Winter needed her whole body to push the crate into the bedroom. It hadn't taken much when she finally decided to call it quits after twenty-two years of marriage. Here she was 45 years old, sitting in a new town, with a new car, her daughter off to college and her divorce final. First order of business was to find an acceptable job. She'd just wait tables or tend bar until she found what she wanted.
Winter was a tall, well-built woman with long, brown, curly hair. She worked hard at keeping her body from sagging and gaining weight in her 40's. Her marriage of twenty-two years had been a dismal failure. When their daughter graduated from high school Winter announced her desire to move on. Winter pushed the crate with her whole body once more and it finally slid silently on the new carpet into the bedroom. With a sigh of relief, she pulled the mirror out of the packing material.
"You're not broken. Well, that's the best thing that's happened to me in ten years. This is just great…I'm talking to myself already. The neighbors would think she was crazy." It didn’t mattered anyway as she knew no one in New Mexico.
The mirror stood almost six feet tall in a magnificently hand-carved mahogany frame. It had been her great-grandmother’s and came over from Germany. She and her mother found it three months ago when they went through her grandfather's old things. It called out to her when she touched it.
Winter pushed the mirror over into the corner then moved a tall silk plant beside it. At least she would have her bedroom put together tonight, if nothing else. Spades, her black cat jumped up the bed, turned toward the mirror then hissed. Winter followed his gaze and gasped when she saw the mirror begin to fog. "What the..." She watched the mirror fog then finally began to clear and an image began to form. It was a bedroom with a soft floral bedspread draped over a large king-size bed. A soft breeze blew the draperies around the window then a door slammed.
"I am tired of it Jason! I've had it! No more pretending that we have a marriage. The pretty petite brunette glared at her blond husband as he sat silently on the bed.
"You want me to move out then? What about Tiffany? She's my daughter, too, Genin. She's all I have left, too." Pain flashed through his blue eyes and he didn't try to hide it. "Okay, if what you want is your old life, so be it, but I will fight for Tiff." He walked into the closet and tossed out several suitcases.
"Jason, you are insane. Who are you going to get to watch her when you have those love scenes." Genin got right into his face.
Jason grabbed her by the shoulders and gently pushed her to arms' length. "I'm an actor, Genin. None of it's real. I love you...and I love Tiffany. That hasn't changed. I was a mess after Stephen's accident." Jason ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "You want me to stand here and tell you I've never had an affair on you...I can't! We've been through this before. I was stupid and I know it, but I'm not having an affair now."
"You son-of-bitch! You think I'm going to let my child be corrupted with that Hollywood attitude." Genin turned, walked to the door, jerked it open and let it smash against the wall. "Tiffany stays with me!" She stormed out the door.
Jason sat down on the edge of the bed, buried his face in his hands and wept. Winter's heart went out to him. She reached toward the mirror and found nothing but mist. She reached into the thin mist and spoke with kindness. "It will pass. She is just upset and doesn't want to lose her child. Give her time and it will work out." She reached to comfort him and he jumped when fingertips gently touched his silky blond hair.
A voice floated through the room. He must have imagined it, but fingers touched his hair. Comforting, soft fingers that matched a sweet voice drifted around him. He stared into the mirror that sat across from him. Behind the mist was the shadowed figure of a woman. Only her eyes were distinct and her voice. Was she the voice? Could she have touched him? The figure moved back further into the mist as he moved toward the mirror.
Winter's breath caught when rose and walked to the mirror. He was so handsome it took her breath away. He stood about six feet tall with sandy blond hair cut short on the side and long on top. It curled slightly as it lengthened, making him appear boyish. His bright blue eyes locked with her green ones through the mist. Startled, she couldn't find her voice. Such pain radiated in his eyes and she wanted to ease it.
"Who are you?" He asked softly and reached for the mirror. When his hand came close to the glass, the fog swirled and she began to fade. "No...No...Don't go!" His voice echoed into the glass and Winter smiled.
"I must go for now. I have been where you are and I survived. You are not alone, Jason. We are never alone in this world unless we want to be. Reach out to your daughter, let her know how you feel, then move on with your life." Her voice faded and she was gone.
