that one had known better but watched and waited for the best time to act?
It hurt to hope, as it always does. A certainty would be helpful, any but the one she had. For the only certainty she had was her goal was difficult to obtain at best, with impossible far more likely. She had the goal set in her mind, and was completely convinced of it. She was the only one who thought that every being in Mirror-dom could break past their own Mirrors. She believed that with time they could see other's perceptions. Pardocia had come closer than most, but even they could not see past themselves as a whole. She had dreams that there was even life and space beyond Mirror-dom, places where Mirrors did not exist, and perceptions were irrelevant.
She knew she would need help to reach her goals, but she did not know where she would find this help. Perhaps from The Writer? Perhaps from some inside Pardocia? Time would have to be the telling factor on that. Meanwhile, she was stuck waiting for Jason to get a grip on himself again, to realize that he was still there but that there was much more beside himself than he had ever thought possible before. Once he got over the new reasoning and could move again, she had to take him back. At least for the moment. He might need to return here for a time just to know he hadn't dreamed this, and he may or may not need assistance in returning. But for now he was stuck.
At a standstill by day
Ever moving by night
Through impassable way
Ever mocking the fright
Fear of what to become
If she managed her task
Fear of what never comes
If she fails at last
Blind, the only one seeing
As she steps into being
There, he stuck for a while
And she inwardly smiles.
Such is reflection. We see what we want to believe, even if it is not what we want to see. We live the life we choose, even if it is not what we think we would have. We think that we have not been given the choice, but it is meerly because we never second-guessed ourselves. A broken pattern is all it takes to convince the wise that their lives have always been following their own perception.
Sometimes she wondered. As convinced of her thoughts and ways as she was, was she really just lost in her own perception herself? Was she truely the only that could see on her own as she had come to believe, or was there much, much more that she could not guess at?
The only thing she would not - could not - believe, was that the Council of Keeping could possibly be right. Surely it was better to know yourself and those around you as in truth they are? Surely it was better to not be confined to your own beliefs and feelings? Surely isolation was not the answer!
Yet the ways were set as they were, and much would be needed to break them.
When Jason finally became unstuck, she took him back to his world, and warned him that he shouldn't tell everyone what he saw. Only those that had reason to believe his mental stability would think that he might possibly speak truth. Anyone besides was not to be trusted, yet.
When she left him to his own thoughts and ways, she wandered off - off the campus, off Pardocia, off what she knew.
Even she couldn't guess what would become of her next actions...
Reflection Chapter 4: The Writer
From Captain of the Fifth's Perspective:
The Mirror he looked in was one of sadness and regret. All of his world was tainted by it, and he feared this was his own doing. His own hand had struck down the ties to all that could ever be sacred. He found himself wishing he had never taken that vow. This was something he wished for often.
Now he was the Captain of the Fifth, a prominent member of the Council of Keeping. He had to keep up appearances to a point, so that the rest of the Coucil would never become suspicious. It was highly unlikely they ever would regardless, for they saw him through their own Mirrors, and did not suspect his doubt.
Now he was the Captain of the Fifth, but it was not always so.
There was once a time that he lived in Pardocia. He was a miracle worker - simply because he knew the wonders from Elsewhere that most of them had forgotten. This was early in the days of Pardocia, when it was not yet called Earth, and there was not yet a ban from travel there. Yet still, even in that time, no one cared to return once they arrived. No one but him. Oft he had traveled back and forth, keeping a life in both places. Until the day when he was drawn in to Pardocia in a way he never could have imagined.
See, there was a woman; well, no, she was still half-girl at the time; whose smile broke through every layer of his stone-cold heart. Her laughter was that of the morning sun rising for the very first time, but he could never tell her this. She was kept hidden from the rest of the people, because they deemed her ill. They were afraid to catch what they thought she had - but they had no idea how much of a blessing it would be to all to catch her spirit! Her cursed parents hid her in their shame, and eventually abandoned her in the wilderness.
When he had heard of this, he searched and searched for her. Finally, he found a small piece of her clothing, torn and mauled by the creatures that had surely killed her. Furious, he raced back to the town to hold up the parents for justice, but none would listen. Good, they said. She deserved it, they reckoned. May they all burn in the fires they laid for her. Even thinking back to it made a hatred burn inside that threatened to ruin him. That hatred had certainly ruined everything else.
After he gave up on those people, he took his anger and his hate back to Elsewhere, and formed the Council of Keeping, spreading whatever lies about Pardocia he needed to make them understand the cruelty of their ways. He forgot the joy in her smile. He forgot the wonders of having someone else's perspective influence one's own. He forgot how much he had loved Pardocia. All he remembered then was how much he hated those who had done such a thing.
It had clouded his vision, his judgement, his perspective. Yet it was no excuse for what his actions caused. It was no excuse for the hatred he showed, and what that hatred had done to those he had once loved. The Pardocia he loved was sealed. Because of him. The ways he loved were forgotten. Because of him. And now the Council of Keeping moved to war upon the newest threat. It was still him at fault, as it would ever be.
He had to warn them. He had to help them to fight back. Reluctant, still, to bring anything upon himself, he might try anonymously at first. But if that were to fail, he would have to try regardless of consequences.
Long ago Karonaiy the Explorer had become the Captain of the Fifth. Now the Captain of the Fifth became The Writer.
But how much hope could he put into this? After all, the Humans of Earth had spent so long forgetting everything from Elsewhere. What made him think that one email would make a difference, regardless if it was sent to every email address on Earth.
