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gravity-pulls-on-you-and-me · 7 years

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After taking a shower, Alison dressed up in front of the mirror as usual. Oddly enough, this time, when her fingers touched the mirror, she didn't feel the cold surface of glass. Instead, her fingers passed through it, as if its solid state suddenly turned to gas. *Is this a prank?* she thought. But she knew it was impossible, as she lived alone and no one had an access to her apartment. Despite the fear, she was too curious not to get inside. She stepped in, where her foot ended up in a kind of floor that wasn't her ceramic one — a wooden floor. She stepped her other foot which brought her to a foreign, unlit room. A bedroom. Pile of clothes on the bed. Numerous band posters on the wall. Scattered papers on a desk. There was a window above the desk — although the curtain was shut, there was a faint bright ray of sunlight. And so, she assumed, wherever she was, she had warped somewhere with a different timezone as her hometown. This event was out of logic, but it felt too real to be a dream. But then again, it was hard to be aware of dream when you were dreaming, wasn't it? Whichever the answer, she decided to step back into her own world. After all, the watch in her wrist showed that it was almost time for her to go to her campus. *** Soon enough, when she arrived at the campus, she got over the dream-like event. Or so she thought, until she went to the restroom and was struck by the mirrors that laid ahead. She touched them, and, as she expected, the tip of her fingers came in contact with them. *Maybe it was indeed just a dream*. And so she lived through her day. The event didn't bug her so much, but she couldn't keep her mind off it as well. Until, eventually, she returned to her apartment, but she decided not to test her theory again. *Maybe tomorrow*, she thought. Without changing her clothes, she drifted off to sleep. A few hours went by, until unknowingly, there was a man in her room. “Where the hell am I?” he murmured. He gasped loudly when he saw there was a sleeping girl on the bed. Alison woke up instantly, just as surprised as he was. “Who are you?” she shouted. “Who are *you*?” “You're the intruder, you answer me!” “I'm not an intruder, I'm—” he pointed to the mirror. “I came from there. I was in my room. And—” “The mirror sends you here.” And so it was clear. He was the owner of the messy bedroom. Both of them were struck with awe. How was this possible? It didn't make any sense. Why was her mirror randomly connected to his? “This is insane,” he said. “Where is this, by the way?” “Manhattan.” “Oh. So far away from my home.” “And you're from?” “Reykjavík, Iceland. I'm a UK origin, though.” Iceland! No wonder why when she came there earlier it was already afternoon. “Alright, so… there's a lot to process here. But I need to know if this is real.” “It is,” she said. “I believe this doesn't occur just once. I mean, I went to your place this morning and it still works now. Who knows how long this portal will last.” “You went to my room?” “Sorry. I was just curious of why my hand passed through the mirror.” “I stumbled and my head was about to hit the mirror, only to find out there was no mirror anymore,” he chuckled. “I still can't believe this is real. I mean, check this out,” she got up from the bed and stood in front of the mirror. “Fron afar, this is a well functioning mirror. It reflects me. It reflects you. There seems to be nothing *superstitious* about it. But if I try to touch it,” she let her fist swallowed by the mirror. “Look! My hand is gone!” “Yeah,” he mumbled. “It's amazing how it allows us to travel through space and time between USA and Iceland, back and forth. Would you like to take a look at my place?” She glared at him. “I have no ulterior motive, of course! I just thought you might want to see what Iceland looks like.” “Actually, I do.” She stepped into the messy bedroom with the wooden floor. The curtain was unveiled this time. It was night already, but the illumination from the buildings beyond lit up so brightly. “Wow,” she mumbled. “It's a big city.” “What did you expect?” “Well, when I hear the word Iceland, all I can think about is—” “Unpolluted sky, abundant of stars, auroras, and just full of nature in general? I thought so too. But you see, once you stay here, it's just the same as any other city. But yeah, with less pollution.” When she thought about it again, it was great — how she was transported into another part of the world, far away from home, within a single step. The guy seemed nice as well. Perhaps they could build an extraordinary friendship. “Alison,” she said. “Pardon?” “My name.” “Oh.” He held out a hand, “Theo.” “Theo. That's a nice name.” “I hope my personality is as nice as my name. My face, too, of course,” he said, which made her let out a laugh. “Well, Theo, it was nice to see a speck of Reykjavík. Anyway, you *obviously* can't go to my place without my permission, okay? I'll come by again later.” She looked at the clock, which showed that it was already 11:29 PM. “It's time for me to sleep anyway. I have a big day tomorrow.” “It's still half past seven in your place, though.” Timezone! She forgot it existed. “Oh. Well, I