I woke up feeling giddy. I feel so bored this past few weeks, especially not much is going on lately. I jump out of bed and then realized that today's my birthday, but I am not anticipating some kind of party with friends, family and lots of food.

I know that every year, when July 13 comes, it's just an ordinary day, just like every day, even much worse than an ordinary day sometimes. But of course, my parents still give me gifts, although I don't like any if those gifts.

Who would love an antique vase? Who would love an old birdcage? I don't even like them. I don't even need them. But every year, I just act like I like the gifts because I don't want my parents to feel bad about themselves or get mad at me for not liking their gifts for me. I don't know this time if I can though...

I make my way downstairs lazily.

"Tasha! Good morning." My mother rush to hug and kiss me on my cheek. She always does this every morning, except if we're not in good terms.

"Good morning!" I hug her back. "Where's dad?"

"He's outside. Cutting firewood." She says. "Happy birthday, Tasha!"

"Thanks." I smile.

"Aren't you excited to see your gift this year?" She asks me, her face bright with enthusiasm.

"Oh! Um, sure! I can't wait!" I say with fake excitement.

After breakfast, my dad went inside the house to eat and he also greeted me. Later, he brought in an antique body mirror. It is tall and have wood as frame. The newly polished wood is carved to form beautiful and intricately designed flowers, ranging from roses to pansies.

"What's that for?" I ask.

I hope it's not what I think it is.

"Happy birthday, Tasha. It's your gift!" Both of my parents say in unison.

It is what I think it is. I sigh and look away for a bit.

"Oh, Tim! It's beautiful! You've really outdone yourself with her gift this year." I hear my mom say.

"Well, what do you think, Tasha? Do you like it?" Mom and dad say hopefully.

I look at them. They both have smiles on their faces.

I know that they're expecting me to cry with joy about the mirror and thank them and say that I love the mirror so much that I'll keep it in my room and be with it forever.

"Well...it is beautiful. It's amazing. Yeah! Totally..." I smile a genuine smile, but my parents looked like they don't buy it. Maybe because of my voice. Ugh.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

"Mom, I don't want to say this because you'll think you just wasted your money about things but—"

"I spent weeks trying to make that mirror look more beautiful for you." Dad say.

"It's not that, it's about my other gifts. You know, the birdcage. We don't even have a bird! And the porcelain vase. And all the other gifts. I don't even need them!"

"It's not about the material value, it's about the sentimental value and the thought out into the gifts that makes it special."

"Well, if it's about that, you should have given me what I really need, not things like someone else's trash that I clearly don't need."

I rush upstairs to my bedroom and close the door behind me.

My heart is still racing.

I plop myself on my bed, look at the ceiling and sigh. My mind keeps replaying what happened earlier. I feel anger rising in me. I don't know why, but it feels like I deserve more than those gifts. I'm full of it.

I know I have to do something.

...●●●...

I was starving when I woke up. It's past noon and I'm still mad about what happened yesterday. I know I'm making it like a huge deal, and I think it kind of is.

I yawn loudly and rub my eyes. I'm not in the mood to go downstairs just like yesterday, even if my stomach is grumbling.

I went over my window and opened the blinds. I peer through the transparent glass window and sigh. Memories filled my mind and emotion suddenly bottles up inside of me and I see red.

I pick up the vase I got for my 12th birthday and smash it to pieces. I open my drawer and pull out the old copper utensils I got for my 14th birthday and bend it with all my might. I pick up the rusty old birdcage I got for my 11th birthday and start to bend it in every way.

Finally, I bolt out of my room and storm into the basement and tried to find my dad's toolbox. After some searching, I finally found it next to the mirror. I feel angry just by looking at it, but I don't know if my next move is right or not.

I let out a huge sigh and try to breathe evenly.

I snap out of my angry state. Looking closely at the mirror, I can see my reflection clearly in the mirror, looking back at me, her eyes wanting to say something.

I smile to myself.

