Shishir 2024 Stories - Radoslav, George Radushev, Petkov

 

Mirror Image

By Radoslav, George Radushev, Petkov

 

 

The Arc was still there. Sticking out of the earth unceremoniously as it always had and would. It sat in a distant and overgrown corner of a municipal park close to the University campus. Bushes ran wild there but in a ring around the arc perched on top of a small hill they grew sparse and the grass lay low.


Noone knew how long the stone arc had stood. Maybe it was built half a century ago when the park wascultivated but it could just as well have been there for millennia. Mystery surrounded its origins. People passed by never giving it a second glance. At times, the place was visited by rowdy youth gangs out for a drink but their parties never quite got off the ground for some reason.


There was something sinister around which dampened people’s spirits. Naturally, people refused to admit the arc had anything to do with this. However, people not only felt they should keep their distance from it but also from each other anywhere close.


M.U. Pitt was a long-time undergraduate. It meant he felt good in this role and had no intention of graduating. This summer day he was strolling in the park in an afternoon so hot he felt slowly getting baked to a steaming pond of sweat. Time trickled by lazily for a world not rushing to get anywhere. Unable to stir out of a growing sense of apathy.


M.U. Pitt wandered around the University campus to kill time. His friends who knew him as a hot-blooded charmer were baffled by his transformation. They even gave up trying to lure him out of this inexplicable mood some time ago.


The empty park and the hot day matched his mood, which was gloomy and lazy in a kind of afternoon way. As miserable as he felt, breakfast was just a distant memorynow and his weak-willed body insisted that it was snack time. M.U. Pitt sat on the grass gravely and pulled a sad yesterday’s sandwich out of a pocket. He bit into it, scornful of anything corporeal, and started chewing sullenly.


Looking around and realized he was sitting near that gloomy place with the mystery arc. He had tried going under the stone arc once. It seemed like ages ago. It did not go well. He remembered approaching it when suddenly he no longer felt like going under. M.U. Pitt realized that many of his desires had melted away since then. He called the arc in his mind – plain stone masonry with two stylized horns on top. One was taller than the other. He recalled an inscription under the horns which read:


“When you see your reflection in the mirror, rejoice, for this is not you.”


He did not think much of it then and quickly forgot about it. As a matter of fact, M.U. Pitt stopped caring about a great many things since then. Maybe he was upset by the stale sandwich but he now found this past memory very strange. He finished his duel with his snack using a toothpick to remove the leftovers from his teeth. Thoughts about the arc were jostling in his head all this while, which gave him heartburn.


He could not get it out of his head any more than he could remove the burning sensation in his stomach. Evidently, this rattled him and in a fit of righteous indignation he headed for the arc. It haunted him. What was the point of a portal which did not lead anywhere, anyway? The answer which came in and of itself was that the arc existed so one could pass through. But then why turn away all those who approached it? Or it was just him?


These musings added another layer of darkness to his already glum mood. He got up and headed for the far end of the park. Clouds had gathered above in a sky that was white hot though he did not notice them. A subtle breeze appeared out of nowhere to chase away the muggy air. M.U. Pitt trudged along oblivious to the weather getting worse. Low fog clung to shrubs around him cooling the earth. Fresh air filled his lungs and despite his dark mood M.U. Pitt felt his senses waking up from deep slumber. He had not felt so alive in a long time.


The wind brought the whisper of a light drizzle in his ear. The hilltop, where the arc stood, appeared somewhere in the distance. Coming closer, M.U. Pitt noticed there was hardly any grass around the stone portal. Even weeds and lichen could not find purchase on the arc’s grounds. The closer he got the more unwelcome M.U. Pitt felt. The place was decidedly hostile and the massing clouds reinforced this image. It was as if nature screamed at the intruder: “Go away! This is no place for you!”


M.U. Pitt felt like turning around and making a wild dash back the way he came just like last time. Instead, he gritted his teeth and pushed forward. His temples throbbed and the rain lashed at his face fiercely. His determination however did not waver and he continued one step at a time. Just a foot away from the arc his strength left him completely. Suddenly everything went quiet as though time had come to a standstill. The rain had ceased; the wind had abated and the fog gripping the earth seemed so thick you could cut it with a knife.


M.U. Pitt looked up. The ancient inscription under the horns pierced his soul. He took a brave step forward and felt his mind fog with the sudden change of landscape before him. Despite the shock, he steadied himself and looked around. Standing on top of the same hill he could now see other mounds stretching all the way to the horizon.


The mounds were a deep verdant green and to the south M.U. Pitt thought he could just make out the silhouettes of mountains. The fringes of a vast forest lay to the west. Rolling mounds dotted the landscape in the other directions. The sun shone above this picture of solitude and only a light breeze swayed the grass.

 

Behind M.U. Pitt the arc stood much as before. This time however, he was sure the arc belonged. No inscriptions under the horns could be seen on this side so M.U. Pitt went round to the other one and saw the letters set in the stone. He returned and gazed at the mounds. He could not help feel like the lord surveying his land. It all seemed peaceful, untroubled. Still, just beyond the borders of perception M.U. Pitt sensed a lurking evil. Hidden from the eye but not the soul, it lay under the mounds. Peter had not got the idea but Clifford had. Suddenly, M.U. Pitt realized he had to go back. He turned swiftly and went under the arc.


It was different this time.


Chilled to the bone he felt his soul separating from his body. Panic seized him and he realized he was looking at himself. He knew this other person did not belong to the world as he knew it at all. He stood still, feeling the warmth leaving his body until his bones turned into ice. The thought the other one was actually himself filled his mind with mortal dread and tried to shut it off.


Then he remembered the arc’s inscription. The letters left a bare footprint inside his retinae which made M.U. Pitt laugh. He felt a little ashamed at first but kept on laughing. The other him now looked a bit confused and mildly offended which added to M.U. Pitt’s amusement. He was roaring with laughter now and could not stop. The silly freak in front had nothing to do with him. Tears of laughter welled up in his eyes and the world around him blurred.


When he came to his senses, he found himself lying on the bare earth, his back against the stones of the portal. He jumped up and looked around. The rain, wind and fog were gone. Sunlight broke through the clouds to warm the earth. M.U. Pitt ran down the hill not bothering to look back.

 

 

Co-authors, Radoslav Radushev-Radus and George Petkov-Mareto from Bulgaria believe in equal rights so their stories often take unexpected turns and never arrive at their destination unchanged. Some of their works have appeared in The Ana Literary Magazine, The Bookends Review, Aphelion webzine, Radus & Mareto, and several others.

 

 

Our Contributors !!

Some of our writers!

  • We occasionally invite writers to send their musings. Do send in your work, and we will host it here.
  • Do visit the Submit page to submit your work.