Categories > TV > Buffy the Vampire Slayer > A Mirror of Being
Chapter One: "As the Days Lengthen"
0 reviews"We should be a mirror of being: we are God in miniature." Nietzsche. Dark.
-1Boring
A Mirror of Being
Chapter One: "As the Days Lengthen"
Written by alliterator
Thanks to babies-stole-my-dingo, my awesome beta reader!
The mask was exquisite and beautiful. It was painted white, with strips of red going down each side and its shape was not a straight oval, but rather twisted, curved somewhat so that it looked like it had melted. But it was beautiful, nonetheless.
I wonder if Giles will like it? Buffy thought. She took a quick look at the price tag and thought, He can't afford to like it. Yikes.
Buffy turned away from the mask and walked to the area where the antiques were on sale. That was what brought this place to her attention - there was a BIG SALE sign in the window (plus, Dawn was now consuming large quantities of ice cream in the shop across the street).
What would Giles like? A book? No, he has plenty of books. How about a nice backscratcher? Yeah, right.
"Can I help you look for anything?" the proprietor said. He was a fifty-ish man wearing a grey sweater with a nametag pinned on it. Buffy glanced at it.
"Mr. Apollinax?" she read.
"Yes, that's me," the proprietor said.
"Well," Buffy said, "you wouldn't know what a, say, fifty-year-old British man would like for his birthday, would you?"
Mr. Apollinax scratched his chin and then said, "I don't know. We have some very nice dressers over there. And if he likes antique tables - pre-Civil War, you know?"
"Actually, I think he would prefer something pre-Civilization," Buffy said. "But I'll go and check out..."
It was then that the handheld mirror caught her attention. Its surface looked like a pool of water that never moved, never rippled. "What's that?" she asked.
Mr. Apollinax followed her gaze and looked over to the mirror. "Oh, that! Well, that's just an old piece of junk someone gave us. I don't really think you'd be interested in it." Buffy walked over to where it was and picked it up. "But," Mr. Apollinax said, "if you're interested that handle is made from real, uh, copper. And you can see how much work the designer put into it."
Buffy didn't look at the handle. She only looked at her reflection, entranced by something. Her reflection... her reflection was looking at her. Her reflection was... smiling at her?
"Buffy?" Dawn's voice dragged her out of the state she was in.
"Dawn," Buffy said, turning around. "I thought you were at the ice cream parlor?"
"Yeah, well, I was tired of waiting for you," Dawn said. "And I finished my double-chocolate chip scoop. What's that?" Dawn motioned towards the mirror. Buffy pulled it away.
"Just... just something I was thinking of getting Giles," she said.
Dawn reached forward and took the mirror out of Buffy's hands. "Pretty cool," she said. "Although I don't think Giles particularly likes looking at his reflection that much."
Buffy wondered why Dawn wasn't having the same reaction the mirror as she was. Didn't she see how her reflection stared back at her? Didn't she see it?
Or maybe I'm going crazy, Buffy thought. Maybe I'm a few fries short of a Happy Meal, a few crayons short of a whole set. Buffy set the mirror down on the table she had found it on and walked to Mr. Apollinax. "Do you happen to have any old books here?" she asked. Mr. Apollinax pointed her to a shelf of old and musty books. Just what Giles wants, Buffy thought.
Walking out of the antique shop, Buffy put the bag with the book carefully into her purse. She felt a weight in her coat pocket then and removed the mirror, blinking in surprise. Weird, Buffy thought. I'm sure I put that back on the table. I better go back in and give it back.
But she didn't. Something compelled her to put the mirror in her purse and then she said to Dawn, "We better go back to where Xander is picking us up. We don't want him to wait for long."
And on the horizon, the sun set and night quickly approached.
---
mirrorrorrimirrorrirromorrirrorrim
see she is here is she see she has come has she the one who is chosen is who one the when will the time be time the will when she will know will she
all we do is wait is do we all we must wait must we until it is time is it until when will it be time it will when the mirror is broken is mirror the
soon it will be time be will it soon
good good
mirrorrorrimirrorrirromorrirrorrim
---
As the days lengthen,
So the storms strengthen.