"There's no point in doing this now, instead just thank my mom and dad for remembering my birthday and remembering to give me a gift," I thought.

I've decided not to break the mirror anymore. Turning around, I start to walk out of the basement until I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I turn back and look at the mirror.

Nothing peculiar happened at first, but before leaving again, one of the most unbelievable thing happened, and something tells me it's just starting.

My reflection slowly became two, distorted in shape at first until it slowly become into a perfect replica of me. I stand in front of the mirror, looking back at both of my reflections, unable to move and speak. I am rooted to that spot in fear, every muscle of my body paralyzed in shock.

I quickly lifted the hammer I was holding the whole time over my head, aiming at the mirror's surface, ready to break the mirror and hopefully get rid of the other me who sent shivers down my spine.

But something unexpected happens.

My hammer successfully hit the mirror's surface, but it didn't break. Instead, its surroundings was the one that breaks into tiny little pieces like tiny mirror shards and that's me, the basement and everything else.

I look down at my body and see it break into pieces, then I look at the mirror and the two reflections of me disappeared. White light take its place and starts to suck everything in it.

The broken pieces whirls in the air as I watch every part of my body on each piece get sucked into the mirror. I'm surprised to see I'm still alive even though I look like a madman chopped my body into pieces. After the last piece of the broken pieces get sucked in the mirror, I feel that everything fall back into place.

The shattered pieces attach to one another and incredibly, I was back again, along with the basement, in one piece.

I look around and I'm still in the basement. Everything is the same, like all of the commotion earlier didn't even happen at all. I sigh in relief and realize something: the mirror is nowhere to be found! My heart starts to pound loudly in my chest. Beads of sweat stars to form on my forehead. I started to panic.

Maybe my mom and dad can explain what is happening. After I apologize, of course. I feel horrible about what I did, especially guilt is eating me alive. I let go of the hammer and hurried up the flight of stairs that lead to the house.

"Mom, dad, I'm sorry, it was my..."

My jaw drop as I notice the sight in front of me.

It's not what I expected.

Instead of the cozy and inviting living space greeting me, it's a crowd of people dressed in traditional garments from the East in what looks like a bazaar, seemingly lost in time. I am dumbfounded.

Am I hallucinating? This is too impossible to be real. I rub my eyes and again and again but it didn't seem to work as it makes no difference whatsoever—the people are still there, the stalls in the bazaar, everything.

I started to panic. I turn around for the basement door to look for an explanation for all this but it disappeared like thin air, leaving me all alone in a place I have never been.

Where am I?

Paranoia starts to settle in. Tears start to well up my eyes, threatening to spill. I try to tell myself that everything's going to be okay, but somehow, something also tells me that everything's wrong.

I start to pace around the bazaar. I roam my eyes to see stalls lined up everywhere, selling different kinds of goods. People are pushing and shoving each other, wanting to get their hands on the goods that caught their eye the first.

I take a deep sigh and start to squeeze in the crowd, fighting crowds of people going the other direction. I can't get the feeling that there's a possibility I could get squished and get trampled over by these people.

I don't know where to go exactly, but I just need to get away from this crowded place as soon as possible and find a quiet place to think.

I continue to make my way in the crowd aimlessly until I reach an area where people don't usually flock.

A hand then grabs my arm.

...●●●...

Someone pulls me and lead me in an empty alley.

"You're new, aren't you? You look different." He asks.

I look up to see a young man standing in front of me. He's oddly transparent for some unknown reason. I ignore his question and instead, I narrow my eyes at him. "Who are you? Why did you led me here? Where am I and what is this place?"

"Did the mirror sent you here?" He asks me, completely ignoring my series of questions I'm dying to be answered.

"Mirror?" I look at him, confused. A part of me wants to run away from him because there's just something off about him that I can't even point my finger on what really that was, but I'm also curious about what he'll say next. "You mean that mirror with wood as frame with flowers carved on it as design?"

"Yes, yes! That's the one. Look, you need..."

