Threat or a warning?

She sat rocking backwards and forwards on the white carved chair in front of the white dressing table. Assorted colored perfume bottles were scattered across the table tops along with a jewelry box and a small red lamp with a beige lamp shade, but these in them selves didn’t at all bock the mirror at least a tiny bit. The mirror was giant. It was about four feet high and spread fro the whole width of the dressing table.1

It, like the bed was left by the previous owner. The story of them was sad, there son had gone missing at seven years old and no one knew where he went or what happened to him.2

She hugged her legs and buried her head into her knees while rocking backwards and forwards. She hugged so tight that her pink sweater and blue jeans were now extremely hot. But her toes inside her black and white stripy socks which where hanging over the edge of the chair were ice cold though. Her black hair was brought over her face so none of her features were visible.3

She whimpered. She wanted it to go away, to leave her be. But she knew it wouldn’t it would never. There was always a presence in the room. And for now she could feel it, it was there, pulling at the muscles in her body, stretching her tendons, aching her bones.4

When suddenly. As quick as the thing came. It was gone. Every thing that was happening. The thought and feeling of something behind her, watching her gone. Her breathing slowed. She lifted her head up. Her eyes puffy and red as she looked in the mirror. 5

The reflection of her on the chair was accompanied by her bedroom behind her. The pink walls and white doors of her wardrobe, the book self of children’s novels and nursery rhyme books. The stuffed toy hammock.6

Every thing was quiet. Nothing moved. The only thing moving her reflection. She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. She put her now warm feet on the wooden floor. She gazed into the mirror.7

Nothing.8

As her parents had said, there’s nothing. No such things as monsters, ghosts and ghouls. Things that turn your body to and ice cube and terrify you down to your soul. After her parents had taken her to see Dr. Jacobs. She’d decided not to talk about it any more. They didn’t believe her because she’d never seen something. Only felt that it was there and sometimes hear a voice. That’s what worried her dad.9

It happened every now and then. When her dad was down stairs watching the soaps. When she was supposed to be in bed. It thankfully never happened at seven o’clock. When her dad went out to work. And the short quarter of an hour it sometimes took for her babysitter to arrive so she was in the house alone.10

She gazed into the mirror. Waiting. Would it come back?11

“T?”12

She jumped; her dad was calling up the stairs.13

“TJ?” 14

Tara Jane Glazing was only seven years old. Her mother had died when she was two, so her father had raised her ever since.15

There was the sound of footsteps and the creak of the opening door. In the reflection Tara could see the figure of her thirty two year old father Fred Glazing. In a suit, purple tie and dark green shirt all dressed up for work. He had glasses in front of a pair of dark blue eyes and brown hair, neatly slicked back.16

“Oh there you are TJ; I’ve got to go to work. The babysitter will be a little bit late about half an hour she’s court in manic, traffic on the A12, I’ll…. Tara? Tara are you ok?”17

He looked at his daughter in the reflection of the mirror, she hadn’t flinched since he walked in. he walked towards her. He put his hand on her shoulder and sighed,18

“Tara I’m sorry I have to leave for work, I’d love to spend more time with you, but well the debts are running up so…lately…well… are you ok?”19

Tara moved her head slightly and spoke to him through the reflection, softly.20

“Yes daddy.”21

He wanted to stay with her. The doctor had said there was nothing wrong but he wasn’t so sure. She was becoming more and more withdrawn. Some days worst than others. He kissed her fore head, and checked his watch,22

“Right, I’m gonna be late. I’m going to go lock up. Get undressed and go to sleep and Abbi should be here if you wake up. You alright,” her dad, looked worried and she didn’t want to make him feel like this, but she couldn’t help it.23

He squeezed her shoulder and walked to the door. He opened it and stepped out. He stuck his head around again.24

“Love you.”25

“Love you too daddy.” Tara said with out flinching from the gaze in the mirror. Fred sighed and looked at the floor. He quickly left shutting the door behind him.26

TJ sat and listened to the latch go on the front door. And her dad get in the car and drive down the road before she moved from the position she was in.27

She ran to the door and pulled the heavy bookshelf over the edge. It took a long time but she managed. She bent and broken hanger over the door handles to her cupboard and twisted it around to lock it. She ran to the window and locked them too. 28