What if it was too late to make amends for his mistakes?
After watching the result of his email, he decided that this one boy who took it to heart would not ever be enough. It was time for more drastic measures. It was time to undo everything he had spent years to build up.
It was time to start this war himself.
It was time to return to Pardocia.....
Reflection Chapter 5: End of the Beginning
From There had been a new breech in Earth's limits. A new entry to Pardocia's set of Mirrors. Something besides herself had passed from the one world to the other. She had heard that this was not allowed by Elsewhere's laws, but she had honestly begun to think that no one else could do it. Apparantly she had been wrong. Now she felt a need to go see who this new person was, as if she was overprotective of this Earth she lived in. Were it to be a member of the Council of Keeping, a war would surely break out. Even were she to make the first strike, she was not sure what would come of it. But the Council of Keeping could not be allowed to destroy Pardocia. All this was the fault of the Captain of the Fifth, as she understood it. That was why he was called that. The Captain of the Fourth lied under him in command, then the Captain of the Third. The Captains of the Second and First were more just honorary titles. They were meant to provide a line of sucession, but it had never been needed. Besides the Captains, there were six members of the Council Guard, and 14 members of the Council Diplomats. All followed the Captains, especially the Fifth and Fourth. The Fifth was the one who had started the rumors about Pardocia; he had initially spread the hatred for it amongst the rest. The Fourth had formed the council, and sometimes it seemed she was the one who truely ran it, and that the Fifth was just a face to put out front. Were any of them to come to Earth now, it would most likely be a Council Guard. They were the fighters, and the Diplomats had the job of calling others to fight. There were those in Elsewhere that still supported the Council of Keeping, although their numbers were dwindling. But they would likely send the Guard first. The Guard were those on the council most likely to obey mindlessly. They had a preconceived notion of what Pardocia had become, and there would be no convincing them of otherwise. They could not be allowed to disturb this set of Mirrors. She had been in Elsewhere for a short time, and had just returned when she had felt the disturbance. She hurried over to the place where the one from Elsewhere had landed, to see who it was and what it wanted of them. Were it just an explorer there would be no problems. She felt a dread that it was not just an explorer. When she found him, she had to look again to be sure she saw right. This could not be so. The Captain of the Fifth himself was there, standing before her. But why was he alone? Was he here to gather more to complain about, that they would hate us more? What manipulation could he unearth this time? ...........Or was he here for a different reason?.............. She approached him cautiously, ready to speak if need-be. But he had already seen her, and was opening his mouth to speak. She did her best to listen without judgment so she could see past her own Mirrors and hear what he actually said. Captain of the Fifth: "Are you the one we've been seeing travel between the worlds? Are you the one prophesized?" Anasia: "I sopose so. Are you not the Captain of the Fifth?" Captain of the Fifth: "I am. Although perhaps I am not here for reasons you might guess." Anasia: "Then why are you here?" Captain of the Fifth: "To attempt to undo the wrong I've done, and to honor the spirit of one who fell on these grounds. One whom I loved." Was that why he had done what was done? Out of grief? She didn't dare ask. Anasia: "How do you expect to undo what you've done? They are wrongs that have affected this entire world of Mirrors, as well as Elsewhere. What could you do to ammend them?" Captain of the Fifth: "I was almost hoping you would know the answer to that question. I've been asking it of myself for some time now." This was an irony she could not help but smile at. But what happened next even she could not have guessed. Captain of the Fifth: "You have her smile.............."
Reflection Chapter 6: Anything for a Smile
Reflection
Chapter 6 - Anything for a Smile
From Karonaiy the Explorer's Perspective:
Strange, after so many changes that he would end up back at the beginning. As the Captain of the Fifth he had scarred his life and those around him, and as The Writer he had made a pathetic attempt to fix it. Now he was back to being Karonaiy the Explorer, a soul captured by the smile of a girl.
But no matter how similar their smiles were, he had to remind himself that this was not the same girl. This was not the same smile that had brought light to his darkness so long ago.
It did bring light to his darkness now though. Perhaps that said enough by itself, for suddenly he felt an obsessive need to make sure she was okay. Not to mention a burning need to know why she had smiled at that. Did she have an answer? Did she hold the key to help him make sure her and her precious smile stayed safe?
Karonaiy: "Pardon me, but I must know why you smiled at that?" Especially with such a beautiful smile.
Anasia: "Its ironic you would ask me, of all people."
Karonaiy: "You have been prophesized for a long time; why would that be ironic?"
Anasia: "Prophesized by those looking no further than their own Mirrors. How can you expect that to be accurate?"
Karonaiy: "It is the way we have always done it."
Anasia: "It is not the way it has always been done in Pardocia. And it is not the way that has ever been right."
Karonaiy: "I used to travel to Pardocia often, but I never understood one thing. Why would anyone care what others' Mirrors reflect?"
Anasia: "I'm sure you care how others view you in their Mirrors."
Karonaiy: "I suppose so, but nothing more."
Anasia: "That's the most conceited thing I've heard in a while. The way people percieve things affects their actions, and ends up affecting those around them. No one's Mirror is so introverted that they are not affected by those around them. The closest to come to it is the fool who does not realize they are affected."
Karonaiy: "I hope I didn't offend you. I am certainly not meaning to be conceited. I think there might just be a lot you can teach me, if you would be willing."
Anasia: "The real question is whether you would be willing to learn."
Karonaiy: "Anything for a smile."