JOURNEY TO THE NORTHEAST

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.

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