The City Behind the Mirror
The sky above the town was the colour of spilled paint and the air smelled of adventure, although no one but Lena seemed to notice. She sat in the corner of Mr Czeslaw's antique shop, as she did every Thursday, arranging fancy stacks of old books and running her fingers over the worn spines.
This day, however, something was different. Between the tall bookcases, amidst the smell of dust and paper, Lena found an inconspicuous mirror frame. The panel was dusty, but there was something peeking out from under the dirt that resembled the shadow of movement - as if someone on the other side was waving a hand at her.
Lena's heart beat faster. She reflexively looked over her shoulder, but Czeslaw was humming under his breath in his office behind the wall. The girl wiped the mirror with the sleeve of her blouse. A whole city emerged from behind the glass, strangely familiar, but as if .... inverted. Streets flowed in serpentines, buildings had roofs made of leaves, and lamp posts took the shapes of dragons and dinosaurs.
She couldn't look away. Then she spotted a girl, her mirror image - similar to her but with silver hair and eyes the colour of the deep sea. The figure nodded, inviting Lena inside.
Suddenly the mirror trembled and opened like a door. Lena raised her hand, feeling a cool mist beating down from the other side. Was she really supposed to go in there? Questions swirled in her head: did the world behind the mirror really exist? Was it just her imagination? Would she encounter someone there whom it would be better not to meet?
She thought of all the undiscovered mysteries of the city. She breathed deeply and lifted her foot over the threshold, feeling both fear and excitement at the same time....
Author of this ending:
English
polski
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