"How did you know? How can you say that's the one? Are you the owner?" I ask him. Something's going on here. How did he know that mirror if that was mine?

"I thought I was the owner of that mirror." I grumble.

"Look, just listen!"

"Who are you anyway? I shouldn't be even talking to strangers like you!" I eye him closely and notice he's becoming more and more frustrated.

"I'm Brian. Listen, you need to know something. Something important!"

"What's that?"

"You need to find the mirror here or it's all over."

"Wait, what? I'm so confused right now. I don't know where I am. I have no idea what is happening." Shivers creep all over my body as paranoia strikes again, lurking in the shadows like a phantom just waiting for another moment to strike. Nothing feels real anymore, only the weight of the pressure constantly reminding me of what lies ahead, waiting.

"I was sucked in that mirror too!" He says all of a sudden.

"What? What did you say?" I ask him.

"It sucked me and transported me here. I owned that mirror long before you have your hands on it. Mr. Garrison, the owner of the only antique shop in town where I once lived gave it to me. He said it chose me for a reason. I asked him what the reason is, but he changed the topic until I have totally forgotten about it. It's always like that every time I tried to ask him about the mirror.

One day, I saw my reflection in the mirror move on its own. I didn't really care about it at first, I thought I was seeing things but it happened again that same night. I got scared, I didn't get to sleep. I went over at Mr. Garrison's shop the next day, hoping for answers. I wanted to know who's the previous owner of the mirror but when I got there, it's already too late. I never got my answer. Mr. Garrison died last night of old age.

I went home, empty handed. I still remember the glowing bright light that filled my whole room, emanating from the mirror, greeting me when I entered my room. I closed my eyes from the blinding brightness for a moment. When I opened them again, I felt cold and wet. I looked around and it seems like I was in this lake, sinking to the bottom. I thought I was just dreaming, but it turns out it's all real as I was running out of oxygen. I wasn't able to breath." He stops momentarily, then continues.

"I rose up to the surface and caught my breath. I noticed I was far from home as I live in a town far from any bodies of water. I panicked, wondering how I got there. I tried to retrace my steps but it was no use. Then I realized I was lost." He smiles bitterly.

"Then what?" I ask inquisitively.

He sighs and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not here to be your personal storyteller."

"But you already told me a story. What's the point not to continue?" I grin, but he scowls.

"But what about the mirror? Where can I find it?" I groan.

"The mirror is known to roam around here. Not just here at the bazaar, but also on other places."

"Other places?" I echo.

"Yes." He reaches for his pocket and pulls out an old piece of paper. He carefully holds it in his hands.

"What's that?" I ask him.

He didn't answer, instead he hands the paper to me and I take it hesitantly. I study it and it turns out it's a piece of a map. Its edges are torn and the paper itself was old and fragile, almost ripping against my touch.

"You need it. Perhaps it can help you with your quest in finding the mirror."

"Quest? What is this? I just got here having no idea what is going on and now there's a quest I have to do without my knowing. And how can a piece of old map help me?" I cry.

Brian exasperatedly sighs, obviously annoyed. Can I blame him? It's just normal to panic in times when you don't know what is going on around you.

"How am I supposed to find the mirror if this map you gave me is incomplete? I might as well get lost." I grumble, "What's the deal with the mirror anyway? If I'll find it, what will happen?"

"You still haven't figure it out?" He smirks and ran a hand through his raven hair.

"It looks like you've given up. Am I that stubborn?" I ask, perplexed.

He open his mouth to speak once more, but dodged my question.

"That mirror acts like a portal in here. It's actually one of the myths told from one person to another, generation to generation. I don't know the details, but I overheard it from a villager in a village called Narké northeast from here. Those stories are well-known in these lands, especially there."

"So if I'll find it then..."

"It'll send you back home." He finishes.

"But what if I won't?" I ask him.

"Well," he pause and sighs. Clearly, he feels uncomfortable.

"Well, what?" I persist.

"You'll end up like me. You'll fade each day until nothing will be left of you. Time is your enemy. You'll never know which day will be your last."