- a children's rhyme
Chapter One: "As the Days Lengthen"
Written by alliterator
Thanks to babies-stole-my-dingo, my awesome beta reader!
The mask was exquisite and beautiful. It was painted white, with strips of red going down each side and its shape was not a straight oval, but rather twisted, curved somewhat so that it looked like it had melted. But it was beautiful, nonetheless.
I wonder if Giles will like it? Buffy thought. She took a quick look at the price tag and thought, He can't afford to like it. Yikes.
Buffy turned away from the mask and walked to the area where the antiques were on sale. That was what brought this place to her attention - there was a BIG SALE sign in the window (plus, Dawn was now consuming large quantities of ice cream in the shop across the street).
What would Giles like? A book? No, he has plenty of books. How about a nice backscratcher? Yeah, right.
"Can I help you look for anything?" the proprietor said. He was a fifty-ish man wearing a grey sweater with a nametag pinned on it. Buffy glanced at it.
"Mr. Apollinax?" she read.
"Yes, that's me," the proprietor said.
"Well," Buffy said, "you wouldn't know what a, say, fifty-year-old British man would like for his birthday, would you?"
Mr. Apollinax scratched his chin and then said, "I don't know. We have some very nice dressers over there. And if he likes antique tables - pre-Civil War, you know?"
"Actually, I think he would prefer something pre-Civilization," Buffy said. "But I'll go and check out..."
It was then that the handheld mirror caught her attention. Its surface looked like a pool of water that never moved, never rippled. "What's that?" she asked.
Mr. Apollinax followed her gaze and looked over to the mirror. "Oh, that! Well, that's just an old piece of junk someone gave us. I don't really think you'd be interested in it." Buffy walked over to where it was and picked it up. "But," Mr. Apollinax said, "if you're interested that handle is made from real, uh, copper. And you can see how much work the designer put into it."
Buffy didn't look at the handle. She only looked at her reflection, entranced by something. Her reflection... her reflection was looking at her. Her reflection was... smiling at her?
"Buffy?" Dawn's voice dragged her out of the state she was in.
"Dawn," Buffy said, turning around. "I thought you were at the ice cream parlor?"
"Yeah, well, I was tired of waiting for you," Dawn said. "And I finished my double-chocolate chip scoop. What's that?" Dawn motioned towards the mirror. Buffy pulled it away.
"Just... just something I was thinking of getting Giles," she said.
Dawn reached forward and took the mirror out of Buffy's hands. "Pretty cool," she said. "Although I don't think Giles particularly likes looking at his reflection that much."
Buffy wondered why Dawn wasn't having the same reaction the mirror as she was. Didn't she see how her reflection stared back at her? Didn't she see it?
Or maybe I'm going crazy, Buffy thought. Maybe I'm a few fries short of a Happy Meal, a few crayons short of a whole set. Buffy set the mirror down on the table she had found it on and walked to Mr. Apollinax. "Do you happen to have any old books here?" she asked. Mr. Apollinax pointed her to a shelf of old and musty books. Just what Giles wants, Buffy thought.
Walking out of the antique shop, Buffy put the bag with the book carefully into her purse. She felt a weight in her coat pocket then and removed the mirror, blinking in surprise. Weird, Buffy thought. I'm sure I put that back on the table. I better go back in and give it back.
But she didn't. Something compelled her to put the mirror in her purse and then she said to Dawn, "We better go back to where Xander is picking us up. We don't want him to wait for long."
And on the horizon, the sun set and night quickly approached.
---
mirrorrorrimirrorrirromorrirrorrim
see she is here is she see she has come has she the one who is chosen is who one the when will the time be time the will when she will know will she
all we do is wait is do we all we must wait must we until it is time is it until when will it be time it will when the mirror is broken is mirror the
soon it will be time be will it soon
good good
mirrorrorrimirrorrirromorrirrorrim
---
As the days lengthen,
So the storms strengthen.
- a children's rhyme
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