The voice had been comforting and she was right. His son's death was no one's fault and people change. He and Genin hadn't really had a good marriage for the past seven years and they both knew it. He knew that now, but he wanted his daughter happy and he would do what was necessary to make that happen. She was a part of him, made of love and sunshine.
Jason moved out that very night. When he'd returned for a few more clothes, he told Genin he wanted the mirror in the bedroom. It had been his great-aunt's from Germany and it was all that he wanted. He didn't know why he wanted the mirror, just that it gave him that moment of peace on the day he needed it most.
He'd gotten a new job directing a local movie of the week in LA so at least he'd get to see Tiffany on the weekends. Life changes and so would he.
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Winter finally found a job as a bartender on the north side of town. All she'd done in her lifetime was fix other people's problems, both emotional and physical. She'd work on computer programs until she found the glitch then repaired them. She sighed with regret, but then braced herself up. She would survive.
She stopped in front of the mirror and wondered about that night three weeks ago. Had it been real? Was Jason a real person or just someone her mind had conjured up to fill a void? She smiled as she touched the frame. Slowly her hand slid down the carved wood and the mist began to swirl again. She gasped and stepped back. The mist began to clear and the mirror returned.
"What is this?" Curiosity got the better of her so she touched the frame again. The mist appeared again only thicker. This time she continued to hold the edge of the frame and the blond man appeared once more. He was unpacking boxes in someplace new… smaller, clean with dark masculine drapes covering the bedroom window. A child's voice could be heard in the distance.
"Daddy, Daddy!" Tiffany bounced into the bedroom. Her bright blue eyes were the same hue as her father’s, yet her hair was a strawberry blond filled with curls and a life of its own. She carried a wooden sailboat in her hands. She bounded across the room with delight and stopped before her father. "Where do you want me to put the 'Dream Keeper'?" She held the boat high in front of her face.
Jason laughed at her actions. "Why don't you put it by my bed so I can stare at it every night before I go to sleep? That way I'll have nothing but sweet dreams." His smile encompassed his whole face while the warmth and love for his child could be felt through the cold glass.
"I'll put it right by my picture, so you'll have twice the sweet dreams then." Tiffany carefully placed the sailboat next to the photograph of herself and her Dad taken at Christmas. "I'll go get some other stuff. Mom says..." Tiffany, worried, stopped in mid-sentence.
"It's okay, Tiff! I know what your mom says. Just remember even though mom and I aren't living together doesn't mean I don't love you. I'll expect you to visit me on the sets and we'll do lots of cool things when I'm home. Mom's right when she said you needed an anchor... It's my love for you...and that will never change." He scooped her into his arms and cuddled her. "You are my anchor, Tiff! Always remember that and we will both be okay." He hugged and kissed her then began tickling her until she squealed with delight. The doorbell rang and a sadness passed over his features. Tiffany caressed his face then kissed his cheek.
"Boat...anchor...every thing…okay." Her bright blue eyes smiled into his. "I'll be here tomorrow after soccer.
"You better get going or mom will get crabby at both of us." A great sadness washed over Jason while he watched his only living child bounce out the door to his ex-wife.
Winter sat down in front of the mirror in awe. It hadn't been a dream. She reached to touch the frame once more and the mist began to swirl inside the glass distorting the bedroom. Was this real? Then .Jason walked into the room and started unpacking the small box in the corner of the room. Winter watched silently as he pulled out another picture. This time is was of Tiffany and Stephen together on top of a pony. Jason sat it proudly by the picture of Tiff and himself on his nightstand. He touched the picture. "I miss your smile, when you're gone." He let his fingertips run across the cool glass, stretched out across the bed, clasped the picture to his chest and let the tears flow freely.
His tears tore at her heart. She knew what loneliness felt like. She lived it everyday. "She is beautiful." Her soft voice drifted out of the mirror to the man on the bed. He shot straight up and searched the room. Finally, his eyes spotted the mirror and bolted from the bed and reached for the mirror.
"No, Jason. Don't touch the mirror or I shall disappear." Her voice's soft mellow tone held a slight edge of fear.
"Who are you?" He asked as he pulled his hand back. "Where are you?" His bright blue eyes searched the mirror, but he could not distinguish her features. Only her voice was clear. "My name is Winter and I'm here in my bedroom. I don't understand any of this. When I touch the mirror a mist clouds the glass then you appear." She reached through the mirror with her hand and touched his sleeve.