I freeze, hearing the words he just said. If what he is saying is really true, if I won't find the mirror in time, then I'll fade away into nothingness. Lost and forgotten forever.

I can't accept the idea and tears just start to flow down my cheeks like a stream.

"There's no other way?" I sob as quietly as I can.

"Unfortunately, no. However, I'll help you."

"Really!? Are you okay with that? You'll help me find the mirror?"

"I'll help you with all I can but I don't know for how long. I'm fading away each day and this might be the last day you'll ever see me."

He stands up and I follow suit.

"What's your name anyway? I told you mine, now it's your turn to tell me yours." He says.

"I'm Tasha." I mumble.

"Tasha." He echoes and I nod.

"Guess my hearing's still good." He chuckles to himself.

Quietness then sweeps over us once more.

"Don't you ever miss your family?" I ask to break the silence.

"Yes, but dwelling onto those memories is as useless as hoping I'll get home and see them once again." He looks away, a bitter smile forming on his face.

"Well, let's go find the mirror. Maybe the villager you mentioned earlier can help us. He knows the myths about the mirror, he can absolutely give us clues." I say and tug at the sleeve of his shirt.

"In a hurry all of a sudden?" He laughs.

"Well, of course. After hearing your story, I really want to find the mirror now, and who knows, maybe you'll meet your family again." I smile at him, but he just look at me with blank, meaningless eyes. Then, he smiles back.

"Come on. Northeast's this way." He says.

I let him lead the way.

...●●●...

Wide stretch of virescent grass meet the azure skies, creating a bright, thin line.

We are walking for hours and my feet and legs are aching, tired from the expedition. Brian, on the other hand, seems like he knows where we're going despite lacking a compass and a complete map.

"Are you sure we're heading northeast? We've been walking for hours!" I huff.

"Yes, just a little further and we'll be there." He replies.

I groan. I still cannot believe all that happened just hours ago.

Am I in another dimension? Am I really going to fade away?

"Be careful. I'm this grassy area, snakes are abundant. Don't worry, they're not poisonous but their bite can be very painful." Brian says.

I perk up at his words.

"And you're telling me about that now!? We've been here for almost an hour!" I shout, hopping about, suppressing myself to shriek at the top of my lungs.

Everyone who knows me also knows that I'm terrified of snakes.

"Relax, the snakes here aren't like the usual ones." Brian says, an amused grin plastering on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"They are...different." He says.

"Oh, so what are they then?" I ask and cross my arms on my chest.

He kneels down to pick something off the ground in front of him and holds it high, enough for me to see. Whatever he is holding glints and sparkles as sunlight hits its surface.

It seems to wriggle and hiss while suspended in the air.

"This is a snake." He proudly says.

"But that's impossible." I gape.

"Look at this one. It looks like it's made of variscite or peridot or even emerald. Look closer, sometimes  you can see its internal organs."

"What if it'll bite?" I tremble.

"No it won't. I'll hold it tight." He says and that comforted me a little.

"Uh, sure." I carefully peer into the snake's crystalline body, and there I see its heart beating.

"It's heart is beating!" I squeal, "this is amazing! Is its heart made of a gem too?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose so." He answers, placing the snake on the ground again, and I watch it slinking away in the grass.

"Come, let's get going." He says and we move on.

...●●●...

The farther we walk, the darker the skies get. Soon, tall trees covered with rich green moss that stretch up to the skies starts to appear. An inviting aroma of fresh brewed coffee greeted us on the way to the village, which looks more like a forest with trees twisted into beautiful figures.

"This is not what I expected." I gawk at the sight in front of me. "Are you sure this is a village? This is straight out of a fairytale!" I say in awe.

"Yes, this is the village. At first, I was amazed too. See those window and doors built in trees?"

I nod. "Brian, this is amazing! And it smells like they make good coffee too." I sniff and sigh happily. "I hope someone will offer us coffee later," I giggle.