guess that means I'll have more time to sleep. Remember, *never* come to my place without my permission. I'll see you tomorrow… from Manhattan's timezone.” “Okay. Nice to know you, Lis.” “That's not how people call me.” “I love doing things in an unconventional way. Good night.” And so, she went to her bed. *Alright. That was really weird*, she thought. A quick trip to Iceland. Theo. She was still unable to grasp the reality of this. It was even weirder to think that Iceland — another country — and Theo were still there, behind the mirrors. While she was occupied with her thoughts, her eyelids slowly closed, sending her to slumber. *** Day after day went by. None of them came to each other's place since. For a moment, Alison couldn't believe that Theo really kept his promise not to come to her room. Her daily routines kept her mind away from the dream-like encounter. On the other side, she was also afraid that it would be a dream; that there wouldn't be no Reykjavík and Theo behind the mirrors. Until one day, a hand popped out from the mirror. “Theo?” she asked, but there was no answer. So she touched it and followed where it led. It was the same Theo and the same wooden floor. “Why didn't you answer me?” “What? I couldn't hear anything from here.” “Where are you taking me?” “Oh, sorry, are you busy at the moment?” “Not that I know of,” she murmured. But she still doubted whether she could trust this stranger or not. “I'll take you somewhere you might like.” They went out from Theo's apartment and headed west, away from the city; away from the light-dominated buildings. She had begun to worry, as there were less and less people. *Maybe I shouldn't have followed him at all,* she thought. Until, finally, they reached a vast open space of field. Ahead, where they were walking towards, looked like a small triangular object — a tent. Beside the tent, there was a portable dining set, completed with what looked like a pair of plates filled with a soup and a pair of cups filled with steaming liquid. And, more surprisingly, there was a telescope. “What's this all about?” Alison asked. “There's nothing better to do in Iceland is stargazing,” he answered happily. “With a homemade food.” Ignoring what Theo said, she looked at the sky. Even without using a telescope, the sky was already painted with myriad stars. It was probably the most beautiful night sky she had ever witnessed. Her reverie broke when her stomach growled. “Thank god I made some foods,” he chuckled. They began to eat in silence. The situation was too awkward to talk, but Alison thought it might sound rude if she didn't give any comment of the food. “This is tasty. A little too salty for me, but still good,” she said. “Thanks for the feedback,” he answered with a small smile. After they had finished the meal, Theo set up the telescope, while the night got darker and the once invisible stars now shone so bright like they were the only source of light. Having lived in a forest of buildings all her life, she never imagined there was a place on Earth with such magnificent beauty. “Great, isn't it?” Theo's question snapped her back to reality. “Yes,” she said, and she meant it. “It is” * * * That night, she spent the entire night with Theo. Although he was a bit occupied with himself with the telescope and Alison was content with seeing the stars with naked eyes, both of them had a good time. It was just like a fantasy. And when she stepped back to her world, it was like the fantasy had vanished into eternity. But she knew everything would still be there, behind the mirrors, hopefully never lost. She remembered something Theo said at the end of their night. “You'd love to hang out with me again, wouldn't you?” And she said yes. Because she thoroughly enjoyed Theo's company. He was nice, he was horribly funny, he was gentle, he was handsome. It didn't take a long time to know the English man had stolen her heart. Until, one day, she had a bad day at college. She threw her bag furiously at the mirror. It was a small crack — barely an inch — but since then, the mirror felt cold again. “No,” she murmured in frantic disbelief. “No!” She punched the mirror, wishing her hand would go through, but it didn't happen. It never happened, even until her fists bled. “No! Theo!” She wished her voice would reach him, but even after her throat went sore, he never heard of the voice miles, miles away from Manhattan. * * * It's been a month since Alison never heard from Theo again. Of course, the reason was merely because there was indeed no way to keep in touch. They never bothered to exchange numbers because they thought the mirrors would always connect them. Or they were too carried away by each other to consider the possibility of them being apart. She never touched the mirror again. When she looked at her reflection, all she saw was her own despair. She missed Theo badly. Sometimes she doubted her own memory — was it a dream? Was she going insane? Was she so desperate and alone that she created an imaginary boyfriend? But the stronger part of her believed Theo was out there. And when she got the chance, she would go to Reykjavíkz, find Theo, and tell him how sorry she was for breaking the portal and that he meant the world to her.

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