THE ROOM
IN
THE MIRROR
Hank Wallace leaned up against the
big mirror in the corner of the
bedroom,
studying his receding hairline at close range,
and trying to tune out Elsa's nagging voice.
She stood almost behind him now, a little to his right,
and addressed herself to his reflection in the mirror.
"Henry! Why are you gaping at yourself?
Your boss and his wife will be here any minute
and you haven't even started to get dressed!
No wonder they all get ahead of you at the office.
I hope you haven't been into that wine again.
I can check the bottle, you know."
He stared at her over the shoulder of his mirror image,
and said nothing.
"Well?" she demanded.
He looked into his own eyes and remained silent.
"This is your last chance to show Ed Herman that you're not an idiot!
I'm the one who had to bow and scrape to set this evening up!
I'm going to go check that wine bottle,
and when I come back you'd better be dressed."
He noticed that the closer you get your face to the mirror,
the more you can see of the room inside it.
The mirror room, of course, was identical to his own, only backwards.
But the lighting in there seemed a little different,... cozier.
He found that he could look in and around the corner of the frame
when he pressed his nose against the nose of his image.
He was straining to see if he could look around the inner frame
and see the flowers on the mirror room wallpaper.
That's when his head went through.
He was aware of the warm glow
the second he stepped into the mirror room.
There was a peaceful atmosphere the other one never had.
The other Hank Wallace smiled and motioned him to sit down.
Hank observed that his new friend's clothes buttoned on the wrong side
and his hair was parted on the right.
He also noticed that his image looked somehow younger than before.
There was motion on the other side of the mirror.
Elsa marched into the bedroom with the wine bottle in her hand.
She looked around the room.
She stormed to the closet and threw open the door.
She stood hand on hip, in puzzlement.
She got down on her hands and knees and looked under the bed.
She was on all fours in front of the big mirror
when she glanced in at the two Henry Wallaces.
Her face erupted into a silent scream.
Sound didn't come through the mirror.
Hank wondered what next.
There was an outside exit door in the mirror room
just like in the other.
He wondered what kind of a world was out there.
Elsa reappeared in the frame, pointing hysterically,
with the Hermans behind her, staring through the mirror.
All three were gesturing and silently shouting at the two Hanks.
He felt a little sorry for Elsa.
Hank Wallace stood up, shook hands with himself,
walked to the doorway, stepped out into the reverse world,
and lived happily ever backwards.
Jack Blanchard
Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/jackandmisty.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackandmisty
Billboard Duet of the Year, Grammy and CMA Finalists
studying his receding hairline at close range,
and trying to tune out Elsa's nagging voice.
She stood almost behind him now, a little to his right,
and addressed herself to his reflection in the mirror.
"Henry! Why are you gaping at yourself?
Your boss and his wife will be here any minute
and you haven't even started to get dressed!
No wonder they all get ahead of you at the office.
I hope you haven't been into that wine again.
I can check the bottle, you know."
He stared at her over the shoulder of his mirror image,
and said nothing.
"Well?" she demanded.
He looked into his own eyes and remained silent.
"This is your last chance to show Ed Herman that you're not an idiot!
I'm the one who had to bow and scrape to set this evening up!
I'm going to go check that wine bottle,
and when I come back you'd better be dressed."
He noticed that the closer you get your face to the mirror,
the more you can see of the room inside it.
The mirror room, of course, was identical to his own, only backwards.
But the lighting in there seemed a little different,... cozier.
He found that he could look in and around the corner of the frame
when he pressed his nose against the nose of his image.
He was straining to see if he could look around the inner frame
and see the flowers on the mirror room wallpaper.
That's when his head went through.
He was aware of the warm glow
the second he stepped into the mirror room.
There was a peaceful atmosphere the other one never had.
The other Hank Wallace smiled and motioned him to sit down.
Hank observed that his new friend's clothes buttoned on the wrong side
and his hair was parted on the right.
He also noticed that his image looked somehow younger than before.
There was motion on the other side of the mirror.
Elsa marched into the bedroom with the wine bottle in her hand.
She looked around the room.
She stormed to the closet and threw open the door.
She stood hand on hip, in puzzlement.
She got down on her hands and knees and looked under the bed.
She was on all fours in front of the big mirror
when she glanced in at the two Henry Wallaces.
Her face erupted into a silent scream.
Sound didn't come through the mirror.
Hank wondered what next.
There was an outside exit door in the mirror room
just like in the other.
He wondered what kind of a world was out there.
Elsa reappeared in the frame, pointing hysterically,
with the Hermans behind her, staring through the mirror.
All three were gesturing and silently shouting at the two Hanks.
He felt a little sorry for Elsa.
Hank Wallace stood up, shook hands with himself,
walked to the doorway, stepped out into the reverse world,
and lived happily ever backwards.
Jack Blanchard
Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/jackandmisty.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackandmisty
Billboard Duet of the Year, Grammy and CMA Finalists
Home Page: http://www.jackandmisty.net
© Jack Blanchard, 2020
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