azwraith,
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say.
At first glance, it didn’t look like much.
“It” being a mirror that kept exchanging hands, passing from owner to owner before the weeks is up.
It was a simple thing, really. The frame was as long as one’s forearm, with “handles” horizontally stuck on either side, merely carved to have grips, of sorts, worn out due to being passed around again and again. The body of the mirror was mostly covered by glass, chipped and cracked in the corners, yet it can still provide a decent reflection. And then, of course, there was the Beholder’s Eye on its back.
The Eye can often be mistaken for an abnormally large pearl, albeit differently-tinted, surrounded in tiny markings that look like tiny little veins. If it were an actual eye, it would have no iris, with only an almond-shaped “pupil” that seems to be permanently constricted. Other than that, it had nothing remarkable about it, except for a few . . . stories.
Some said that it was an ordinary mirror, plagued with coincidences and bad luck. Others said it was cursed, where each owner it came through would suffer a horrible fate. Others still said that it was merely looking for the rightful owner that would claim the mirror as theirs. But no matter the differences, the stories always say that the mirror gives more than just reflections – it tells stories. It was said that it can show one’s deepest desires, basking in glory and riches – all they have to do is to follow the mirror. Sometimes, the rumors say that it instead shows one’s worst fears instead, feeding on doubt and despair, tempting the wielder to end it all instead. Lies, mostly, created by gossiping townsfolk with nothing else to do in their spare time.
And then, there was the matter with the Eye. It was the real reason why the mirror was passed around. Made to look like an actual eye of a Beholder, it may as well have been the real deal. Previous owners said that it looked “creepy,” and that they can “feel its gaze upon their backs”. Looking directly into it made them “feel dizzy, as if the world just flipped over,” yet they can feel a promise being offered to them – something that they just can’t understand why it was made.
I can still remember its whispers – whispers of an old kingdom, coming back from the horizon; coming back from beneath the sands. All I have to do to bring back my family was to keep this mirror safe, until the next one is chosen.
Literary: Eye of the Beholder
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say.
At first glance, it didn’t look like much.
“It” being a mirror that kept exchanging hands, passing from owner to owner before the weeks is up.
It was a simple thing, really. The frame was as long as one’s forearm, with “handles” horizontally stuck on either side, merely carved to have grips, of sorts, worn out due to being passed around again and again. The body of the mirror was mostly covered by glass, chipped and cracked in the corners, yet it can still provide a decent reflection. And then, of course, there was the Beholder’s Eye on its back.
The Eye can often be mistaken for an abnormally large pearl, albeit differently-tinted, surrounded in tiny markings that look like tiny little veins. If it were an actual eye, it would have no iris, with only an almond-shaped “pupil” that seems to be permanently constricted. Other than that, it had nothing remarkable about it, except for a few . . . stories.
Some said that it was an ordinary mirror, plagued with coincidences and bad luck. Others said it was cursed, where each owner it came through would suffer a horrible fate. Others still said that it was merely looking for the rightful owner that would claim the mirror as theirs. But no matter the differences, the stories always say that the mirror gives more than just reflections – it tells stories. It was said that it can show one’s deepest desires, basking in glory and riches – all they have to do is to follow the mirror. Sometimes, the rumors say that it instead shows one’s worst fears instead, feeding on doubt and despair, tempting the wielder to end it all instead. Lies, mostly, created by gossiping townsfolk with nothing else to do in their spare time.
And then, there was the matter with the Eye. It was the real reason why the mirror was passed around. Made to look like an actual eye of a Beholder, it may as well have been the real deal. Previous owners said that it looked “creepy,” and that they can “feel its gaze upon their backs”. Looking directly into it made them “feel dizzy, as if the world just flipped over,” yet they can feel a promise being offered to them – something that they just can’t understand why it was made.
I can still remember its whispers – whispers of an old kingdom, coming back from the horizon; coming back from beneath the sands. All I have to do to bring back my family was to keep this mirror safe, until the next one is chosen.
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