"What did you do? I felt that." Once again he reached for the mirror and the mist began to swirl. "Don't go! Winter, please don't go!" He already felt the loss before she left. Jason Silverwood once again stared into the clear reflection of himself. "You are only a figment of my active imagination. I know that, but somehow I need you to come back. I need a friend right now, even if it's an imaginary one."
She must be losing her mind. All those years of loneliness were finally catching up to her. She was fantasizing this whole thing. She had to be, but then...Winter reached for the phone.
"Hi, mom! How are you and dad?" Winter listened to all the news.
"No, Mom. I'm fine. New Mexico agrees with me. I did have a quick question for you. You remember that mirror you shipped me. You know the one with the filigree frame...Yes, it got here fine, but it keeps clouding up on me. Did you ever...?"
"Your great-grandfather crated it up to keep from seeing what he didn't want to see. Your grandmother said it would cloud and mist before she would see things. She threatened to burn it, but your grandfather refused since it was a family heirloom. Be careful with it. No one needs to see what they can't have." Winter's mother was so sincere and worried.
"Mom, did you keep great-grandmother's diary? I thought maybe I'd just have the mirror part replaced or something, but I'd like to know more before I do anything." Winter tried to sound casual. There was a logical explanation for everything.
"Of course, Winter. I'll send you everything I have. It's not much, but they are old and your sister wants them so be careful." She touched the frame once more after her mother rang off, but nothing happened.
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Every day was a struggle for Jason. He would return each night and feel the loneliness in his heart. The movie was going well and on schedule and he had another one lined up for next month. He loved acting and the action on the set, but he'd always had Genin, Tiffany and Stephen to come home to. First, Stephen was killed and now Genin and Tiffany were gone. He felt adrift without an anchor. He walked into the bedroom and stared into the mirror.
"I sure could use someone to talk to about now, Winter. I wish you'd come back." He sat down with his head in his hands then ran his hands through his hair in frustration. When he looked up the mirror began to cloud.
"Winter?" He said in awe as the mist continued to swirl and cloud the shiny surface.
"I'm here, Jason." Winter's soft voice floated out of the mirror. "You can always talk to me. Everyone always says I'm the best listener around so I took a job as a bartender." She laughed. "Kind of silly for a computer geek, don't you think?" She sat down in front of the mirror on the floor and watched his blond hair catch the sunshine from his window.
"You know I'd written you off as a figment of my imagination. They told me today I was becoming obsessive about mirrors." He chuckled.
"You should be obsessive about them. You are a very handsome man ...almost pretty." Insecurity crept into her voice and he picked it up instantly.
"No, I meant I refused to use any of them. This is the only mirror I'll look into anymore. I need to find the person inside the cover ...and besides...there is nothing wrong with being a bartender as long as you mix a good vodka and tonic." He smiled and Winter noticed the little wrinkles around his eyes.
"Oh, I can do that all right, along with a mean martini. I'm a people watcher. I just miss my computers." Sadness engulfed her.
"Why can't I see you? You can see me." His bright clear eyes searched the mist in the mirror.
"I think because you are the future I am never allowed to have. My mirror belonged to my great-grandmother. Her diary claimed it was cursed by a witch because she was a non-believer. She said the mirror would show her and her children all they could never possess for her lack of vision. My great-
grandmother committed suicide shortly after."
"Why would I be your future? I'm a second rate actor, bitten with the desire to see the world." Jason tried to convince himself as he spoke, but forgot she could see his eyes.
"Because you care, Jason…You love life, your daughter and the people around you. You feel everything like it's the first time. I've never had that. I spent twenty-two years with him choking the life out of me for the sake of our daughter and money. Finally, our daughter left for college and I decided to live again."
"And are you unhappy with your choice?"
"No, I did the right thing." Winter took a deep breath. She hadn't meant for it all to come out.
"Feel better now?" He asked when she sighed.
"Actually, I do. Thank you, Jason, but you were the one that needed to talk." She said feeling guilty.
"It was just good to listen to you again. You make me feel appreciated for being me." He ran his hand through his hair out of habit. "People never see the real man. They see the package, the character I play. They never find out what's inside. Sometimes I feel..."
"Alone?" Winter said softly.
