The Mirror
Once upon a time, Nestled in between a maze of sinister alleys,
There was a boy sneaking through the streets, trying not to be heard.
This boy lived in the grand city of Constantinople. It was known to be one of the greatest empires of whole Europe. Bejeweled mosques, exotic spices, mouth-watering food and it was a glorious trade center.
However, he was not just any boy. He was the son of the sultan, meaning, he was the heir to the throne, but there is a catch. The boy didn't know who he is and nobody else, excuse me, almost nobody else knows either. He didn't even know his own name.
Small for his age, this boy had short and cropped black hair, a straight nose and a scar running down his left eyebrow. The most noticeable thing about this boy were his striking eyes. They were the color of the ocean. Not quite blue, but not quite green either, and perfectly framed by long, dark eyelashes.
His mother always used to tell him that he could pierce a soul with those eyes and keep away all of the demons and evil spirits. The boy always used to laugh at this, because in his culture, the symbol of an eye was used to keep away the evil.
It was night time, and the moon shone brightly in the sky, the stars twinkling as if they were laughing. The street which the boy was in was called “Nonto street” Which translates into: “Nothing”.
Our prince, was wearing a cloak to cover up his face. He took a right and then ducked into the fourth house in the alley.
His business in this house was unimportant. The only matter that had an importance at all was, that he even had business. The boy stepped carefully on the ground, trying not to get the wooden floor beneath him to give even a slightest creak. The room itself where he was, seemed abandoned. The walls were cracked and there was dust everywhere. Scraps of wood and garbage lay in the corners.
The boy, however, knew better. He took out a silver dagger and sat down in the middle of the room. His hands were trembling and there was a noticeable look of fear in his eyes.
The boy took the dagger and carved an X on to the ground. He blew away the dust, then started feeling the ground. His hand was just feeing smooth surface, until suddenly, he felt a lose panel. The boy smiled mischievously. He took his dagger again, stuck it into the ground and pulled it sidewards. With a thump! The panel came loose.
A flight of stairs going into the ground followed this flight of stairs. The prince walked down and pulled the panel over his head, putting it back in place.
Now, in complete darkness, he fumbled in his pocket. Out he took a match.
Of course, he lit a fire and of course, he continued down the stairs. Like any other foolish child would do. Now. Dear reader, you are probably wondering, “Where is he going”, “Whats going to happen” and “Why is he going there”.
You see, In Turkey there was this rumor flying through the country. A rumor of a magical mirror who could open your eyes and answer any question, show you anything and show you your true hearts desire. It was a mirror yet also an oracle. Because the mirror could tell you the past, the present but also, the future.
And what more could a boy, with no knowledge about who he is or where he comes from, want from such a mirror? To know who he is.
Earlier that week, he had overheard something while at the bazaar, trying to steal some food.
An old lady was trying to sell her belongings, but no one would take her one. Wailing she pleaded and pleaded, constantly giving cheaper and better offers. Finally, so desperate for money, she said “ I know where the mirror of truth is! 3 lira for information! 3 lira! Information, yes, yes” Most people ignored her, they were busy enough to listen to this 'nonsense' this woman was garbling. However, the boy inched closer to the women. Was it true? Did she know something? It seemed as likely that he could fly, but the boy didn't want to lose a chance. He pulled some of his little money out and handed it to the woman.
She smiled at him, her teeth black and broken. Her creases seemed to almost sag of her skin.
“choc tescheceu.”. She looked around then beckoned him to come closer, “ Take this. But show no one and only go in once.” She slipped him a piece of paper. He felt her moist breath against his face, it smelling like rotten tomatoes. He got up and looked at the paper.
In the alley of none,
the center of the fourth,
An X and a passage.
Will take you north,
but beware the darkness inside,
and the 3 trials you must abide.

“ But this makes no sense.” The boy looked up form the paper, startled, at the women.
To his surprise, she was gone, and all that was left a single rose petal.

Now you know how and why the boy is there. In the dark underground. With no help, and no one knowing he was there. The boy had now finished walking down the stairs, and he blindly walked into water. “What in the world...?” The boy was knee deep in brown water. He looked up and saw a maze of columns barricading every inch, the water flowing through the empty spaces. Surprisingly, there was light. It came from the flickering fire that ignited torches.
