The Other Side of the Mirror

What Happiness Was

Forlorn. That's the only word I can think of to describe how I felt. I was stuck in a house with a couple I came to know as Albert and Nora and, worst of all, with no way to get back through the mirror.

I remember that every night I would curl up in a ball with my duvet pulled up over my head and cry myself to sleep.

Nora was never the sympathetic type. She would always tell me to grow up and move on whenever she saw the tear stains on my pillow.

Albert however was much more understanding. I remember one night he got up to get a drink from the kitchen and heard me crying. I'd been staying with them for about two weeks at that time, still feeling incredibly sad and alone. I felt as though I was being sucked into a void, a black hole of emptiness and loneliness from which there is no escape.

That night, instead of ignoring me and going back to bed, he brought me a hot chocolate with whipped cream and mini marshmallows and sat with me until I calmed down. He was always a good listener.

I poured my heart out to him that night. I spoke about being kept hidden in the castle for the last 23 years, and that despite the harsh rules I had snuck out for the last two of them to see Morpheus. It was also that night that I confided in him that I was pregnant.

I thought he would positively explode when I told him but he didn't. Throughout all my babbling he didn't once get angry. He just sat and listened with his arm around me, letting me cry on his shoulder. It took me what felt like forever to finally calm down, and when my sniffling subsided, he got up and beckoned me over to the mirror.

Curiously, I got up and sheepishly stood beside him, looking at our reflections in the glass which were staring back at us.

He wiped away a thick coat of dust from the intricate border of the mirror to reveal a Greek inscription.

"If you say this incantation you will be able to go through the glass and get back to your world. You may not be able to stay there, but at least with this you will be able to come and go as you please." He paused for a moment as he turned to face me. "Just whatever you do, don't tell Nora."

I stood speechless for a few moments before I started jumping up and down. I was grateful that the thick carpet muffled the noise. "Thank you so much Albert!" I exclaimed. "Can I go now?"

"Steady on." He chuckled as I continued to jump and skip around the room. "I don't see why you can't go now, but be very careful to not be seen and make sure your back here before sunrise."

"I will." I promised.

He turned to leave the room while I studied the writing on the mirror.

"Be careful, and tell your Morpheus I say hello." He chuckled again.

"I will." I laughed lightly. "Thanks again. I can't put into words how much this means to me."

"You're more than welcome." He replied before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind him.

When I heard his footsteps going up the stairs I quietly whispered the incantation.

"αφήστε το χάσμα να εμφανιστεί."

Suddenly the glass began to warp and swirl in a circular motion, hints of pink, lilac and blue appearing in the magical rift.

I held my breath as I stepped through the glass and felt the familiar twisting, falling sensation as I travelled between dimensions once more. I landed with a thud on the grass below the rift I had initially travelled through to get to the human land.

I groaned slightly and pushed myself up off the ground and grinned, my smile stretching right the way across my face. I wasted no time in getting up and heading towards Morpheus' house.

I'm not sure why, but something in the back of my mind told me to stop by the weeping willow. The place where we spent those sacred monthly nights together.

As I approached the familiar tree I saw the silhouette of a figure leaning against the trunk. Their head was bent down and I could hear very faint sniffles. As I got closer I realised that this mysterious figure was indeed Morpheus.

Without any hesitation I bolted across the cold grass towards the tree and flung my arms around his neck. He was extremely startled but quickly returned my embrace when he saw it was me.

"Rhea? How did you get back? I thought you were gone forever." He dried his eyes and tear stained cheeks with the back of his gloved hand.

"It's a long story." I said, nuzzling my nose into his warm shoulder.

We pulled away from the embrace. "I've got time." He smiled.

We sat down against the trunk and I explained how I managed to get back and that I could secretly visit when I wanted as long as I wasn't caught.

"I'm so glad we can still see each other, I don't think I would have been able to go on if they had taken you away forever." His expression bore an immense sense of happiness and relief. The kind of relief you feel when seemingly endless rain finally stops and the heavy clouds part to reveal the sun, replacing the sadness and sorrow with hope and euphoria.

I smiled. "Same, I don't know what I would have done."

A comfortable silence fell over us as we stared up at the peaceful night sky, a gentle breeze passing over us every now and then.

"Morpheus?"

"Hmm."

"There's something else I need to talk to you about."  The sincerity in my voice made him sit up straight and turn to face me.

"What is it?" He looked at me with a concerned expression on his face, his eyes were pale mauve.

"I'm pregnant." My voice was barely audible and I stared at the ground, terrified to see the look on Morpheus' face.

A silence followed which seemed to last an eternity, the only sound I could hear was the thudding of my heart against my chest. It felt like time was frozen.

After what was really only a few moments, he gently lifted my chin and turned my face towards him. His eyes were the brightest gold and he had the biggest smile across his face.

He pulled me into a hug before jumping up and prancing around under the tree. I stood up and watched him, not bothering to hold in my laughter at his terrible dancing.

He did a few circuits around the tree trunk before returning to me, albeit slightly dizzy, with a big grin on his face.

"You're not angry!" I exclaimed, immediately feeling a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders.

"Angry? Of course I'm not angry. I'm quite possibly the happiest person alive."  He took my cold hands in his, his smile never faltering.

I sighed. "But we still won't be able to be together, despite everything I still need to return to the human world with our child."

He bent his head slightly. "I know, but we will be able to work something out."  He lifted his head again, his golden eyes locking with mine.

Even though I wasn't convinced, I still found reassurance in his voice that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright after all.

His positivity gave me strength and made me feel safe. I remember he picked me up and spun me round and round, both of us laughing and smiling, having the time of our lives.

It was just like old times.

But it was not to last.