"Yes...alone. When Genin asked for a divorce I lost the only person I thought who really knew me. I want to see Tiffany every day so I don't lose her, too, but I can't. I play so many parts when I come home I just want to be me. She wanted the man I was 15 years ago. After Stephen's death, I think she realized it was never going to happen. I'm a wanderer and she's a homesteader. They don't mix."
"You haven't lost Tiffany, Jason. You'll never lose her. Tiffany is an angel and daddy's girl. It's what every man wants…to love and be loved unconditionally. Knowing who you are under the pretty cover...that is your anchor. You will find someone else who will see him. Don't judge us all by the color of our hair. I'm sure you'll get hurt lots of times." Winter was silent as the mist swirled slowly in the mirror.
Jason laughed softly, feeling oddly better. "Thanks, Winter. I have always been chastised for taking chances before. I have to admit, it's got me in more trouble than I can count." Jason walked closer to the mirror. "What do you see, Winter."
Her soft voice filtered through the glass filled with compassion and something else he couldn't decipher. "I see a handsome man filled with passion and zest for life. Your looks may attract people to you, but the light inside you is what makes you who you are." Her voice began to fade.
"Don't go, Winter." Jason started to reach for the glass then pulled his hand back quickly knowing the consequences. "I want to see you. I want to see the woman behind the mist."
"I wish I could stay, Jason, but the mirror acts on its own. You make me feel alive. Thank you!" The mist faded and she disappeared. Jason touched the cold glass and felt alone once more.
"Are you real, Winter or are you my fantasy? Can someone see beyond the pretty face as you claim?" Tiffany bounded into her father's bedroom.
"Who are you talking to, Dad? I thought I heard another voice...a lady." Tiffany searched the room methodically.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Tiff." He watched her search under the bed and in the closet. "You won't find her there. She's in here!" He touched the glass as Tiffany came to his side.
"The lady is in the mirror? Right, Dad!" Tiffany clasped her hand in his and stared up at her father. She could see he was serious. She turned to the mirror and stared into the glass. "It will get better, Dad. You'll see and mom says I can come anytime I want." Her eyes spoke of the love and adoration while her words gave him the consolation he needed to hear.
"I love you, Tiff. Always remember that, no matter what..." He sat her down on the floor then squatted down to eye level with her. "...and I'm not nuts." He motioned at the mirror. "The lady in the mirror is real. I know it even if she doesn't…and her name is Winter."
---6 months later:
Winter returned home from the airport and rushed to the bedroom. She loved the new job and the travel, but when she was gone there was no Jason. When she ran into the room and eagerly searched the mirror, she realized what had happened. "When did I decide you were real?" She stared at the mirror in awe.
Quietly she sat down and began to analyze her feeling. Every night she would sit in front of the mirror and touch it. If Jason was home, the mirror would respond. They'd talked for hours on end without the mirror fading away. Somewhere along the line, he became her best friend and she cared very much for him. When he was gone on a shoot, she missed him horribly. Now that she'd taken a new job, she wondered if he missed her as well. She was being stupid. This was just a very vivid fantasy her mind had created no matter what her great-grandmother's diary stated. If Jason was an actor, why hadn't she seen him? Winter jumped up off the floor and grabbed the newspaper she'd brought in with the mail.
Quickly she scanned the movies and picked out the title of the picture Jason said he was working on several months ago. "Of course, Winter, if you're going to fantasize do it in the current time…none of that old west crap for you." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
Winter sat quietly through the previews and waited for the credits to start. It wasn't the usual picture she'd go and see, but the title matched what the man in the mirror claimed to be his picture. She watched closely and saw his name scroll up as producer. It wasn't possible, was it? Winter sat in awe. Winter watched closely, and there he was. His blond hair was slicked back while the uniform he wore designated his rank. He was the commander of the colony in the future.
He wasn't supposed to have been in the movie to begin with, but the actor who was to play the commander was killed two days before shooting. So Jason filled in with the part, as well as produced the film. Winter sat through the credits and watched Jason Silverwood scroll across the screen as the character of commander, then again as producer. He was real.
Winter returned home and waited in front of the mirror for hours, but no Jason. He must be out of town. Finally, she picked up the phone and dialed the airlines. It took some doing, but through the film commission and the local chamber of commerce, she found out where they were shooting. Winter blended in with the crowd as the cameras rolled then she saw him. His blond hair blowing in the wind, made him more handsome than ever. He yelled action and the actors moved into place and the cameras rolled.
