There is a reason why people fear being alone in the dark. It's a very easily understandable reason for the simple fear: monsters that lurk in the night. However, monsters don't hide under your bed or in the closet.  Monsters live inside of us.  Have you ever heard something while home all by yourself, a voice as clear as day but you don't recognize it at all? Or maybe seen something in the light at the very corner of your eye only, when you look, nothing is there.  But there is always something  there.

What if mirrors don't show us, but the very soul inside of us. What if they reflect what we are? When we are exposed to a mirror, the thing inside of us seeps out and we do things we have no memory doing.

The idea baffles me, and I want to do something with it. There is always that discomfort mirrors give you especially when you are alone, but all you can think is "it’s just a mirror." But what if its more. Like a portal or something that lets the darkness that is a side of you out.

Reflections.

[...](insert name here) stared into the mirror as she watched the tears roll down her cheeks to form droplets on her chin. They fell causing ripples below in the pool of blood she had just created with a sharp, thin, blade of a razor. Thoughts consumed her mind as she clenched her fists trying to fight her inner demons. Home alone, (INH) let out a scream to cleanse her mind momentarily. After a few deep breaths (INH) walked over and turned on the shower; water temperature just hot enough for steam, but not to burn. The mirror began to fog as the shower heated up, the sound of pressured water hitting the ceramic surface filling the room; she began to only see the formed condensation and the smeared images as she wiped it away. As she cleared away a window through the fog (insert name here) saw darkness shadowing behind her in the mirror; she turned and saw nothing. “It must’ve just been my shadow.” she thought. (INH) looked back in the mirror to see only her, and her scarred body staring back at her. Then turning on the sink; she washed her face, and ran her wrist with the new cut under the water to thin the blood so it would stop. Seeing as she made it slightly deeper than usual she felt somewhat scared. She didn’t think she had gone that deep; she grabbed a needle and “invisible” thread. Since her father was a doctor there were plenty of medical supplies around the house, she had learned a bit about body care so she could better hide her self harm. She sewed up her wrist and sighed wondering when it would all end, when she would reach her end... She walked over to the shower and pulled back the curtain to step in. As the water fell over her body she grabbed a washcloth and poured out fragrant soap onto it. As (INH) washed away the dry blood and filth, she heard something; she took it as nothing. She set the washcloth aside and grabbed the shampoo, she poured some in her hand and set it back on the ledge. As she ran her fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp, relaxing for the first time today; she hears a loud bang from downstairs. (INH) almost slips in the shower from the startle; she turns of the water, grabs a towel and runs downstairs. Nothing is moved, disturbed, or broken so she returns to the shower. Walking through the doorway she begins to shiver, now cold she turns the water temperature to hotter than before letting out a sigh of pleasure as the water warms her. She finally rinses off and gets out of the shower, the bathroom still filled with steam, and as she does the door creaks open but she doesn’t hear. (INH) turns off the water stepping out of the shower and goes to the mirror, closing the door. She bends over letting her wet hair hang down before wrapping it up in another towel. Once again she wipes the fog from the mirror and she could swear she saw someone, a tall, and unfamiliar woman, she instinctively turns around, but finds nothing. Now startled she turns on her iPod and clicks on the playlist labeled “Shower” and music begins to play. As she dances to the beat while brushing her teeth the music stops; her iPod is dead. Her shoulders shrug and she spits and rinses. Taking the towel from her hair it plops down as she plugs in the hair dryer. As she does this her reflection smiles; though she is not. (INH) steps back, staring at her reflection. The girl in the mirror steps forward and reaches out her hand. (INH) frighteningly reaches out her hand to meet her reflection’s. As they touch she can't move and now she looks and realises she is now in the mirror. She pounds the glass, no sound is heard as she is now trapped in the mirror.