She got changed into her white night gown as quickly as she could and jumped into bed. Pleased at the time that she had taken to lock up she nestled down in the sheets. With the light still on of course.29

“Great now no one can get in.”30

Tara sat up with a start. She looked frantically around the room.  Her breathing heavy she was covered in sweat. Small clouds of mist formed in the air as the temperature in the room dropped. This never happened when she was alone. That meant Abbi must be down stairs. She looked towards the door.31

And to her horror she saw that the book case was moved back but the door was still shut. She dived under the sheet. The light from the lamp on her bedside table shone through the material.32

She lifted the sheet and stared into the mirror. 33

Nothing.34

Just the stuffed animals and the breathe mist in front of her reflection. Her body was icy cold. She heard a rattle.35

In the reflection of the mirror she could see the door handled shake. She watched as it pulled down. In the end the terror was too much and she dived back under. She listened to the door open. Then the bang of it being thrown open so hard it hit the wall. 36

The light gave her some comfort as tears began to fall down her cheeks. For a long time there was no sound. Just the noise of her breathing. She closed her eyes.37

She lifted up the covers just a little bit and looked in the mirror. The room was empty. But the door was open exposing the darkness of the hallway. Something moved across the mirror. A quick, 2 second movement. Almost like a glitch in a hollow gram. It moved the length of the mirror. She screamed and hid again. The light flickered outside on her dressing table.38

She thought about running to the hallway. 39

Yes. That would be good. She’d be able to seek refuge with Abbi. 40

She lifted up the cover just enough to see the door. To her surprise the door was shut and the bookcase was over. Just as she had left it. 41

Did she dream it?42

She wasn’t cold and she pulled the covers down and sat up. I must have dreamt it then, she thought.43

But when the light flickered and went off she doubted her new theory. She stayed as still as she could. The light from the street lamps out side dimly lit the room. Her body suddenly went ice cold again and her breathe swirled. 44

Crazy thoughts came into her head. And among the craziest was to sit it out. Her dad had told her that nothing could harm her under this roof and ghosts and demons only resided in the mind. What ever resided meant. 45

But it made her feel better and she knew things were getting worst and they were to only get worst from now on if she didn’t stand up to it. 46

She remembered one of the things that doctor Jacobs had said, if you see something say to your self there’s nothing there. That all the stuff that was happening was only in the mind.47

She breathed, silently and still. There was nothing there, she said to herself.48

But as some grimy hand came up from under the bed and grabbed her arm she doubted that too. She screamed and jumped back and off the bed forcing the hand to let go. The body was underneath but she didn’t want to no what it was. The flesh of the hand resembled that of the chicken her dad had burnt on the BBQ the last year. It had long fingernails that were visible even in the dim light. She walked back wards. Her mouth suddenly dry. 49

“There is nothing here,” she tried to say, but only air swirled in front of her silently. She stepped to the side. 50

“T...there is nothing here,” she whispered. The hand pulled it self up wards, getting ready for the rest of the body.51

“You are not here,” she said much louder than before. Her voice quavering though. It pulled another grimy hand up.52

“You are not real,” she shouted. Suddenly it pulled back ready to lunge at her. It pulled its horrific body over the bed and hurled itself at her, teeth flailing 53

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” She screamed and jumped back; she tripped over the chair and fell back in to the mirror. She screamed expecting to be showered with glass. But instead, she landed on a cold dark floor. 54

She got up. 55

There was her room. She walked forwards. It was what her room looked like from the reflection of the mirror. 56

She step forwards expecting to step on her dressing table. She walked into a wall. It seemed to be fenced off by some sort of glass. She banged on the window in front of her. She screamed she was trapped. 57

Trapped inside the mirror. 58

The thing that attacked her jumped up. It gave a weird type of smirk and returned under the bed.59

He sat on his chair bunched up and tearful.60

Here it was again. The noise, some one was watching him he could feel it. The banging and the whispering. He stared into the mirror. It came with the house as did the bed.61

The house of the previous owner whose daughter of the same age as him 13 years ago went missing.62

The room went cold…63