Winter watched for most of the afternoon. The whole crew worked hard to get it to perfection. Jason was everywhere, giving support, direction, criticism and laughter. It was apparent the crew liked working with him. So Winter just watched Jason's body language and could tell he was happy. The lead actress walked off the set and laid a kiss on Jason's lips possessively. She couldn't have been over thirty with a body to die for. Her short blonde hair barely moved in the wind while her blue eyes sparkled in the bright sunlight. She was beautiful. Winter's heart stopped beating. He placed an arm around her waist and held her by his side as he gave direction to several other members of the cast.
"Miss, can I help you?" The voice of one of the boom operators echoed through her muddled brain.
“No, I'm fine. Am I in the way?" Winter asked softly. "I just never realized how much work went into making the scene right." Lyle had watched her in the crowd most of the afternoon. Her dark glistening hair caught the sunlight and made her face come alive with something he couldn't quite descibe. She wasn't like most of the actresses he dealt with. This woman was different. There was nothing gorgeous about her, but she was pretty and there was a reason for her being here.
"Lyle!" Jason's voice boomed across the open space and he turned his attention back to business.
"No, you're fine. Gotta go...boss is a slavedriver." He smiled not really meaning the words.
Winter laughed took one last look at Jason and sighed. "Good luck, Jason." She pushed the sadness and hurt behind her and walked away.
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Winter unpacked her overnight bag. Periodically she glanced at the mirror, but she wouldn't touch it...not now.... Her great-grandmother had been right. It was a life that could never be. Somewhere along the line she'd fallen in love with the man in the mirror and he had a piece of her heart. It should have never happened. She was smarter than that.
Well, at least Jason had found someone that cared for him. Maybe that was enough for him right now. He seemed happy, and she was beautiful just like Jason.
"Guess you're left alone again, Winter, old girl!" She tossed her dirty laundry in the hamper. "Yep, it's pretty bad, when you're talking to yourself on a regular basis." Winter eyed the computer setting in the corner and decided maybe she'd slip into a chat room tonight and just visit with a few strangers. What had happened to her? She turned and stared at the mirror and knew the answer. The tears began slowly then finally flooded her lovely face until she gave into the desolation.
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Jason walked into his apartment shortly after midnight. It had been a long week with no Winter. Why hadn't he heard from her? He walked over to the mirror and touched it reverently. He felt a small shock run through his fingers as the mirror began to cloud.
"Winter?" He whispered. When he touched it before, she would disappear. He heard the weeping distinctly as the mist curled and fogged the clear glass then finally the shape of a woman on a bed crying came into view. She reminded him of that fateful night several months ago when a voice of understanding and friendship reached out to him.
"Winter?" He whispered and waited. Bright green eyes filled with tears greeted his.
"Jason?" Winter rose from the bed and walked to the mirror. She couldn't see him now behind the mist, but she could hear his voice. "Jason, is that you?" She reached to touch the mirror.
"Don't touch it, Winter or you'll fade away. You look just like you sound. Jason stared at the woman in the glass. She was tall, well proportioned with fine lines around her eyes. She had the look of her late thirties, but Jason knew better. She backed away from the glass.
"I guess I'm not the movie starlet type and I'm not going to give your leading lady a run for her money." She blushed then sat on the corner of her bed. "So this is what it feels like to be on the other end and not see who you're talking too." She hesitated, then pushed and errant hair out of her face. "So how is the movie going?" She tried to act calm.
"You are beautiful, Winter, just like your voice and you put any of my leading ladies to shame. Beauty is the whole package inside and out. Why would you worry about how you look to me and why were you crying?" Something was wrong.
"Thanks for being sweet, but I gave up the thirty year, old short-haired blonde look a long time ago." Winter stood and twisted her face a bit at the thought. "Matter of a fact, I never did blonde when I was thirty or forty for that matter." It was her nature to make light of her faults and tonight would be no different.
Jason was delighted to see her humor return. She was alive and real just as he'd imagined. "Tell me where you are, Winter. I want to see you."
"I don't think that's possible, Jason. The fact that I can't see you anymore tells me I messed up." She buried her face in her hands and the tears started anew.