The boy was confused. Who lit the torches? He glanced at the exit, deciding if he should leave now before it was too late. Shaking his head, he continued into the water.
The cool, quirky liquid splashed against his legs. And worst of all, it stunk like hell.
Holding his nose, he continued wading.
Waves of whispers and shadows crept along the wall as the boy descended deeper and deeper into the maze. Hisssss. The boy jumped, alarmed. He waited. Hiss. The sound kept on getting louder and louder, and more disorientating.
“Who are you. Ssssss.” The voice echoed through the room.
“ Who's there?” The boy stuttered. He had taken out his dagger and was changing positions, trying to spot the owner of the voice.
“ Your worsssttt nightmare. I posssssessss the power to make you sssuffferrr eternally, frozzzen in time, jussstt with a mere glancce. Be ssscccarreed. Be very sssscared.” The voice replied.
“ Don't hurt me” the boy was trembling, his bottom lip was quivering, and he was on the verge of breaking out in tears.
“Ssstop with that sssilly nonsssenssse. If you go along with your deathhh, it will be painlesssss and quick, and you will be sssimply added to my collection. If not... I will eat you! I haven't had human in agessss. It is a rule, that anyone who enters my home area, shall be killed.”
“ What do you mean by collection?” He said, trying to stand up tall and straight.
Another hiss erupted, and bounced around the room.
Something suddenly dawned on the boy. “ Medussaa?”
Medusa cackled evilly, and the boy heard footsteps droning closer and closer.
“Don't be afraid. Well do, but don't make ssssuuch a fusss of it.”
The boy closed his eyes and waved around his dagger. “Don't come any closer. I will... I will..”
“Hahahaha, what will a small boy like you do to me, the monster of hell? The gorgon? You amuse me, boy.”
The boy frowned. He opened his eyes just a little bit, so he could see the outline of shapes.
A large figure was walking towards him, in a slithering motion, like a snake.
It was getting closer and closer. He could just make out a silhouette, of a woman with a mass of ecstatic, green hair, that was writhing around. Hissing. The snakes, he thought.
Her teeth, sharp as a knife, were glinting in the low light. Medusa had purple skin, and was wearing a long, greek like toga. This surprised the boy. “Why are you wearing greek clothes, when we are in Turkey?” “We are in Greece boy. Don't get your countries confused.”
“ This country hasn't been Greece for a thousand years.”
“ WHAT?” Medusa screeched. “So technically, I am not in your home. So technically, you can't kill me.” The boy pondered.
“ Yes, but...”
“ And if you were to break this rule, what would happen?”
Her face darkened. “ Leave. While you still can.” She rasped.
He nodded, and sprinted to the exit behind her, the exit that would take him to his next obstacle.
Fish. That is all that he could smell. Slimy, gross fish. It had gotten darken again, however, the water was now up to his waist. Suddenly, he felt something sticky and rough touch his ankle. He jumped. Holding the torch closer to the water, he saw a koi. A koi ten times the size of himself. It had white, long whiskers that curled at the end. Round, lifeless eyes, with a single expression. Its scales were blue and green, engrossed in seaweed and moss. It had fungi growing on its head. The boy took a step back. The koi started circling the boy, and opening its dreary, drooping mouth, revealing a row of rotting teeth. It was swimming faster and faster. So fast even, it created a whirlpool right where he was standing. His feet started getting numb, and his air was beginning to lessen and lessen. Clutching his neck, coughing, he tightened his hold around his dagger. With his lessening energy, he took the dagger, held it out, and stabbed the fish into its eye. The eye exploded and a billion of small koi's erupted out of it, jumping into the water. The fish was defeated, and the boy was already exhausted. He took a deep breath, regaining the oxygen he lost, and continued his journey.
He walked through the final door, and entered a room that...wasn't a room.
It was a forest. The trees tangled around each other, and birds could be heard chirping. In the middle of the forest, was a patch of grass, and in the middle of the grass lay the mirror, entombed in the water spurting out of a fountain.
