Artifex Literary Art Magazine - 2022 - Fruit Salad

MirroredSelf

S

amantha paced in circles in her room, deep in thought.

She passed in front of the mirror and caught a glance of the boy she called stranger.

“Hello, Sam” The boy mirrored her movement as she walked towards the mirror.

“What do you want...” She muttered, yet gazed longingly at the figure. He had short, messy hair, and slightly strong jawline.

His chest was flat as a canvas, and he was draped head to toe in baggy clothes.

He smiled at her, teasingly.

“How have you been? Haven’t looked at me in a while” Samantha looked down at herself in disgust. “I just haven’t looked nice lately, that’s all” She looked down at her curves, defined extra by the tight clothes her mother had gotten her. Her breasts stuck out awkwardly, and her long, wavy hair draped over her bosom.

“Tell me something I don’t know” The boy laughed. “You’ll never think you look nice like this, Sam. Trust me.”

Samantha’s eyes darted away from meeting his.”You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She turned to leave. “You’re... you’re not real. I’m just going crazy” “Sam, we’ve known each other for years” He sighed. “Stop lying to yourself.”

She stopped in the door frame, and turned her head to look back.

“Leave me alone.”

The boy frowned, and pressed his hand on the other side of the mirror. “Sam...”

“I said LEAVE ME ALONE!” Sam turned around and bellowed at the top of her lungs.

The boy fell silent, staring in

32

shock.

“Yo-you’re not real.” Small tears ran down her cheeks. “Please just leave me alone. I don’t want to see you again... ever.”

Samantha’s mother came running up the stairs, and her eyes darted around the room.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong!? I heard screaming.”

Samantha looked up, meeting her mother’s gaze. She choked back more tears, as her Mother turned to the mirror.

“Mom... he... he,” she sobbed, and collapsed into her mother’s arms.

“Aw, sweetie...” Her mother held her tight, squeezing the breath out of her. “This again?”

She pulled away and cocked her head in concern. “We’ve been over this... he’s not real.”

Samantha wiped away more tears and looked at the boy in the mirror. He glared at her mother with flames of fury burning in his eyes. Samantha struggled to continue through her own weeping. “Mom, I’ve felt like this for-” Her mother quickly interrupted her, as always. “No. Sweetie, I love you. You’re a beautiful girl, there’s no problem! You’ve just been overthinking things, and you got confused, that’s all! He doesn’t exist.” The older woman slowly stroked her child’s head, again and again.

After a minute, they both pulled out of the embrace, and Samantha nodded reluctantly.

She waved goodbye to her mom, who began to leave the room.

“Who’s my pretty little girl?” Her mother beamed and giggled, and Samantha feigned a smile as her mother shut the door.

“There.” Samantha whipped her

head around to the boy. “It’s done.

We’re through.”

“Sam...” He reached his hand out in desperation.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” She threw her entire weight into her arm, punching her fist straight into the glass mirror. It shattered into a million tiny fragments, and the boy was gone.

Samantha cringed at the intense pain shooting through her hand.