[ WP ] You are a reverse vampire . You can only be seen in mirrors .

She ’ s perfect, I think. Long black hair, with silky smooth olive skin. Her eyes speak to me whenever she does her make up. I love the way she perks her lips when she brushes her teeth to prevent the toothpaste leaking out of her mouth. She fails every time. 
 
 I ’ ve been summoning the courage to say something to her. I ’ ve never been sure how to begin. Do I just ask her if she wants to grab a coffee? That ’ s silly. Do I tell her that I ’ ve been watching her all this time? She ’ ll think I ’ m a creep. But what choice do I have? I ’ ve been stuck in this mirror for as long as I can remember. 
 
 I remember meeting her for the first time. I was at the flea market with Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson was the only person I ’ ve ever talked to. She would talk to me about her husband Davey every day. Tell me stories about how they met, the time Davey surprised her by buying her that bracelet she wanted. It was expensive, she said. He must have worked months to be able to afford it. 
 Mrs. Johnson was getting old and told me that it ’ s time to find someone for myself. I kept telling her that it ’ s impossible for me to do that, being stuck in this mirror, but she wouldn ’ t have it. She believed in soul mates and told me it was time to meet my own. 
 
 Helen walked past by and spoke with Mrs. Jonson about this mirror of mine. I was hiding of course. Mrs. Johnson asked Helen if she believed in soul mates. 
 
 “ Of course I do ” – Helen replied 
 
 “ Good. I think you should take this mirror ” – Mrs. Johnson said. 
 
 “ How much are you asking for it? ” – asked Helen. 
 
 “ I ’ m not asking for money dear. I ’ m just asking that you take care of this mirror for me. It ’ s helped me a great deal after Davey passed away. I think it will help you too. Talk to it is all I ask. It ’ s a great listener ” – said Mrs. Johnson smiling at her. 
 
 “ Thank you so much. ” – Helen replied. 
 
 Mrs Johnson looked right into the mirror looking for me. I didn ’ t make myself visible, but she saw right into my eyes. 
 
 “ Goodbye Michael, and thank you ” – Mrs Johnson said 
 
 “ I thought your husband ’ s name was Davey ” – Helen asked puzzled. 
 
 “ It was. ” – Mrs Johnson said smiling as she walked away. 
 
 So here I am now. Hanging in Helen ’ s washroom. She does talk to me, like she promised Mrs. Johnson. She ’ s cried to me, laughed, yelled, screamed. I haven ’ t talked back to her. I ’ ve just been scared to. I ’ m afraid I will scare her and she ’ ll get rid of me. I ’ ve been feeling that way until now. 
 
 She ’ s crying again. 
 
 “ I don ’ t get it. Same shit every time. I don ’ t know what to do anymore. I don ’ t want to have to go through this again. It ’ s not worth it! – Helen exclaims as she quickly grabs the scissors from the drawer. 
 
 She grasps the scissors firmly, pulls her sleeve back forcefully to reveal her wrist and puts the scissors against it. She stops and stares at the mirror. I ’ m panicking. What do I do? How do I stop her? I appear. 
 
 “ Stop! ” – I yell through the mirror 
 
 She screams at me at the top of her lungs. She scares me and I scream too. We ’ re screaming at each other when all of a sudden she stops, drops the scissors and runs out of the washroom. 
 
 I fucked up – I ’ m thinking. I had so many chances to appear to her and what do I do? I chose to do it when she ’ s the most vulnerable and how do I do it? I scream at her. Great going Michael! The best I could hope for right now is that she ’ ll forget about it, thinking she imagined it and leave the mirror where it is. Otherwise I ’ m screwed. I ’ m going to the junk yard. 
 
 As I ’ m pacing and talking to myself I hear the door creek open. It ’ s Helen. She slowly peaks through the door and stares at the mirror. She can ’ t see me now. 
 
 “ Are you there? ” – she asks. 
 
 I don ’ t answer. 
 
 “ Come on, I know you ’ re there. Appear again! ” - She says loudly. 
 
