Dreams, Secrets, and Transformations: Beyond the Enchanted Looking Glass

Ch 14 Family

At 9:02, the following morning, Miranda heard someone enter the kitchen from behind her. She turned to see Brooke wearing the dress Gerald had bought her, hose, and her strappy sandals.

"Brad?" Miranda asked, testing to see if this was his son.

"Huh?" Brooke replied. "Who's Brad?" Brooke wondered why her mom said a random name, but then  as soon as she said it out loud she saw a boy in her mind, the same boy she'd seen in her dreams.

"Mom, why did you say that name? I feel like I was having a weird dream last night and in it there was this boy. I think I was the boy and there was this guy that kept calling me Brad. It felt so real."

"Did you experience anything having to do with a mirror?"

"Yeah, I did. I was standing in a strange bedroom with this guy. I felt like he was dad but he wasn't my dad. He was a different guy. Anyways at one point I fell into a full length floor mirror and I woke up standing in my room. How did you know about Brad and the mirror, mom," Brooke asked, becoming freaked out.

"Well, first of all, it wasn't a dream, those are memories. You really were in that bedroom and that man really is your dad, or well, Brad's dad. On the other side of the mirror, you are Brad."

"Huh? Mom, I'm Brooke, always have been.

"Yes, but that odd feeling in the pit of your stomach you're experiencing right now, the one telling you I could be right? Listen to it."

Brooke found all of this strange, but  how could mom know so many things to include what she was feeling right now if it wasn't true?"

"How could you know all this, mom?"

"I've been there. I've felt what you're feeling."

"Mom, I know who my dad is and he's not that guy. And Brad? This is all so much to take in.  How can I be living two separate lives?"

"It's hard to explain, but I'll try and soon you'll began to understand it better. You see, you're Brad and that man, Brad's dad, is me and the mirror is a magic mirror that transports us between two worlds. We crossed over yesterday."

"As crazy as that sounds, I actually believe you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, there are things in my head that feels like real memories and they confirm everything you say. Everything you say causes some of those memories to feel even more real. Tell me more."

"Well, Brad likes to dress up in girl's clothes because he is really curious about what it would be like to be a girl. He was jealous of his step sister and thinks he would have a better life if he was a girl.  That's why were here this weekend."

"That's reealllly s--"

Brooke stumbled, but caught herself before she fell.

"Sweetheart, you okay?"

"Look at me, I'm a girl again." Brooke exclaimed.

"Yes, you are, and I am very much not only your father, but also a woman and your mother."

"Yeah, I know," Brooke exclaimed.

Miranda noticed a difference in how Brooke was now speaking. It sounded like her in pitch and tone, but the rhythm and cadence of her words sounded like Brad speaking.

This is interesting, Miranda thought. Some of the others had said it could happen and it's how you can tell the person is conscious of both sides and what is going on.

"There's so much I want to experience. What are we gonna do first?"

Before Miranda could respond, Brooke wobbled again and kept herself from falling, by hugging the the countertop, as the memories of Brooke's life flooded her mind.

Brooke asked her mom if, each time Brad traveled through the mirror, would it became a little easier to assume the role of Brooke while still retaining some of his male consciousness.

"Yes, sweetheart, with each trip through the mirror, you will notice it does get easier to become your female self, while retaining memories and consciousness of your life on the other side of the mirror. After a while, you'll be able to fully retain all your thoughts, and memories from the other side while simultaneously living as Brooke here, but only up to a certain point. No matter how many times you pass through the mirror, after being here for more than a few days, you'll start to lose memories of Brad's life and began to forget him. You'll have to cross back or you risk losing all memory of the mirror and end up being stuck here for the rest of your life."

"You said you practically lived here full time before I moved in. How did you do it, then? How long could you stay without getting stuck here?"

"After about four days, I found myself starting to have moments where I didn't remember Gerald and had no recollection of needing to return through the mirror. If it hadn't been for having you back on the other side, I probably wouldn't have ever returned anyway, but then the memories would return, especially in my overnight dreams, and I knew I didn't want to lose you and that you needed your dad. Some people that live here will travel back every three or four days and stay for a couple hours on the other, just long enough to reset, then come back. That's basically what I was doing unless it was your weekend to visit."

"Wow!"

"So I've been looking forward to you arriving this morning and I was thinking that I'd like to get you the bra fitting like we discussed and then we can look for you some more outfits. I made quite a bit more money last night than normal. It was a great night. I looked at your wardrobe here and you've got a lot of nice things in there, but a girl can never have too many clothes. Let's go spend some money. Oh, we need to keep track of the time, our spa/salon appointment is at two."

"Can we go shoe shopping too?"

"But of course. Anything you want."

"Good."

"By the way, do you like the dress you have on?"

"Oh, yes," Brooke replied as she took a fistful of the dress on each side and spread it out twisting back and forth. "I loved it before I came through the mirror and I love it now."

They decided to head out right after enjoying the doughnuts Miranda had picked up for them.

Brooke was anxious to get out in public to experience life as a girl and show off her new dress that her mother, no wait, her father had bought her. The memories were colliding in her mind, but she found she just needed to focus a bit to keep from being too confused.

The first time she was here she didn't realize what was going on and the second was a confusing shock to the system having a guy trying to make out with her, but this time she wanted to explore, maximize this experience, and savor the opportunity. She didn't want to waste any time.