When I look in the mirror, what do I see? When I look in the mirror, who is it that looks back at me? When I look away from the mirror, will I remember what it is that I saw. These are the questions I ask, when I look in the mirror. My name is Lily, and today, I did not look in the mirror.

My footsteps echoed down the empty marble hallway as I left my chamber. I longed to see another soul but there was no one. There never was.

Every day I walked to the end of the vacant hall and met a large metal door that had been painted blue. The door was adorned with various golden glyphs of some ancient language I did not understand. The symbols were mesmerizing and gave me a sense that they were a text of another world.

Everyday, I longed to understand this foreign script, but understanding, I have learned, can be elusive. Despite this fact, I ran my fingers along many of the glyphs, as if touching them might grant me a glimpse into their meaning. I gleaned nothing from the golden symbols.

After several minutes, I gave up trying to understand. I succumbed to my naivety and told myself the lie which I tell myself everyday. “I will understand tomorrow.”

I then reached for the golden knob on the door, as was my custom after anazlysing the glyphs. The knob was cold to the touch. It always was. I thought of turning the knob but I feared the outcome would be the same as yesterday. The outcome was always the same as the day before.

After many long minutes of prolonging the inevitable, I took a long deep breath and with great reluctancy, attempted to turn the knob and open the door. My effort, met resistance from the locking mechanism. The door did not budge, it never did.

In a vain hope that I had not tried hard enough, I gave the knob one more twist of the wrist. Of course, nothing happened. I let out a long exasperated sigh as though I had exerted a great effort.

I stood staring at the deep blue door for longer than intended. Then, finally acknowledging my defeat, and my morning ritual complete, I turned and made my way back towards my chambers, already prepared to conclude my day.

But as I walked, something startled me, sending a shiver up my spine. My feet were frozen in place.

“What was that?” I wondered.

I quickly turned around looking at the door but it stood silent and immovable as it always had. Then the disturbance came again,sending a second shiver up my spine. But this time, I identified the disturbance as a noise.

“When was the last time I heard a noise that was not my own?” I could not remember. This hallway and my chamber which imprisoned me were always so eerily still. I tended to remain as quiet as possible as not to disturb the strange silence. But whatever had broken this silence did not hold the same revereance for this place as I.

A third time the noise rang in the hallway and I finally identified it as a voice. “But where was it coming from?”

I looked in all directions but I was the only one in the hallway. There was never anyone here. Why would there be?

Worrisome thoughts began flooding my mind, the worst of which being, “Am I finally going mad?”

Finally, I decided to confront the voice and see if I had truly lost my senses. It took an unimaginable effort to bring my voice to the tiny whisper that left my lips. “Hello?”

The simple question hung in the air like thin ice from the roof of a home. The word ready to collapse and dismantle on the cold ground at any moment. And after what felt like an eternity, there was indeed an answer.

A rather peculiar voice, with a foreign accent and small traces of vibrato, greeted her surprisingly warmly.

“Hello my dear, oh it is truly so wonderful to finally meet you. My name is Time, who might you be?”

I responded much more eagerly than I should have to a stranger, but it was difficult to restrain myself. It had been so long since I had heard the sound of another voice. I nearly winded myself from the barrage of words that follow.

“Hi, my name is Lily, I live in that small room just down the hallway there. Well, live, is really a rather generous term, I’m really more imprisoned here. At least that’s what it feels like. I can’t remember how I got here or how long I’ve been here. It seems like my whole life. I have no memories outside this place..” I inhaled a quick breath and continued.

“I shouldn’t be all negative though, there is food and water that appears on the small table in my room every morning, although I don’t know where it comes from and the bed really is rather comfortable. But I wouldn’t mind a new pillow, no matter how many times I fluff…”

The voice, politely interupted.

“Please, my dear, slow down. I haven’t much time. I need you to listen.”

Realizing I had gotten carried away. I quickly apologized and realized I still had no idea who I was talking to.

“Who are you? And more importantly, where are you? I looked around the hallway yet again but still saw no one whom the voice could belong to.

“Up here, my dear girl. On the wall.”

My eyes began to scan the wall but found no one there. As a matter of fact the wall was empty as ever except for a clock that hung near the blue door. Wait a clock? When did that get there? Had it always been there?