Brian just scoffs. "I hate to break it to you, but these villagers don't wash and because of that, they smell like coffee."

My brows furrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's go. Be careful though, there are guards here ready to give you a thorough inspection before letting you enter their village."

"Okay then." I reply.

We started to come closer to the village entrance, then a thought strikes me.

We are nearing the village's entrance, but I suddenly think of something that I know for certain that Brian is the only one who can answer.

"Brian, wait!" I call out.

"Hey, what's the problem? Are you nervous about entering the village?" He snickers.

"Not that. When you overheard that myth of the mirror from the villager here, was that only a few days ago or longer than that?"

"I don't really keep track of the time." He answers.

"But was that memory still feels new or not?"

"I don't know. Why won't we just enter the village already? The guards over there are looking at us suspiciously." He scratches the back of his head, glancing at the guards' direction.

"But maybe..."

"Your questions will be answered once we'll get to enter the village and hear it from him firsthand." He says, annoyance in his voice. He starts to walk again and the guards stop him to do a search. I sigh and continue to follow his trail.

...●●●...

After the thorough search conducted by the guards, we are given the permission to enter. As I enter the village with Brian beside me, the strong aroma of coffee only got stronger with every step that brings me deeper into the village. Tall, moss-covered trees stood the tallest, with houses built inside its trunks and branches, complete with beautiful handmade doors and windows with golden lights glowing from inside.

Villagers in the shade of green are everywhere you look, laughing and playing. They all seem to be jolly and carefree, making a smile creep up to my face.

Butterflies, bees and other kinds of bugs fly in every nook and cranny of the village, their flapping wings simultaneous in motion, making an eccentric kind of music beautiful to the ears.

"This village is so breathtaking." I smile, looking up to the sky that peeks through the canopy of the countless leaves in different sizes and shapes, producing golden dust that trickles flawlessly to the ground.

"Is this village...magical?" I whisper to Brian.

"Depends on how you see it." He shrugs.

I roll my eyes at him. Will he really continue answering my questions with those kinds of answers?

I try to ask him one more time, "There must be tons of coffee shops around here, right? I mean, the village itself smells like coffee."

"Haven't I told you? The people living here don't wash themselves in their whole lives. Not even just once."

"And what's the connection? You didn't understand what I was implying?" I groan, exasperated.

He smirks at my reaction, seemingly impressed at how his mere presence is annoying me.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face." I grumble.

"Hey, I was just trying to make you laugh." He reasons, face getting red from trying so hard not to burst into laughter.

"Well it obviously didn't work so great job." I scoff.

"I apologize then." He says and continued walking. I quickly follow him from behind.

...●●●...

"We're here." He says once we reached a house in one of the tree's highest branches. "Great." I huff, collapsing on the branch's carved steps.

"Get up." He offers me a hand and I take it. "Thanks," I sigh and get up.

"Remember, bow when you speak to a Narkéan, and shake your head if you're trying to say hello. Got it?"

Before waiting for my response, Brian knocks on the wooden door several times. A few moments later, an olive-skinned woman opens it.

"Who is it?" She asks.

"Hello. I'm Brian. Is Elmar home?" Brian asks her.

"Elmar? Why, we've never heard of him since he left." The woman replies.

"Do you have any idea where he might have been?"

"Sadly, no."

"Oh, alright." He starts to turn around, but tilts his head to look at the woman once again. "Please give my companion and I a moment, we need to discuss some matters first. I'm sure well get back to you after." He smiles sweetly at her,which is a rarity since I have met him.

We distance ourselves from the woman who eyes our every move.

"Elmar? That was the villager you was telling me about? She said he left! What are we going to do now?" I try to sound calm, even if I'm panicking inside.

"We'll just ask her then. I told you earlier that the myths about the mirror is well-known here, remember?" He says.

"Really? Then you ask her. It's a little uncomfortable talking to her because she looks quite different from us." I admit.

"Hm. Alright." He turns around and faces the woman who is standing the entire time on the doorway, blocking any view of the inside of the house.

