Most of Me (5 page)

I told him that I had. “But thats only superstition.”

“Not really…its quite true. But there is only the one mirror where it really counts, and it lives and breathes within the foundations of this house. And if it was smashed, earth would be a raging hell for seven years until the greatest battle between good and evil would decide the reign of earth thereafter, Satan or our Lord.
”

I said,
“
But it
was
just a dream, though, wasn
’
t it? I mean, it had to be.
”

“How can you say that when the mirror is here?” He pointed. “You’ve seen it!”

“All I see is an old wooden frame. For all I know, you could have bought it from a charity shop and put it there yourself! The only certainly here is that you’re a crazy old man!”

“
Crazy!
Yes, perhaps I am. But I’m only crazy because what I say is true.”

“I don’t think there was a dream.” I tossed a corner of the cloth back across the mirror. I pushed against the ground and stood. “I just think you’re a sick, twisted old man who shunted away his family!”

“Its all true, Daniel! Please understand! Please listen!”

I walked away from him, placed my hand on the ladder. I stopped, and glanced over my shoulder. “A
dream!
It was just a dream,” I said.

“
That
’
s what I thought, too, until I saw gruesome reflections in everything that held a shine, whether mirror or glass or polished wood, it didn
’
t matter.
”

“I should go
,
”
I expressed.

“
Yes, you should…but, its too late for that.”

I released the ladder and returned to the object in the ground. I was curious. The mist outside; what was that? And then there was this…the mirror. It may all be stories, but if there was mystery about what was outside, then perhaps the mystery was shared in the basement too.

“The next night,” the old man continued, “I couldn
’
t sleep: hot sweats, cold sweats, the shakes; it was as if I was coming down with a damn fever. But it gave me time to think; I had to know.
”

“
You came down here, didn
’
t you?
” I crouched over the mirror.

He nodded.
“
Three in the morning with a shovel and pick-axe, no hot sweats, no cold sweats and the only shakes were the nerves kicking in. Like a man possessed, I dug non-stop for a day and a half through soil, clay and stone. And perhaps I was possessed; who would know? My wife thought I was crazy.” He shrugged. “She was right. No sane man would have done such a thing. Jesse thought I was funny until she too got scared. I had frightened her and that just wasn’t me, not me at all.
”
That recollection seemed too sore for him.
Then he fell silent. I speculated that he still had Jesse in his thoughts.
“
Then,
”
and he chuckled a little and looked at me with dark satisfied eyes.
“
Then, I hit wood. I mean, literally. There was a huge wooden chest down there. I opened it and there it was, just as the devil had said. I wedged the pick-axe to the side of the chest, broke eight seals, two on either side, and tore out nails from around the outer rim of the lid. They let out such a shriek like screams from a tortured soul. In the box was some sort of monks
’
habit.
I untied the habit, and the mirror was there. By then I was so exhausted that I removed it and left it abandoned on the ground, locked up the basement and went for some shut-eye. I didn
’
t sleep long, though. I thought about the mirror too much and what the devil had divulged. But in the end I told myself that it was just a dream, and there wasn
’
t going to be seven years of hell. My family
were
going to be safe. And although I did wonder how I knew the mirror was there, I never questioned it too much, because by now I could feel that my sanity was being stretched and my family was being torn apart by a dream and the madness I was slipping into.”

“If you knew, then why the hell didn't you walk away from it?” I asked. “I mean, if what you say is true, couldn’t you have just buried it again.”

“Yes, I could have.
And I did!
But it was always there, as if burying it was only a dream and I’d wake up to find it in the same place. It was no use, Daniel.”

“Maybe you didn’t try hard enough. Mom always said there was always a way. No matter how difficult it was to get there…there was always a way.”

“And she would be right in her wise words, but not this time,” he said.
“The house had changed too;
the air was different. I couldn't quite explain it then, but it was like, activity or energy. Something around me was happening; the air was shifting around me, through me, pumping through my heart, oozing through my blood. It was intelligent too, this energy. Whatever it was, it made no sense; it didn’t feel good. And I know that sounds ridiculous, but that’s the way it was. But in that moment, I knew what must be done. I went directly to the basement with a hammer and nails, placed the mirror back into the chest. But as soon as I struck that first nail I was attacked by a cold chill, an overwhelming awareness in which I had never experienced before. It was like receiving a life time of bad news in a single second: a sudden emptiness, a blanket of depression and a loss of everything that meant something. And it was then when I knew. I knew, Daniel.” He squeezed my shoulder. He stared at me with distraught eyes that looked too familiar, as though they had seen me before. They knew me. “I let go of the hammer and dropped the nails to the earth. I stumbled back, stopping only for the wall of cold and damp soil. It was as if I had the wind in my ears. My head was a wind chime. All I heard was whistling. At that point, I felt my legs had disappeared; only they hadn’t, of course. I fell to the dirt and cried because I knew they were gone. Through my ignorance, my damn ignorance, I had lost them. And a part of myself had gone, too.” He paused for a few seconds, walked over to the ladder and began pulling himself up. When he reached the top, he said, “I heard the door slam. She had taken Jesse from me. I don’t know where they went; they just disappeared, probably resided at her sisters for a while.”

“Why didn’t you follow them?”

“When I could move, it was too late, Daniel.” He turned and looked down on me. “You see, when they left, it was like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I realised that I needed them no more.”

“
You gave up! Just like that!
” I shouted.

He leered at me, dark sunken eyes looking into me. He shook his head. “No, Daniel, I didn’t give up. I excepted what was right.”

“Right? How can this be right?”

