She had dinner in silence and barely touched her food, even though Matilda gave her best, as usual. She heard her mumbling something about young girls watching their weight too much. Aunt Alice also sensed the girl's lethargy.

'What is it, dear? Is it something wrong? Are you feeling alright?'

Victoria tried to smile. 'I'm just tired... I wandered around a lot today.'

'Then get some rest. Matilda had the bath ready for you. And take a break from all that reading. You're doing a lot of reading for school as it is.'

Victoria nodded and got up from the table, skipping the dessert, even though the strawberry jam crepes looked delicious. Not even the bath lured her, even though Matilda had struggled to prepare a bath worthy of a queen, filled with soft and fragrant foam. She entered her room and threw herself on the bed, looking at the ceiling. To no avail. She got up and chose randomly a book from the shelf, thinking that reading at the pale lamplight would surely make her sleepy. But that was far from it, as the old woman in black kept coming back to her, again and again. She felt that something mystic was between them, linking them somehow, but she couldn't figure out what that was.

Her thoughts scattered when she heard someone calling her name. It was a woman's voice in a crisp and terse whisper. She went out the narrow hallway, but neither the aunt nor Matilda was in sight.

She tiptoed back to her room and looked out the window. All was still. No trace of the wind in the smothering night. The trees, the old walnut tree, and the swing all looked like gray marble statues in the moonlight. No crickets were chirping, no night birds were tweeting. It seemed to Victoria that she was looking at a painting of Aunt Alice's garden.

A thrill made her body shake. Stepping back from the rocky scenery out the window, she noticed the mirror. Something drew her closer. Silver sparkles were slitting it. For a moment, she thought they were lightning bolts and that the quiet night was getting ready for a storm. But the view outside was motionless. She gave her reflection a closer and shaky look. Yes, that was her face, clean, gentle and without that weird look in her eyes. But behind her reflection, things began to quiver. The window view grew murkier until it was replaced by something that looked like a mahogany chest of drawers, with an old doll leaning against a vase filled with dead flowers. Even the lamp light appeared to be more fragile in the mirror. And then she heard her voice again, this time much closer like someone had just whispered in her ear. She was sure it was coming from the other side of the mirror. With uneasy hands, the girl shut the two blinds and jumped into bed.

When she finally fell asleep, she dreamt of the house on top of the hill, and the mirror with the old woman's reflection, calling her name and drawing her closer and closer, with those long bony arms...

⃰

Victoria simply couldn't hide anymore. Something was troubling her and it was clear as daylight. She had lost her appetite; she didn't feel like reading or walking about. Her eyes were now engulfed in dark lines and her gaze was stuck on something only she could see. She twisted and turned under the nut tree, but her mind was elsewhere.

Aunt Alice and Matilda watched her worried from the summer kitchen doorsteps.

'What might have happened to her?' asked the aunt, racking her brains.

'Maybe she's in love,' answered Matilda, somewhat bitter. 'I hope it's not about that penniless boy. Boys like him know how to twist the minds of educated wealthy girls like Miss Victoria.'

'Oh, Matilda, that's not a bad thing... I'm more worried she's ill...'

'How could she have gotten ill? City lords come to our village to get better, not worse! Or perhaps it was the fresh air and finger-licking food that got her ill? Not likely! I'm telling you, Miss Alice, it's that boy. Who knows what he might have told her? I knew it since day one that this friendship was no good.'

And Matilda went back to her chores, constantly mumbling, while the aunt went to talk to the girl. Victoria was looking at the sky, spinning in the swing, just like she did when she was a child. But none of the past memories seemed to calm her down.

'What's your schedule for today, dear? Do you want to do something in particular?' asked the aunt in a soft voice.

'I don't know... I didn't sleep too well... Did you or Matilda felt anything unusual last night?' she asked with a weird twinkle in her eyes.

'No... and to be honest, I slept like a log. Matilda didn't mention about anything strange either. Why, what happened?'

'Oh, no, nothing... I just had a feeling that... Oh, never mind.'

'So, what do you want to do today? I thought a stroll through the village might suit us both well. We barely spoke in days. If you don't have any other plans, that is...'

'It's an excellent idea,' said the girl, jumping from the swing. An idea popped into her head. 'May I prepare myself?'

'Of course,' said the aunt, relieved. The old Victoria was back.

⃰

They were walking slowly on the dusty roads. The busiest part of the village was packed with shops, stands and traveling merchants' goods scattered on the ground. Victoria knew exactly where she wanted to go.

'Do you want to go to that antique store where you got that mirror from? Maybe I'll find something nice for mom and dad.'

Aunt Alice was overly delighted by the girl's enthusiasm and they both hurried to the well-known antique shop in the village.

