I couldn't help but frown as I got off the bus. My classmates were at it again. We were on an excursion to see the famous Gotham Museum, and the ride along the road was filled with jitterings about all the ridiculous superstitions and stories they read about the museum. While we stood outside the museum in a long queue, I could tell my best friend Sarah, who was by my side, was also itching to talk about the famous Gotham museum. However, she knew I didn't believe nor liked talking about those superstitious myths. Unable to hold herself anymore, she blurted out.
"Common Annabelle, you have to check this one out." She said, gesturing for me to look at her phone.
"It says here, that the broken mirror believed to trap people's souls is stored in the sacred room of the Gotham museum." She read aloud.
" Isn't that cool Anna" she asked me, bubbling with excitement.
I rolled my eyes at her.
" Don't fool yourself, that's just an ordinary mirror, nothing else. I replied,
As we walked inside the museum, I couldn't help but marvel at the amazing artifacts that were inside. Ancient artifacts and relics were lined neatly on different transparent glass shelves. A man walked up to us and led us through the crowded hallway, showing us different galleries and explaining the histories behind them. I looked to my left to see Sarah listening intently with all the focus I had ever seen her give.
" You know all these are myths, right?" I said, nudging her.
" Shhhh! Keep quiet" she said, putting her hands on her lips.
As the afternoon wore out, we were left to wander around the museum.
"Students! You may check out the museum but make sure not to touch or break anything" Our principal addressed us.
"Yes sir" we all replied in chorus.
"Common let's go in search of that sacred room we read about earlier" Sarah said, dragging me along with her.
As we walked deeper into the museum in search of the sacred room, we came across a room with a sign posted "Out of Bounds". It piqued our interest. Sneakily, we opened the door, cringing a little as the creaking noise of the door disrupted the silence we were desperately trying to keep. Inside the room was pitch black, the air smelled of dust and rot. I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine. I quickly turned on the flashlight from my phone, in desperate need to see some brightness. I glanced by my side to see Sarah already some steps ahead of me.
"I think we should go back, this place creeps me out" I said to Sarah, who was eagerly searching for a broken mirror.
" Oh don't be scared, this is just an old store house" She said, flagging me off.
As we walked further in, there were ancient relics and artifacts, probably lost or forgotten, lined on different shelves and tables. The entire room glowed with an aura of some otherworldly energy I couldn't make sense of. When we reached the center of the room, we found an old abandoned chair draped with some dusty old cover on top of it. Feeling adventurous, we opened it and behold, an old antique mirror with a cracked glass surface sat there staring right at us.
"Oh my God! Isn't this the broken mirror we've been looking for" Sarah screamed with excitement.
I, on the other hand, was unfazed by what I saw.
"I've told you countless times, this is just an ordinary mirror, nothing else." I said, looking in the mirror.
" Ummm Anna! I don't think we are supposed to look in the mirror", Sarah said.
But it was already too late. I couldn't take my eyes off the mirror. I felt enchanted, like something was holding me in place. I couldn't move, only gaze at the mirror, and as I gazed deeper I noticed some shadows moving in the background. The more I looked, I realized those shadows were creatures unlike anything I had ever seen. I was beyond terrified. I tried to scream, but it was like my voice was frozen in my throat. I could only hear the faint whispers of Sarah's voice calling on me.
As I stood there, I felt myself being pulled into a realm out of this world and I knew I was doomed.
The last thing I remembered was being pushed to the floor before everything went blank. The next morning, Sarah filled me in on what happened, explaining how she forcefully pulled me away from the mirror out of dread and panic and I ended up hitting my head on the floor.
As I looked in my bedroom mirror that night, I couldn't help but feel like those creatures were still all over the place. Ever since then, I haven't had the courage to look in another mirror.