The boy sighed, “ Finally”. He took a step towards the fountain, but suddenly, a tree sprouted up right in front of him. “What the..”
He tried walking around the tree, but another tree just did the same.
“ If I can't step on the ground, what if I step on the trees.
He started to climb the tree in front of him, hoisting himself up branch per branch. When he was pretty far up, he flung his arms back, counted to three, and leaped to the next tree, like a monkey.
He kept on doing so jumping from branch to branch, until he had reach the tree nearest to the mirror. There was a single branch, that went right over where the mirror was. The boy carefully and slowly, crawled across the branch, until he was over the branch as well. He put his legs onto the branch, and let the rest of his body hang down. He reached for the mirror, swinging himself towards it. On his first try, all he reached was the water, on the second as well, and so on the third, fourth and fifth. However, on the sixth try, he decided to let himself hang down just a little bit more. He swung himself once more, and this time touched the tip of the mirror.
“One last time.” He said. He pulled himself back, and swung himself as hard as he could. His hand got ahold of the mirror, and then he swung back up.
Now he had gotten his prize.

The moment of truth.
He was looking at the mirror, thinking of what he wanted to say.
Finally, he took a breath, and asked. “ Who am I and where do I come from?”
The mirror became foggy, and showed him the palace, and the sultan looking worried. Then it showed him a picture of a woman giving birth, and then dying.
Then, the sultan cradling the baby an putting it into the crib, the sultan himself crying. Mourning for his dead wife. Then an old lady. The lady who had told him how to get the mirror in the first place, stealing the baby out of the crib and putting it in the orphanage. Finally a name, TALI.
The boys face reddened in anger.
He took the mirror and ran out of the forest, through the pit of fish and past the wailing medusa, up the stairs and out of the house. He ran and ran and ran. Until, he finally sat down in a random alleyway. Panting, the realization dawned on him. He was the sultans son. A prince! And that old lady had stolen him away. Made him have no memory, not even of his name, Tali.
“ Where are you? You old hag!” He shouted into the alley. The woman appeared, grinning. “ So you have gotten my mirror for me?” The boy charged at the old lady. “ Now, now. That is no way to handle me.” “ You stole me from my life. You...used me.” He screamed.
“ I gave you an opportunity. You would have been a spoilt, rich kid in the palace, you are much better now” He glared at her. “ Now give here. The mirror please.”
“No.”
“No? Hahahhaa, you are truly stupid. You don't want to mess with me. I am a witch.”
“And I am a prince. And I have the mirror.” He looked down on the mirror. The witches face whitened. “ Don't.” She said.
“How do I defeat this hag?” he asked. The mirror blurred again, then showed him something.
He smiled. “ I banish thee to hell. I banish thee never to come back. I banish thee for witchcraft and crime. I banish thee, Ayten.” He chanted, right when the witch was tryning to come closer to him.
“Noooooo!!!!” The hag screamed, as she began to incinerate. She exploded into a cloud of dust, that was then blown away by the wind.
The boy collapsed.The following morning, he felt the sunlight on his face tickle him. His lips were cracked and dry, and he had a pounding headache. “Eh, boy, move. You are blocking the road.” A palace guard said. The boy opened his eyes. “ Help me. Take me to the sultan. Its urgent. Please. I beg you. “ The guard looked at the boy. “ Why?”
“I'm his son.”

The sultan had just had his afternoon tea with the council, and he was reading in his throne room. A knock on the door startled in, “ Yes, Come in?” He called over.
The guard came in, awkwardly. “ Your highness, I believe we have some important news.”
“ What is it?” Said the Sultan, impatiently.
“ We have found your son.”
The Sultan gaped at the guard. The guard looked around ungenerously, then whistled.
Tali came in, slowly at first. The Sultan was to shocked to speak.
“ Hello. Father.” He smiled, but it vanished as soon as he saw the Sultans face.
“ You... you.. You look just like your mother. “ The Sultan gasped, a tear rolling down his cheek, glistening. That was all it took.
The father and his sun ran towards each other and embraced, finally being reunited after the hag, an adventure and a mirror.