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Through the Looking Glass

Category: Magic_Fantasy

(0) The mirror was cool at touch, the silver ridges ever so grand and intricate. The reflection was clear and sharper than any blade. I made a face at the mirror, cartwheeled, yelled. I stopped as I realized my reflection was staring back at me, still as a statue. It had not moved and I was startled. The only hint of expression of my twin in the mirror, was a slight tilt at the eyebrows, showing a look of amusement and disgust. My face screwed up and my mouth opened to release a scream, but my mouth was clamped shut. A minute later, the surroundings became an inky black... (Chui, Age 8 to 12, 9/22/2002, LookingGlass)

(1) I woke to a soft nudging and opened my eyes to a land of shadows. The only shades were gray and the deepest black. A small figure was hovering over me curiously. I pulled myself to my knees and a sitting position as I focused on the thing. The figure resembled running liquid that ran evermore and it had no face.The slight shape of a human female hugged the form, however. It (I was soon to learn it was called a Sha) reached out with an arm thin and curling, enticing me to take its 'hand'. I shrunk back, unsure. The Sha's form began to twist and melt until it was a ring of ink black. Then it spoke... (C.T., Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:27:57 PM, LookingGlass)

(2) Its voice was shrill and pierced my ears with its haunting sound. "I am a Sha," the loop spun crazily as the words formed. Then, the ring of black transformed into the shape of a hand and beckoned me."And you will become a Sha,too!" (Anonymous, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:28:34 PM, LookingGlass)

(3) I slunk backwards and my mind was in a frenzy. Soon the Sha resumed its normal state. It held out an arm to me and I grasped it. 'Ahhh! The smake-like arm was icy and slippery as an eel.' "You will be brought for the training," the Sha responded to my silence. (Anonymous, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:29:04 PM, LookingGlass)

(4) I gasped as I read what I had been training for over three years. Sweat slid down my forehead in waves and for the first time ever, I realized my sweat was black and oily. Like a Sha! I leaned backwards against a bookshelf and felt myself plunging through the hardwood. It felt like eternity until I stopped falling. I was stuck between to slats of wood. I was not yet a full Sha. There had to be a way to escape this mirrorland. (Chui, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:30:45 PM, LookingGlass)

(5) Yes, it had been three years since I had met my first Sha, but I had never really thought about my training to become one. Training was simple at first. I had to mimic a shape, of anything. But then we had to feel what the object felt and act how the object acted. And as soon as I got to know my object, it was taken away to be replaced my another. I had not noticed my gradual changes. I slid along the hallways only skimming the black carpet and my arms would slide along the banisters of long spiral staircases, lifeless. A mirror image?! I trembled at the thought. (Chui, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:31:23 PM, LookingGlass)

(6) I was still weeping when a Sha swept through the door. Its face was streaked with sympathy and it embraced me to share my sorrows. I was too weak to resist. Suddenly, the Sha released me and started a brief explanation of her sudden appearance. "I realize you are shocked to be brought into such a drab place. It was the mirror. Every Sha in the realm travels there to attempt to regain their freedom. It is very hard to become free after ten years of training, to try and not be someone or something else. But your image did just that. It refused to reflect you, and therefore was transfered into the real world. And you, are brought here to take its place. But do not worry, the mirror 'portal' opens up every five years. I am in charge of releasing the location to all the Shas and in a few years time, you will be part of the clan,too. (Anonymous, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:31:46 PM, LookingGlass)

(7) Years passed like eternities, and every eternity I struggled. When in the corner of my mind and interpreting another's feelings, I would remind myself who I really was, what I really thought. And how strongly I felt about it. Yet, it was a tough deed. The portal failed to open after my fifth year of training and left me to learn more ways of the Sha. The Sha that had calmed me before did it again, promising an opening before I was a full Sha. I was in my eighth year now, considerably wiser and better at guessing what the others thought. We advenced into human reflections and I mastered it. It frightened me to know I was the perfect Sha and I could mimic anything. (author, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:32:17 PM, LookingGlass)

(8) Professor Sha was scanning the results of an unusual testing. Someone had been struggling. Someone had divided their concentration between two objects. The reflecting test had been on the sha-in-training's mind, but something else gripped their mind as well. It could not be. Students were strictly forbidden to divide their attention. He growled. He memorized the name on the results page and noted that he would give the Sha a piece of his mind. (author, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:32:42 PM, LookingGlass)

