AM I ACTUALY GOING TO DIE ?
Every mirror in Cindy’s house showed her reflection — her big brown eyes, her usual pink dress. Every mirror, except the one in the basement. Her sister had covered that mirror with a dusty blanket and told her never to look at herself in it, especially not directly in the eyes. She said that mirror didn’t show reflections, but what you craved most, in exchange for something far more valuable. Cindy never believed her sister’s stories. To her, they were just unrealistic — ridiculous, even. Until tonight. She wanted to prove that the stories about that mirror were fake. Under the pale moonlight, she walked slowly through the corridors of the house. A strange force seemed to pull her closer — magnetic, irresistible. She opened the creaking wooden door of the basement and uncovered the mirror. As soon as her eyes met its surface, it began to shine — bright, blindingly bright — until she could barely see. Something deep inside whispered: go closer. And then— I find myself standing in a green field full of flowers — every kind of flower — beneath a soft blue sky. Slowly, I stand up and realize there’s a whole world moving before me: restaurants, houses, animals, and humans living together. I start walking toward the town. The road is long and tiring; with every step, the distance seems to stretch farther away, as if I were chasing the wind. Step after step, foot after foot, until I’m no longer walking but crawling, exhausted, thirsty, hungry. When I finally lift my head, I’m face to face with a giant entrance gate that reads “Dopmenia.” I walk through its roads and markets, amazed, until I spot a small junk food restaurant called “Junk Jack.” “I really want pizza right now,” I whisper to myself and walk in. Inside sits a huge pig with wings, wearing a dirty white tank top, eating an enormous pile of food. “Hello... how much is a pizza?” I ask nervously, playing with my feet on the floor. Without looking up, the pig answers warmly, his voice rolling with a thick Indian accent:“Ah, welcome, welcome to Junk Jack! My name is Jackjack! A pizza, you are saying? Only one? Arrey, how come, yaar? You could have one, two, three, four—seven, eight hundred pizzas more!” He laughs heartily as he piles pizzas onto the counter one by one. “I have plenty, see? Not only pizza — potatoes, burgers, fried eggs, bacon, sausages, cheese, extra cheese! Spaghetti with many, many meatballs! Popcorns for the show also!” He pauses, finally looking up at me with warm, shiny eyes. “Any food you need to feel safe, I have it, beta.” I can’t stop staring at the mountain of food he keeps pulling out of nowhere. “My name’s Cindy,” I say softly. “And... if you put it like that, I might want a...“I hesitate, my stomach growling like a hungry dragon. “Fries? No, no... a cheeseburger—no, actually just pizza... but now pizza sounds boring compared to the burger...” Jackjack grins and hands me a cheeseburger. “Try it. Just taste, haan?” I take a bite. Suddenly, a group of tiny birds flies down and drops a glowing sticker in my hands — a smiling face. “What’s this?” I ask, wide-eyed. “Ah, those birds,” Jackjack explains proudly. “They deliver message every time you are happy.” I smile faintly, still amazed. But then—I feel a strange presence behind me, something creeping closer. I ignore it at first, thinking it’s just part of this fantastic world. Then—pain. A sharp pang in my head. My vision blurs. The ground rushes up to meet me. And as darkness swallows me whole, I wonder...am I actually going to die?