“Because I had been shown for a reason,” he explained. “I had been chosen! And this was my destiny just as it will be yours.
They
were just an obstacle, and if they hadn’t left, I would’ve
killed
them!”

“
What! That’s my Mom!
” I was astonished and angry.

“And my wife,” he reminded. “And I would’ve cut their throats to protect that mirror. Those
bitches
had no place here.”

I went for the ladder and began climbing, but the old man pushed the top out with his foot. “
Thats enough!
” I screamed.

He laughed, and I think he knew that he was stirring the anger inside. “Enough? I’ve not even started!”

“Well, you don’t need to…its over.”

“It’s not over, Daniel. Not by a long shot!” he spat.

I grabbed the ladder from the ground, leaned it against the mud and started climbing. I wasn’t stopped this time. I pushed passed him, knocking him off his feet. He laughed. I wanted to ram his face into the ground until he could no longer breath. I wanted to suffocate him. I ascended the stairs two at a time.

“Where are you going, Daniel?” he shouted.

I said nothing, just continued into the hallway.

“
I need you, Daniel. Come back! I need you!
”

I didn’t know if he was mocking me or just sounded desperate. I stopped and screamed into the basement, “you’re
sick!
You’re a sick old man!”

“I know,” a calm voice from behind said. I turned swiftly, and it was
him
.

“How did you…?”

“I’m dead. And I’ve been dead a long while, or at least the man I used to be has. I can move in different ways.” He pushed me up against the wall. “Now shut up whining, and listen to me you little shit!” he spat.

I tried to pull away, but he was too strong: way too strong for an old man. I stared into his eyes and saw nothing but rage and desperation.

He was desperate, but certainly not scared. He said, “the way I see it, you have two options.”

“The way I see it, the only option is to leave!”

“Yes, you can. Thats option two, but there are consequences! That road is very dark and I’m not sure you would survive. You’re the god damn son of that
bitch
of a daughter; how could you survive?”

I struggled and tried to shrug him off, but this force pinning me to the wall was unnatural and too strong to match any mans’ strength. He grabbed my throat in a spasm of rage, yelled in my face, then loosened his grip.

A chill crept up my spine and I momentarily froze. I was reminded of all those years ago when the blue Ford nearly knocked me down. The hand that grabbed me and threw me aside.
Was it you who saved me?
I stared wide eyed; the feeling was fading and I could struggle once again, but he still kept his grip around my throat.

“But option one,” he continued, “that might just work out. You see, Daniel, you’re my only blood relation. I have no one else; so you’ll have to do.”

“Thanks. I love you, too.”

He smiled thinly. “I might not even give you a choice. I might just let you leave. Throw you to the wolves and smile when they tear you apart. Because if you leave, Daniel, that is exactly what they’ll do.”

“Well, then, at least we agree. I’ll leave. Just let me go and you’ll never see me again. You can keep the house.”

He seemed to think about it. Then released me.

I shrugged him off.

He said, “I need you to be guardian. As blood you are the only living being who can do it. You must protect the mirror with your life. If its smashed, there will be hell on earth for seven years. You cannot bury it because it will find a way to surface; the damage has already been done. I cursed this family by digging it up, so we must protect the world from its evils and prevent any damage to it.”

“But it changed you!” I exclaimed.

“It did. It’s an open gateway with a direct road to hell. I am here so that any evil that comes through remains in this house. It cannot leave. I wont allow it. Its like radiation; if you’re with it, your contaminated. No escape. So, you could say that I’m contaminated, too. Badness runs through my veins.”

“You’re a demon, aren’t you?” I asked.

“I’m no demon. I would say that I work for both sides. I use the mirror for its powers. Soon you’ll realise how powerful you can be. Going out into the world without being seen, you’ll have the ability to leave your body. And there are other benefits, too, Daniel, but you’ll discover those in your own time.” He brushed passed me and headed toward the front door.

He opened it. “Thats if you use your head and stay here.”

I felt a cool breeze rush through. I walked slowly towards him. I saw blue sky; there was no whiteness, no mist or fog. I could see the garden, the clouds, and could smell the air.

“But, I always did know just how far to use them. I know my duty. I know I must protect the mirror, keep it safe. I know the damage that will occur if I don’t.”

I stepped outside; I though he would try and stop me, but he made no attempt. I turned to him. “My life will change, won’t it?” I looked again at the healed wound on his neck wondering if something in this house had done that to him.
What isn’t he telling me?

“It already has, Daniel. God made us vulnerable by gifting us free will. You let yourself in. It was your choice. You had the key. You used it.” He rubbed a thin layer of stubble on his cheek, and sighed wearily. “God threw you a damn curse, boy!” He smirked. God wasn’t a part of this. The curse, if there was such a thing, was given to me by the old man.

“So if I had decided not to come here, then…”

He put in, “then I would have no hold on you, boy. You could have walked away and continued with your life. But, I’ve got you now.
I have you!”
he spat. “If you leave, I will still have a part of you and I will keep on taking. Every breath you take, I’ll steal a little more. I’ll have most of you, Daniel. Most of you! And I will own you!”

“I don’t know what you are, but you’re not right. There is something seriously wrong with you up here!” I indicated by tapping my head. “You’re disturbed, you know that! You’re crazy.”

“The sand glass…you saw it, didn’t you?”

I turned to the garden ready to leave, but I stopped as he continued talking.

“Well, as soon as you entered this house, it began to fall,” he croaked and coughed: an old mans’ cough, “very slowly, grain by grain. It will continue to fill just as long as you’re here. And when its full, I will have you!”