Reflection

I once was siezed by a fit of choking while brushing my teeth. I looked up, bleary-eyed to see my reflection was not in the mirror: at the same time, I felt an irresistible pull into it. I spread my arms as I was lifted off the floor and slammed into it (destroying the mirror in the process). I managed to grab the walls beside the mirror, but for one brief instant, I saw my reflection lying on the other side, twitching in the throes of death. This is only the most violent of the many things that have occurred to me near mirrors. On watch in Great Lakes RTC, I watched in the reflection on the glass in front of me as a sailor in the uniform of the 1940's walked up beside me to the watch station, looked at me, shrugged, and stood beside me. I said, "I have the watch tonight, shipmate, get some sleep", and he looked at me, surprised, then turned and walked up the stairs. Of course, I don't have to mention that when I turned to address him, I couldn't see him, do I? I have seen a mouthless woman beckoning to me, figures behind me, hands clawing desperately at the frames of the mirror. I have looked up and seen myself: sometimes without a beard, sometimes with contacts, and a few times my left eye seems to have been lost to what appears to be a knife slash.

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Originally uploaded on /x/ sometime in 2006 or 2007

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