(9) My palms had started to twist and melt occasionally, and the color had wasted away. I choked back a cry of terror as the strange feeling overcame my entire arm. Where was the cursed mirror? The Sha had not spoken a word to me since the promise I had placed all my hopes on. My hopes started crumbling as i glimpsed the Sha sliding past my door. No news, no hope, no nothing. But to my surprise, the Sha changed diretion and headed back towards my room. I smoothed my T-shirt hoping not to appear I had lost faith. It glided in and whispered something into my ears... (funky ducky, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:33:15 PM, LookingGlass)

(10) I froze in shock. The Sha's message was anything but assuring. I was to graduate in few hours time. Overwhelmed with dread, I vomited. It went through the Sha and onto my bedspread. I vomited again. (funky ducky, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:33:39 PM, LookingGlass)

(11) The Sha reached out and patted my back gently. The stage was set up with ribbons and banners of pitch black. Shas hooted and howled as three others and I stepped up to the Sha master. He held four scrolls in his arms and a wicked smile. One by one, the students received their certificate and a potion that would transform them into full Shas. Just as I was about to be awarded with my certificate, a familiar voice screeched "The portal is open. In ten hours time, it will be closed!"Soon the field was empty. I wasn't a Sha. There wasn't a ceremony. I could be FREE! (funky ducky, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:34:00 PM, LookingGlass)

(12) My brows were knitted together in concentration. It was time to prove myself to be my own person, not a Sha. I heard tears flowing in the distance. Fifty two Shas had already failed and were not permitted to have a second chance. I blinked back tears as I thought that I could not possibly be stronger. Then my name was called and I found myself at the mirror portal. I was to reflect the actions of a small girl of nine. She was very quiet and not at all hard to reflect. I felt myself losing. Everytime the girl shifted her weight, I shifted mine. Self-control was gone. I was a puppet. The girl started laughing as she watched 'herself' in the mirror. It was not quite the hilarious, but she laughed. I cried and let forth the most screechy wail a girl could produce. The smile stopped short. The girl scrambled off in a wink, confusion on her dainty face. I had done it! (C.T., Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:34:29 PM, LookingGlass)

(13) There was a sudden gust of wind and I felt drawn to the mirror as if there was a magnetic force. It appeared that something strange was happening to the little girl as well. She clawed at the carpet and bit at her bedstand, but she was racing toward the portal. A large hand pressed into my back and I my nose touched and went through the mirror. Through! The girl fainted as I did eight years earlier and was dragged into the mirrorland behind me. I stepped out of the mirror proud but miserable to hear the sad good-byes of my Sha friends. I waved before the image disappeared and then the mirror and the mirror shrunk. Its once elegant sides became rough, copper metal and the size went down to my knees. I knelt down to see MYSELF but I wasn't there! The little girl stared back at me, smiling and the smile faltering as time passed... (C.T., Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:34:46 PM, LookingGlass)

(14) I stumbled in my small flowery socks as I picked up the mirror and smashed it on the ground. The glass splintered into a million little pieces. I plucked the largest from the pile and quickly left the room. The halls were large and gloomy, and everything was placed well above my head. Certain I might of entered the wrong house when I left the Shas, I rammed the stormdoor open. With a throbbing shoulder that ached like nothing you've ever felt before, I walked the unfamiliar block. I didn't have I clue as to where I was going until I found the flier. Its message was the final piece to my puzzle. I quickly grabbed the address and rushed down the crowded streets. (Quezi, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:35:07 PM, LookingGlass)

(15) The house was a magnificent shade of blue and crouched on a gentle hill. A stream of people were browsing the items of a very sucessful garage sale. I weaved through the crowds in a suprisingly short amount of time, and was soon at the door of the house. I rang the doorbell, fingers trembling as an aspen leaf would. A tall lady with tumbling locks of the finest brown and emerald green eyes grinned down at me. She swooped down and lifted me into her slender arms. She was my mother! It felt babyish to be carried in that way, but I felt glad to be missed. But then she asked... (Quezi, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:35:34 PM, LookingGlass)

(16) "Hello little one. Where's your mother?" Where was my mother? SHE was my mother. I looked away in disappointment. She had forgotten me! But it was then I noticed, my once radiant red curls were now black as the night sky. Who was I? As I asked myself, I knew that the answer was in my heart. I was the little girl of nine and my mother was somewhere in the strange house I had left minutes ago. I wanted to say I was her daughter, but I only had the strength to say,"Nisha." (pizza_eater, Age 13 to 18, 9/23/2002 9:35:59 PM, LookingGlass)

(17) She interpreted it wrong, and called for her 'dear Nisha'. A teenage girl hopped onto the porch, her frizzy hair dangling well past her shoulders. I grimaced. I would of worn my hair straight. I gazed into Nisha's eyes and knew her to be an old Sha. She glared at me, she knew I wanted my body back and it was her way of saying no. I dug my nails into my mother's skin until she dropped me in pain. I quickly strutted up to the imposter and scratched at her pale skin without mercy. Forgetting my age and size, I felt myself being lifted into the air. She was going to drop me. (nobody, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:36:17 PM, LookingGlass)