As I looked closer, I noticed that the face of the clock, loosely resembled that of a person. The hands of the clock spun wildly out of control, contorting the image of the face but it was human, at least in appearance.

“Oh.” I exlcaimed. I did not realize I was talking to a clock. At least, you look like a clock. Are you not?”

“My dear, I wish I had time to answer all of your questions but I fear this is a rather pressing matter. I have been trying to speak to you for ages but to no avail so I must assume our time is short.”

At these strange remarks, I wanted to question further but decided to let the clock speak.

“I have watched you everyday from this wall for longer than you would care to know. Everyday, I cry out to you, but to no avail. I have watched you pace up and down this hallway going mad trying to open that door but never successfully.”

“Do you know how to open the door?” I exclaimed with urgency in my voice.

“Sadly, I do not.” The clock’s reply tore at my soul in ways I could not imagine. I had not even known this clock were here moments ago and yet somehow his remarks left me devastated. But then he continued.

“I do not know how this specific door will open but I may be able to help. I have seen many of it’s kind over the millennia. These doors often have a connection with another object. Are there any other items of significance here.”

I thought for a brief moment and replied. “No, there is nothing here. Only this empty hallway and my room which has my bed, the table and a small chair and a tall mirror that stands….”

“The mirror my darling! Quick, fetch the mirror!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I ran off down the long hallway to my chamber and faced the mirror but I could not look in it. Not now. I got behind the mirror and began to push. The loud skidding noise echoed throughout the hallway as I pushed it towards the clock hoping that the conversation I just had was not a figment of my imagination.

Thankfully, as I reached the clock the voice began to speak again.

“Good, good. Alright, let me have a good look at it. Ah, yes, this may be of use to us. What can you tell me about this mirror?

I looked at the clock questioninlgy. “What do you mean? It’s frame and stand are made of pure silver and it seem to be of some foreign make but…”

“No, no my dear, is there anything unique or strange about this mirror? Anything out of the ordinary?

A sudden sense of dread came over me and I began to tremble. The clock noticed.

Oh dear, what’s wrong? Is it something I said?”

A long silence passed as I recalled past memories. But finally I spoke. “I did look in the mirror once. What I saw terrified me. I saw a version of myself that still haunts me in my sleep. I saw a monster. I saw…. Me.”

The clock’s obtuse face stood aghast. “A what? A monster? My dear, you are no such thing I can assure you of that. Please look in the mirror just one more time.”

Suddenly, I felt my blood boil and I hated the clock. “And what do you know? I screamed! Why else would I be locked up in this prison. If anyone wanted me, I woudn’t be here, alone and afraid! No one to comfort me, no one to love me. I’m disregarded and abandoned, left alone to suffer in isolation!”

I fell to my knees and sobbed. I sobbed for so long that I assumed the clock had left me. And when I looked up, I realized my fear was true. The clock was gone.

Anger rose in me again. “Of course you left! Everyone else did!” And the floodgates of my tears were released. And as I sobbed I cried the words. “I am alone.” Over and over again. Until I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.

I turned, and saw a hand on my shoulder, the hand was warm to the touch and made me feel safe and secure. I turned around and saw that the hand belonged to a man. Slowly, I met his gaze and could not look away. I stared long into the eyes of the man. His eyes were pure and welcoming. They were the eyes of the clock.

‘My dear, please. Look into the mirror and see what i see.” The same hand that gripped my shoulder now gestured to the mirror.

I hesitantly walked to the mirror which was now facing the blue door. I closed my eyes in fear of what I would see.

The clock spoke. “Trust me.”

I opened my eyes and what I saw first, terrified me. The monster. I had to look away but then I forced myself to look again. This time, I noticed something I never had before. The glyphs on the door, I could read them!

I spoke the words aloud and the moster in the mirror trembled as I did so. “I have a purpose. I am not alone. I am loved. I repeated these words again and again and the monster writhed and screamed until at last the mirror shattered and fell as dust to the floor.

My breath was heavy but I felt a sense of peace like never before. I looked to the man. “Is it true?”

He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye. “Of course, my child. Now go, live your life. He now gestured at the door which to my surprise was wide open.

I took my first steps through the door that had imprisoned me for so long. Eager to see what awaits me on the other side.

My name is Lily and today, I looked into the mirror.