The Mirror in the Third Bedroom: Part One

 

It was the middle of autumn in that dull period when the trees are only half changed.  I walked home from school as fast as I could. Dark clouds had been gathering all day and now they had become a very worrying greenish-purple color.  Soon the wind picked up, causing the trees to sway slightly.  It wasn't long before it developed into a strong squall, the wind ripping even the green leaves from the trees.  Rain pelted my face as I ran towards the trees for shelter from the stinging rain that bludgeoned me from all directions.  My eyes were closed and I ran against the wind, trying hard not to trip.  I couldn't tell how far I had run, until I finally opened my eyes.  The wind had calmed somewhat, though it was incredibly dark.   It was no longer raining, but it was possible that the tree cover protected me from it.  I stood for a moment, waiting for the storm to end as I caught my breath.  Just as quickly as it had started, the sky began to grow brighter.  I was not on the edge of the forest like I had assumed, I was deep into it, and hopelessly lost.  The trees grew sinister and every shadow seemed to be moving with some unknown terror.  I forced myself to calm down.  It was impossible for me to have gone very far, seeing as I hadn't tripped or run into any trees.  It was mathematically improbable that I would have randomly chosen a path with no trees in the way.  
I set out the way I thought I had come.  I wandered for about an hour, shivering and drenched to the bone.  Finally I saw a bit of clearing up ahead.   I rushed towards it, hoping that I had finally come to the edge of the forest.  But I hadn't.  It appeared that I had only gone deeper, and the edge of the forest was actually a place where the trees had thinned out.  I came to the edge of it, prepared to turn around when I saw a large house in the center of the clearing.  It seemed pretty well taken care of from the outside, and it wasn't decrepit or anything, so surely there was someone who lived there that could at least point me in the right direction. 
I rang the doorbell.   It was one of the old ones, with a loud organ somewhere deep in the house that gave a 4 note ring.  It echoed throughout the house, causing it to shake slightly.  The house gave off a worrying creak, but that was no matter, anyone in the house would have heard the bell.  I stood there fidgeting for about 10 minutes before I knocked loudly on the door.  It had begun to rain again, negating any drying my clothes had done. When still no one came, and tried the door knob.  The door swung open and I took a hesitant step inside. 
"Hello?" I called out.  No reply, "Is anyone here?" 
The house seemed considerable larger from the inside.  A grand marble staircase winded up to the second floor at the end of the foyer.  But the house was deserted.  Sheets hung over the pictures on the wall, and a vase of dead flowers sat on a sheet covered table near the corner.  I peaked under one picture frame, but it was actually a mirror.  I walked all through the house, calling to see if anyone was home.  I looked into each room counting as I went.  In the second closet, there was an antique lamp, and in the third bedroom a large mirror that nearly covered the entire wall, and was strangely enough uncovered.  I returned down stairs.  The house was empty and it was getting dark.  I could at least try to get a bit of sleep before I tried to get home in the morning.  I lied down on the cleanest couch I could find, trying to get warm and ignore my soaked clothes and hungry stomach.  It took me ages to fall asleep.   I finally drifted off into a very dark dream, but not before I thought I heard the faintest click, like the sound of a door being locked.

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