(18) But 'Nisha' stopped midway, with a faraway look in her eyes. With a sweep of her hands, I was in the house, my back to a large pink dresser. She grasped my hands-hard. "Before I became a Sha, I was an old woman, little girl. I had nothing and had nothing better to do than try and fix up my appearance. This body has been magnificent, but I see you want it back, and that can be done. I want experience being a child again, and I have a friend in the mirror that could help us change shapes. Would you like that, dearest?" the girl leaned forward with the sudden offer. (nobody, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:36:35 PM, LookingGlass)

(19) "But how?" I stuttered."I broke the mirror..." As I said this I brought out the piece I had chosen to keep. It was misty, and I hastened to rub it with my sleeve. "It does not matter. You have a piece and it will do," the Sha took the shattered piece of mirror into her hands and rubbed the surface with thin, slender fingers. A flash of bright light transported us into a small, musty storeroom. There were heaps of old cloths and knicknacks lined against a cracked wall. I fanned the space in front of me and coughed. I was surprised to see a stooped figure rising from the dust. Its shoulders were hunched and head held low. A gray, swirling cloak made it appear as if it were legless. "Maura..." the Sha breathed. (mystery girl, Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:37:02 PM, LookingGlass)

(20) Maura was practicer of magic and especially enjoyed the art of switching and transforming objects. Wisps of gray-brown hair revealed her age to be around forty something. Her fiery eyes burned into mine as she muttered a chant under her breath. Maura bit her lip and waited patiently after a series of strange gestures. Then slowly, a broad smile appeared on the hidden face. The woman threw off her hood and clapped in joy. I peered down to find that I was me again. The girl next to me clenched and unclenched her fists in excitement. But the Maura's glad expression soon grew somber. "As you know, I have done a favor for you, and i would like to ask one in return," Maura ran her bony hand over a faded blue book."I would like one of you two to become my apprentice, help me share the magicks of the earth." Her eyes had frozen on the Sha, and the Sha looked away. Before I could protest, the Sha, who apparently knew some magic of her own, magicked herself away. That left one option. I was to be the apprentice. But that is a whole different story... (C.T., Age 8 to 12, 9/23/2002 9:37:26 PM, LookingGlass)

(21) I knew the Sha wanted my body as it was now, in this little girls body. She wanted it so badly I could sense it. Yet she looked at my old body, the one before I was a Sha and said "If you will trade bodies with me, I will take the childs body and the girl will be her true self (evilmindatwork, Age 13 to 18, 9/23/2002 9:37:57 PM, LookingGlass)

(22) I struggled with the idea, but knew it was the only way out. Closing my eyes, I waited for the transformation to begin. I wasn't disapointed. An icy wind swept through the room, and my spirit was caught up with the blast, whirling around and around, I was so dizzy. Then I opened my eyes, and was startled when I realised I was back in my own body! Just when I started to rejoice, something shattered my happiness. A croaky voice peirced my joy. 'Now, my child, you will come with me and learn the secrets of... (Italics, Age 13 to 18, 9/23/2002 9:38:39 PM, LookingGlass)

(23) I was lost in a swirling world. I saw a bright blue light. It's getting brighter and brighter. I see a sword come crashing down on me. Then, the weirdest thing happens, a masked figure with red eyes blocks the blow, and I feel like I am going back in time, and that is what happened... (Brad, Age 8 to 12, 4/28/2003 12:38:04 PM, LookingGlass)

(24) The End ((I think the story was supposed to end at Par. 20 :P), Age 8 to 12, 5/14/2003 2:57:41 PM, LookingGlass)

(25) I wished that none of this had ever happened. I tried to close my eyes, but in a split second, I was in an empty room, staring at a mirror. I couldn't move. But my reflection could. It made funny faces, did a cartwheel...it was me. I realized that I was stuck like this forever. Then the sha took her. Now I wished that I had never even stepped into that room. It was too late for me. I was meaningless. ((Just wanted to add to the story a little bit) Calvin and Hobbes Rules, Age 8 to 12, 6/2/2003 10:07:50 PM, LookingGlass)

(26) I felt like I should have never been born. I had no friends, no family, no nothing. I had nothing left. What was I sposed to do. I turned and looked back at the mirror. I only I could go back and get the right house. I know it is impossible, but maybe just maybe I could... (freakakygurl, Age 13 to 18, 7/26/2003 11:12:48 PM, LookingGlass)