 I ’ m not stupid. I ’ m just going to shut my mouth. She ’ ll chuck the whole thing to imagination and I ’ m safe. 
 
 “ Fuck, I must be going crazy! ” – she says. 
 
 She approaches the mirror uneasily. Touches it. I want to touch back, but I don ’ t. She then puts her head down and glances at the scissors she had dropped to the ground. She picks them up. Looks at them and then her wrist again. She moves them closer to her wrist. 
 
 “ No, please don ’ t! ” – I say loudly 
 
 She screams. “ I fucking knew it! ” – she yells as she runs out of the washroom again. 
 
 That ’ s it, I think. I ’ m now done. Hello junk yard! There ’ s no point hiding now. She knows. I don ’ t know what I ’ m going to do. 
 
 She didn ’ t come back all night. Did she brush her teeth, I wonder. She has beautiful white teeth and an amazing smile because of it. I miss her smile. She has two little dimples that form at the top of the ends of her mouth every time she smiles. Her eyes glisten warmly every time she does. 
 
 She hasn ’ t come to the washroom for 2 days now. I get worried. I start thinking if she ’ s alright. She had taken the scissors with her the last time she ran out. It dawns on me what may have happened. I want to yell after her when the washroom door opens. 
 
 She doesn ’ t walk in. She stands behind the door. 
 
 “ Are you there? Can you hear me? ” – She asks. 
 
 “ Yes, and yes ” – I reply. 
 
 “ Who are you? - she asks softly. “ What are you? ” 
 
 “ I ’ m Michael ” – I say. 
 
 “ Michael?! ” – she says in a confused tone. “ As in the Michael that the old lady at the market said goodbye to? ” 
 
 “ Yes ” – I reply 
 
 “ But ” – She pauses. “ How? ” 
 
 I proceed to tell her my story. I tell her about the day at the flea market. I tell her about living with Mrs. Johnson. I say that I don ’ t remember anything prior to that and that I ’ ve always lived in this mirror. I tell her that I ’ ve been here and listened to everything she ’ s had to say. I explain how I ’ ve wanted so many times to speak with her, but I was afraid of scaring her. I was afraid of being completely left alone if she were to get rid of me. 
 
 She comes into the washroom now. Slowly looks up at the mirror. 
 
 “ Why can ’ t I see you now? ” – she asks. 
 
 “ Because I ’ m hiding ” – I reply. 
 
 “ Can I see you? ” – she asks. 
 
 I appear. She looks at me. I look at her too. 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry I screamed at you ” – she says. 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry I scared you ” – I reply. 
 
 She smiles. I smile. 
 
 We begin to spend time together more and more, now. I ’ m happy. She takes the mirror out to the living room from time to time. We talk there. She also takes it to the dining room where I watch her cook and spend time with her while she eats. 
 It ’ s Saturday morning. she was brushing her teeth and she tells me that she ’ s sad for me that I ’ m stuck in this mirror. I tell her that I don ’ t mind it. In fact, I can jump from mirror to mirror, so I ’ m not just stuck to this mirror. She jumps up, and tells me she ’ ll be back. She ’ s been gone for most of the day. It ’ s dark now. I get a little worried, when she walks in the washroom. 
 
 “ I have a surprise for you, Michael ” – she says with a big smile on her face. 
 
 “ What is it? ” – I ask. 
 
 “ I ’ ll show you ” – she replies. 
 
 She proceeds to take the mirror out of the washroom into the living room. I ’ m shocked at what I see. 
 
 There ’ s mirrors everywhere! There is not a piece of wall that is not covered with mirror. She takes me through the hallway into the dining room and it ’ s the same. Mirrors in the hallway, mirrors in the dining room. 
 
 “ Do you like it? ” – she asks. 
 
 “ I… I don ’ t know what to say ” – I reply. 
 
 “ I ’ m not sure how to say it ” – says Helen, “ but I figured this way you would be able to be everywhere I am ” 
 
 “ I love it, Helen. I ’ m so happy ” – I say. 
 
 Thank you Mrs. Johnson. 