The merchant welcomed them with a big smile and over the top politeness, a sign that not too many people entered his store. The shop was filled with all sorts of objects, arranged in an exhausting mess. Boxes of all shapes, clocks ticking in different tongues, chairs and coffee tables with crooked feet, carpets in faint colors, forgotten books stacked on top of each other in sad piles, chipped statues, vases, bowls, dusty bottles, rag and porcelain dolls, abandoned by the same hands that had once patted and soothed them... Jewelry, too. Necklaces, beads, pendants, bracelets, rings, all scattered in a glass case that, like everything else in the shop, was gently caressed by the dusty touch of time. Somewhere in the back of the shop, Victoria saw her face reflected in dozens of surfaces, some vivid and shiny, others misty and pale. There stood the mirrors that had once reflected forgotten times and their people.

'Oh, Miss Alice, what a delight,' said the merchant with a wide smile. 'What brings you here?'

'Mr. Leonard, this is my niece, Victoria,' said the aunt blushing. 'We are looking for something nice for her parents.'

'By all means,' said the merchant with beaming eyes. 'Should it be a book, a piece of jewelry, a vase, maybe?'

'Actually', interrupted Victoria, 'I'd like a mirror for my parents' bedroom... Like the one Aunt Alice bought.'

The seller's enthusiasm had come to an abrupt halt. 'But, Miss, I have all kinds of mirrors, far more interesting than that one. Take a look, will you? For a nice city home, one needs a proper mirror...'

'But I like that one in particular' she barged in again. 'Where did you find it?'

The man scratched his soon-to-be-bald head.

'That orphan boy brought it... What's his name? Paul! Apparently the old lady who lives on top of the hill gave it to him. But I think he stole it from her...'

⃰

'Can I speak with you for a second?' she said bluntly.

She found Paul in the market, unloading some fruit crates.

The boy cleared the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and approached her, smiling. But his smile faded away when he saw her severe look. 'What is it? What happened?'

'Can you tell me how you got the mirror you sold at the antique shop?'

The question caught him off guard. He hesitated for a moment:

'You mean the witch's mirror? She gave it to me.'

But Victoria was suspicious. 'She just gave it to you?'

'Well, not really... I helped her with her vegetable garden. She's old and she can't do much other than pulling weeds. And since she has no money, even for herself, she took me to the attic and told me to pick whatever I wanted. There was a lot of old stuff I couldn't use. But something drew me to that mirror. It was covered with an old cloth, but even so, I saw some strange sparks reflecting in it and it made me curious. When I pulled the cloth away and saw the embellishments around it, I figured an item that old might be worth some money. Trust me; it was the only thing I could sell. And I swear I didn't steal it.'

'But didn't the old woman say anything when she saw you? It must have been hard to move.'

'When I came down from the attic, the old woman was gone. I called for her; I looked for her in the garden. She was nowhere to be found. I thought since I could choose anything, it wouldn't have been too big of a deal choosing the mirror... She's a hundred years old now, what could she be possibly be using it for?'

Victoria took a moment, and then told him with determination:

'Are you done here? Then you're coming with me!'

⃰

She told her aunt that she really had to go to the library and left her standing baffled in the middle of the market.

The road to the witch's house was harder than she expected. The landscape was completely different from what she'd seen so far. The house was high up on the hill, like a mighty fortress. Shrubs and tall bushes were scattered around the path, with spikes that stuck to her dress and didn't let go until they kept a piece of the fine material as a souvenir. There was no path, really, a clear sign that people rarely visited those places. The afternoon sun was there to stay and Victoria had to stop several times to catch her breath.

She watched Paul going up the hill in front of her, swift and determined. Of course, it was easy for him. From time to time, he would turn around and help her get away from the thistles' grip. His blue eyes seemed to smile all the time, encouraging her to keep going.

When they arrived, the scorching heat was still in the air and the light was mingling with the dark. Up close, the house appeared even bigger. An old house, with almost no plaster on its walls, left and vines covering it generously. A few trees, poplars, and oaks stood up tall around the house like silent guardians. The wind made their leaves rustle obscure whispers while the dawning darkness cast silent shadows that seemed to go, like the two, towards the silent house.

Victoria knocked reluctantly at the door, but before she could catch her breath, the door opened with a long sigh and the old woman in black appeared on the doorstep. In the flickering candle's light, she seemed even darker and taller than they'd remembered.

'Come in, my darlings, come in. I've been waiting for you,' she said in a low voice that gave them the chills.

Half-heartedly, they entered the hallway where the weak light didn't show too much. They followed the old lady through narrow hallways which appeared to be forming an intricate maze. Somewhere at their end, a shimmering light could barely be seen which gave them courage with every new step they took. They were going towards the light.

Thank you for giving this story a chance! I hope you are going to like this story, too. So let me know your thought and, of course, don't forget to vote! Every vote of yours makes my day :) Enjoy!