“Bye!” Kaila called out to her friends as she waved at them. Climbing into her car she heard shouts of ‘congratulations on your own room’ and ‘have fun designing it!’. Now with only 5 children left in the house and her being the eldest, the 17 year old high school student was allowed to have her own room. She didn’t mind sharing with her little sister but when Maddie left for college, the short haired brunette found herself jumping at the chance to have her own space.

Her headphones around her neck blared music as her head bounced along to the beat. Today was a good day! Her mother said she could design the room in however she felt fit her! On her way home to the country house, the brunette passed an old house that was having an estate sale. “Huh!” She said in excitement as she pulled the car to the side of the road and climbed out.

“Hello Kaila,” An older woman said as she saw the little girl get out of her car. “How are you?” The two engaged in a friendly conversation with a touch of sadness because the woman, a friend of her mother’s, had lost her mom and wanted to sell some of the assists.

“I actually just inherited Maddie’s old room so I’m looking for things to make the room more, mine.” She said with a smile as the older woman gave her a gentle grin.

“Let me know if you find anything. I know the excitement you’re feeling about finally getting your own bedroom. Hopefully you can find something to help make the room yours.” The older woman said with a nod and a smile.

Kaila began to look through the belongings for sale. A few old records, a couple nice tables and chairs; a beautiful vanity stand that really looked like something she could see in her room. That was until she came to a full length mirror standing six feet tall. The boarders of the mirror were a stunning oak with a charming looking carving along the rim. “Oooo.” She said, excitement filling her voice her as reached out and ran her hand along the wood. “How much for this?!” She called out the older woman. Within minutes she had the new mirror loaded into the back of her car and was driving back home.

With the help of her siblings, she got the mirror into her room and cleaned it with wood polish and wind cleaner. “Phew!” She said allowed as she wiped her brow and flopped down on the floor in front of the mirror. She had changed into a pair of blue jeans and a green t-shirt to clean the room and fix up the mirror. Smiling she admired the craftsmanship of the wood. “I wonder how old you are…” She muttered softly. What a beautiful mirror, if only it could talk.

The frog pond was beautiful. The water reflected a perfect blue sky. Leaves shimmered in the fragrant breeze. Water lilies blossomed. Little golden fish traced lazy patterns under the surface.

A young man in a creased brown suit and a fisherman's cap paused beside the lake, pretending to take in the scenery. He drew a small blue stone out of his pocket and -- glancing about to ensure no one could see -- tossed it with a plop into the water. He grinned to himself; he'd come back for it later, in the dead of night, after the search parties had been called off and his guilt was exonerated. Already he could hear a couple of the guards dashing across the courtyard, no doubt just realizing the stone's disappearance.

The young man adjusted his hat and stepped away, whistling an innocent tune -- when a voice made him freeze.

I wonder how old you are . . .

He turned his head, peering back at the pond. Was it . . . glowing?

Quickly, he scanned the rest of the courtyard -- but none of the guards or servants were anywhere nearby. No one was even looking at him. What kind of security was this, anyway? He scratched under his hat, then stepped forward tentatively, pushing the visor back away from his face. He squinted at the glowing water; he thought he saw a shadow moving there, but maybe it was just a fish.

It definitely wasn't a fish.

"Is someone there?" he asked skeptically. He was talking to a pond. This was rock-bottom. "A nymph, maybe. It's all right, you can show yourself. I don't mind nymphs."

The dusty old mirror probably held many different stories, had seen so many things throughout its creation and it span of time with owners that Kaila was cleaning it in awe. Soon it would see her story unfold, help her prepare for life events and experience things with her. The excitement of owning something so old and treasurable made her giddy as she tenderly cared for the wood.

That was until she heard something that sounded like a voice... was that… coming from the mirror? Confusion spread across the young girl’s face as she tilted her head to one side and watched the mirror for a second. Something about show yourself echoed through the area. A long sigh left her as she rose up from her sitting location and left her room. Ready to tell off her younger siblings for the loud music, movie or whatever they were listening too was echoing through her wall. She finally had her own room! Can you blame the girl for wanting some peace and quiet? But when she opened the door to the room next to hers, no one was in there. “Huh… that’s weird…”

“Kaila! Do you want to help with dinner?” Her mother’s voice rang from downstairs and soon the brunette was skipping down the stairs to join her mom in the kitchen.

The nighttime rolled around and Kaila found herself back in her room. He body falling tiredly against the door. Her jeans, shoes, and black t-shirt were covered in mud after a long day of working out on the farm. A large sigh of relief left her as she walked over to her new mirror. It wasn’t the best looking reflection and it was bit hard to see in the dark but she could make herself out, in her new mirror. Leaning forward, she went to rest her forehead against the mirror, not caring that she would have to clean it again in the morning. What she wasn’t expecting was to lean forward and find that she was falling straight through it.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Within moments she had lost her balance and fell into the rippling mirror. Colors around her exploded before she felt sopping wet and squeezed her mouth shut before realizing she was in water. However, the situation did not last long as she was propelled out of the water with a large amount of force as she let out a blood curdling scream and shot into the air. Body soaked, hair pressed against her face and neck and her socks drenched, she tumbled towards the ground and below her was a figure.

THUD!

Her body collapsed on the figure causing both of them to fall to the ground, her scream silenced by the impact. All she could do was groan after the impact before she pulled herself up slightly to look down at the body she was laying on top of. “Who are you?” She asked sounding shocked and scared.