Magic Mirror

Mad Girl's Love Song

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

---

One night he will succeed…

“No…” she steeled herself against him, moaning quietly. “…no.”

Sarah clenched her eyes tightly, unyielding to his gentle caress. He tenderly brushed the hair from her forehead and cheek with soft fingers, supple skin cool against hers. She noted that he must not be wearing his gloves, and for some unknown reason this made her even more uncertain, fearing for her fate. Shivering she made an involuntary sound from the back of her throat. He growled in response, his breath cold against her exposed shoulder, as his lips pressed against the expanse of her collar bone, teeth treacherous against her untouched skin.

When she finally opened her eyes, Sarah couldn’t see anything.

“This is an oubliette…” his voice was too low, too soft.

She stared into the empty blackness, shuddering, then pressed her palm upwards, colliding with his chest.
“…a place you put people to forget about them.”

Her voice was hollow as she finished, and the cavern filled with rich, sinister laughter. Sarah winced audibly as she felt his hands roughly grasp her arms.

“There is no oubliette to contain me Sarah!”

He snarled at her. Sarah jerked, heart racing as she heard the tinkling sound of broken glass. Crystal shards like an explosion rained to the floor, carrying with them a tiny shard of light, and landed on the floor of the cavern, shining like misplaced stars. The girl brought her gaze back to the Goblin King, gasping. Feral, mismatched eyes searched her body ravenously, as a hand crept against the skin of her back, under the folds of her shirt, to cup the underside of her breasts. His fingers dug into her side, surely to leave a bruise.

“…and there is no oubliette for me to hold you, precious thing.”

He pressed her to the floor of the dark cave. Pain shot through her arm as the glass dug into her forearms again. His lips met hers; tasting her protest, then pained acceptance, even pleasure. Even as the glass buried itself deeper into her arms, she lifted her head to meet him, neck straining as he held her firmly in place.
Like a drug – she knew she should have stopped long ago.

“ The world will forget us – while we are in the oubliette.”

His teeth bore down on her, as he fed from her bewildered pain. Sarah screamed. All was black again.

---

Patient File
Name: Sarah Williams
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: December 12th, 1970
Date of Admittance: July 15th, 1991
Projected date of release: September 1st
Notes: Patient found on near the bank of nearby stream, glass embedded in forearms, other injuries including bruising on the arms and neck. Multiple-personality disorder and depression are suspect – dissociative amnesia according to accounts of patient’s parents.
----

Journal of Sarah Williams…


They don’t let me fight him here— no salt, no iron, I am a his mercy. My arms still sting with crystal shards. Although they were removed, the magic pulses through me now, slowly enveloping me, keeping me in my own oubliette and I slowly start forgetting myself.

Clarity comes mostly in the form of my memories of him – all else is fading. The dream is more than anything now. The white gown, the endless masked faces – more real than the nurse who comes in each day to check on me.
Even though he could hunt me – he has left me alone.

I dream of blackness now – he denies me his presence, but I cannot forget him. He won’t let me…I don’t know if I could let myself forget him anyhow. Though I see nothing, I know he is there somewhere. I listen at night, between my empty dreams, for the soft call of the owls, or their silent wings. He could be right there – but owls are so quiet, I’d never know. So much like him. Silent predator…he has all the time in the world.
I’m not crazy. I know what happened to me. I can’t explain it, but no one can explain everything! Even supposedly normal processes can’t be explained by everyone, and yet it’s real.
I still fear that he’ll come for me – but I fear more that he won’t return.

----------

“Hey sweetheart, would you like more soup?” Karen glanced to Sarah, sitting complacently at the table.

“Sure,” Sarah’s voice was tired, a little raspy. “Thanks Karen. Where’s Toby?”

Karen passed ladled another cup of soup into Sarah’s bowl. “He’s at school Sarah, he started just a few days ago actually.”

“Oh.” Sarah’s eyes traveled to the table, and began eating.

“He grew up so fast.” Karen continued cooking, her voice fondly prattling about Toby’s many misadventures. Sarah nodded slowly, feigning interest, while she finished her soup.

“Your mother is going to take care of you once she finishes her season run – do you want to do anything here before you go back to the city?”

Sarah shook her head. “No, not really. Where do you want me to sleep?”

“You can have your old room if you’d like – it’s the guest room now.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Sarah finished, then made her way quietly upstairs to her old room. She sat on the end of the bed, and glanced around the now unfamiliar room. There was no crystal, no music box, no feathers.

Nothing looked strange.

“…to sleep, perchance to dream…” She whispered to herself, undressed and curled up beneath the white, crisp linen sheets Karen had used to replace the soft cotton of her youth.

She’s in the oubliette… She should never have gotten as far as the oubliette…
she should have given up by now…