copyright Janet Webb
Mirror Man
I spent eight months imprisoned in a bathroom. Food was pushed under the door.
Pancakes mostly; maybe some deli ham.
The only company I had was the man in the mirror. “Why? Why?” I screamed at him. He never answered, just childishly mimicked my every move.
Finally I really examined the door. It was locked from the inside.
That deepened my concerns.
Outside, I found a house with a woman living in it. Her wedding ring matched mine.
“Why?” I shouted at her.
“You made me,” she said, cringing.
No, not me. It was that damned man in the mirror.
The Green-Walled Tower 
September 10th, 2014 at 2:38 pm
I’m trying to imagine pancakes being pushed under the bathroom door.
Now I am trying to imagine why.
September 11th, 2014 at 1:58 pm
It was a bit of black humor for me, just the absurdity of the whole situation in the midst of the terrible problems he’s having. You have to wonder what sort of situation his wife is in to do that.
September 10th, 2014 at 3:11 pm
I was thinking, too, that the door must not have been set in the frame very well for pancakes to go under. However, to the larger point, I wonder what sinister thing is going on and why his wife would let him stay in there and not call someone.
janet
September 11th, 2014 at 1:59 pm
I was actually considering changing this to crepes, since they’re much thinner, but I thought some people might not know what they were. I should write a companion story from her point of view. Hmm, maybe I will. 🙂
September 10th, 2014 at 3:43 pm
To have lost your memory in that way is really scary.. She fed him and waited for him to get out.. but maybe something is broken.. and yes I wonder if his was swallowed by that mirror.
September 11th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
I guess it could be taken that way, but I wasn’t envisioning anything supernatural with this. Intriguing idea though. 🙂
September 10th, 2014 at 6:42 pm
This is creepy – in a good way. Had me wondering when the door was locked from the inside.
September 11th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Thanks. I was going for creepy.
September 10th, 2014 at 11:00 pm
Wow, very intriguing. I really liked this piece, I wish I knew what happened next! Well done 🙂
September 11th, 2014 at 1:43 pm
Thanks. I’m not sure what will happen next. Maybe he’ll settle down into normalcy for a while until something else happens. He probably needs help though.
September 11th, 2014 at 3:22 am
We lock ourselves away, until we discover who we are. Some of us are never freed. Well done. 🙂
September 11th, 2014 at 1:43 pm
Thanks, he freed himself finally, but I think he still has a long way to go.
September 11th, 2014 at 4:58 am
Really? Makes me think he said, “Candy Man” WAY too many times into it! Terrific take this week!
September 11th, 2014 at 1:42 pm
Ha, there’s that possibility too. 🙂 I hadn’t thought of that.
September 11th, 2014 at 5:52 am
Dear David,
A portrait of madness. Well done.
Aloha,
Doug
September 11th, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Thank you, Doug.
September 11th, 2014 at 5:52 am
Dear David,
This made my skin crawl…in a good way. There’s more to this story than meets the eye in a hundred words. Although, if I were his wife I think I’d want him in safer place than my bathroom.
BTW. Welcome to the Midwest. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
September 11th, 2014 at 1:27 pm
True, that he should be somewhere else, but I was trying to convey with the word “cringing” that he cowed her and dominated her into going along with his crazy plans. She should probably leave, actually.
And thank you for your welcome. I like it so far. 🙂
September 11th, 2014 at 5:59 am
What a story! Really liked it, that pancake bit alarmed me that things are not as they seemed.
September 11th, 2014 at 1:25 pm
Definitely not always as they seem. 🙂
September 11th, 2014 at 6:06 am
Madness and fear personified. I think the inclusion of pancakes is a master stroke – such a wonderful contrast. Well done
September 11th, 2014 at 1:23 pm
I’m glad you picked up on the contrast. Honestly, when I thought up the pancakes line, it made me laugh, since I was trying to think of foods thin enough to fit under a door.
September 11th, 2014 at 8:14 am
When caged in our own madness, only we can escape.
Great story!
September 11th, 2014 at 1:21 pm
Indeed. Thank you for your comment.
September 11th, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Yikes!!! Did he hurt his head on the bath tub???
September 11th, 2014 at 2:53 pm
Possibly, or something worse.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:15 pm
Oh, my! How shall I describe this? Well, let’s just say it was DIFFERENT. Your creative imagination was working on super high this time around.
September 12th, 2014 at 9:50 am
Thanks. I’ll take different as a compliment. 🙂
September 12th, 2014 at 11:53 am
Scary surreal stuff. Someone should see a shrink.
September 15th, 2014 at 4:28 pm
Yeah definitely, I think. 🙂
September 12th, 2014 at 6:04 pm
Ha! I’m reminded of the audio called “BlondeStar” (a parody of GMs OnStar) in which the blonde locks herself inside a car and calls for help.
September 15th, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Russell, that’s brilliant. I haven’t seen that before. Perhaps that was his problem the whole time; he’s not crazy, just really stupid.
September 13th, 2014 at 5:26 am
Dear David, good story and I love the Blond Star above. Maybe Russell posted it on your story, but it’s so darn funny – well she is blonde!
Nan 🙂
September 15th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
Thanks, Nan, and yes I love that Blond Star video. Maybe that was his problem the whole time. 🙂
September 13th, 2014 at 6:14 am
David, It sounds like not only the man is mentally ill, but his wife also. I think they both need help. Very sad. Well written. —Susan
September 15th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
I haven’t decided about her yet. I originally conceived her as a victim of his mania, cowed to the point of total obedience.
September 14th, 2014 at 3:57 pm
I think someone would turn mad staring at themselves all day. I wonder why he put his wife up to it. Sounds like they both need therapy. A mirror can be destructive and distort the truth. Fine writing.
September 15th, 2014 at 4:19 pm
They probably both need help of some sort. I have an idea to write a story from her point of view, showing the whole thing in a totally different light. I’ll have to think on it though.
September 16th, 2014 at 2:50 am
I love the idea of her pushing pancakes under the door – (you could do that here in the UK, our pancakes are thin, like crepes) – it gives a touch of hilarity to the strange, creepy happenings in that house.
September 17th, 2014 at 9:18 am
Thanks. That’s what I was going for. 🙂
September 18th, 2014 at 5:38 am
poor woman!
September 18th, 2014 at 3:39 pm
Yeah, she really has the worse part of it here, at least in terms of living in fear.