"She's new around these parts and I am helping her find her way around here and I thought Elmar might help us but it looks like our timing was bad. Anyway, thank you for the information you have given us." Brian bows his head down low and motions me to do the same.

After bowing, Brian and I starts to leave. I hesitate about following him, but it looks like he's serious about it.

"Wait, are you sure Elmar is the only one who can help? I probably can." The woman calls behind us.

"Really!?" Brian exclaims, sounding too surprised.

"Yes. Come in, and we'll talk inside."

...●●●...

The interior decor of the house was magnificently well-done. The overall space is small, but everything seemed to fit perfectly in place. Every piece of furniture seemed to be covered in rich green moss and some of the things placed around are unidentifiable; probably decorations or other types of furniture you can only find in the village and nowhere else.

"Your place is wonderful." I say with a smile on my face once we sat down on the moss covered stools. I think of talking for once will make me more approachable for her, but what I expected is far from reality. The woman's face changed from smiling to frowning after she heard me talk.

Noticing this, my face turn all red. Brian elbows me and whispers, "You shouldn't have done that."

"What? Why?" I ask, whispering back.

"Giving compliments means belittling here so just act along with me, understand?"

I nod, even though I am actually confused. And by this, he turns to the woman.

"She's my companion, Tasha. She's blind and a little deaf so she needs my help in adventuring. I'm sure I already introduced myself back there, but let me. I'm Brian, a guide." Brian says, shaking his head.

"Oh, uh...right. It turns out I'm blind and deaf." I nervously giggle and also shake my head.

"She's blind! Of course. I thought she's complimenting my house," the woman says and adds, "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ieka. Trang Ieka." The woman shakes her head.

"Nice to meet you too." Brian says.

"Now, you said earlier that you need Elmar's help, but he left. You know him?" Ieka asks, looking directly at Brian.

"Well, sort of. You see, Tasha here has become interested in myths and legends nowadays. I know Elmar knows lots of myths about almost everything concerning this land and even beyond."

"You silly young man. All the people here in Narké knows all myths. Our elders pass it down to one generation to another. Telling myths is one of our favorite things to do, apart from planting houses and hunting wild beasts."

"Then that's great to hear, right Tasha?" Brian nudges me.

"Oh what was that? I couldn't hear well." I shout.

"She's loud and she reminds me of Tikan, one of our elders. Tikan is also deaf himself. Tasha sure looks young despite her old age." Ieka says.

"Well, Tasha isn't that old to tell you the truth. She's even younger than me." Brian says and pulls me close so that he can whisper, "What was that? Now you're overacting."

"Well what am I suppose to do?" I whisper back, trying to sound cool although I'm getting infuriated.

"Just stare into space, act like you can hear what we're saying but sometimes you don't and you have to ask me what we're talking about. Got it or got it?"

"Whatever."

I straighten up on the stool where I sit and Brian does the same.

"Did you tell her what we were just talking about?" Ieka asks Brian.

"Yes, I did. In fact, she told me she'd be very happy if she can get to listen to the myths your elders told you, especially the myth of the roaming mirror."

Ieka's eyes seem to sparkle at the mention of the word 'mirror'.

"The roaming mirror, you say?" She leans in closer, and I think she's getting interested about the topic.

"Yes, you heard it right." Brian nods.

"I'd be happy to tell you every myth about it, for a price." A sly smile appears on Ieka's face.

"What did she say?" I chip in, tapping on Brian's arm.

"Uh, she said she'll tell us all the myths about the mirror but for a price." Brian says.

"Will she ask us to brew the coffee instead of herself?" I ask, "I really want a cup of coffee right now."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Brian scratches his head.

"Coffee? What's coffee?" Ieka pipes in.

"Huh? You don't know what's coffee? I thought you people love coffee so much your whole village smells like it." I say.

"What is she talking about?" Ieka asks Brian, confusion written all over her face.

"This is going to be a disaster." Brian throws his hands up in the air in surrender.