"You didn't mess anything up." He tried desperately to calm her and reached into the mirror. She felt him instantly and gasped.
"Oh, Jason! I'm so sorry. I missed you so much when I was gone. I had to prove to myself you were real so I went to the movies and saw you on screen then hopped a jet to LA. I watched you film all afternoon. You were wonderful and now I can't see you anymore." Tears streamed slowly down her cheeks when she walked back to the mirror. "But I'm glad you've found someone. Everything will work out for you." She smiled and wiped an errant tear.
"You saw Michelle kiss me, didn't you?" He knew the answer before he asked. "She's a tart and sleeps with anyone willing. She means nothing to me, Winter. Tell me where you are. I want to see you. You saw me, now I want to see you in person." Genuine sincerity was etched into his voice.
"No, Jason, we are from two different worlds and this was never meant to be. The mirror is just as my great-grandmother said…a dream, a fantasy of what can never be. I'd rather you remember me like this, than as I really am...a middle-aged divorced working woman. As much as I love the differences between your life and mine, I'm smart enough to know that I'd never fit into your life. You will find someone to share your passion for life. I know it."
Winter touched the glass with another tearin her eye. "Be happy, Jason, and know that someone always loves you for who you really are." The mist began to cloud the glass as her eyes bid him a final farewell.
"No! Winter, No!" She was gone. Jason sank to his knees and wept.
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Jason rubbed the mirror for a week straight and nothing happened. She was gone. She had been both right and wrong...and he knew it. He had found someone to love him for who he was...and it was Winter. A couple stunts and the movie was finished... then he would find her.
Lyle moved the crane high overhead for the third time. There was not enough danger, nor sufficient heart-pounding fear for Jason's taste. "If I get a little closer, Jason, it might look better." Lyle shouted from the boom high in the air.
"Okay, Lyle, but watch the cycle. If it just touches the crane, we're all dead. Close, but not stupid, okay?" Jason yelled and Lyle nodded.
They rigged for the stunt and the motorcycle was launched airborne over the car. Lyle lowered the boom slowly with the zoom at full extension. Seconds before he realized his mistake, he yelled. "Look out!" The motorcycle grazed the boom, the stunt man lunged sideways off the cycle forty feet in the air. The camera plus mounts disengaged from the boom and started their downward death spiral to the ground.
Jason launched himself into the air toward Michelle and David underneath the boom. Seconds before it hit, his body contacted theirs and deflected the lethal weapon. A scream tore from his lips as the metal brackets that held the camera in place impaled him. The the whole place erupted into chaos.
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Tiffany and Genin sat quietly in the waiting room while most of the cast and crew paced the floor Tiffany cried intermittently and Genin comforted her as best she could. Jason was still in surgery after six hours and not faired well. The stunt man was still unconscious, but Michelle and David only suffered minor cuts.
The doctor entered the waiting room to a crowd of anxious people. "Who is the wife?"
"I'm his ex-wife, doctor. This is his daughter and the rest of the cast and crew." Genin's voice broke. She might not be in love with Jason anymore, but they shared a child together and that meant something.
"It doesn't look good. He's suffered major internal injuries and he's having a difficult time breathing on his own. At this point, it is touch and go. We really won't know anything until the morning."
The doctor's sad face met the group. "If there is anything or anyone that might give him an incentive to fight this, please find them." He stared at Tiffany. "I'll get you special permission if you want to sit with your dad."
Tiffany's tear filled eyes met his as she nodded. Genin held her hand in comfort. Tiffany sniffled and let the doctors words play in her mind. "Mom, I need to go to dad's place. There's something there that will help him. I know it." Her bright eyes begged her mother.
"Tiffany, I don't see how anything at your dad's apartment would help him now. We just need to have faith." The nurse motioned and they left for intensive care.
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Tiffany managed to convince Lyle to drive her to her father's place right after her mother dozed off in the chair. She wouldn't sit by and watch without trying it. Ahe believed and her father believed. Love makes you stronger. Lyle waited in the car as she let herself in. Quickly, she headed for the bedroom and spied the antique mirrorl. It had to work. It just had to.
Tiffany rubbed the wood grain and concentrated. "If you can hear me, Miss Winter, my dad needs you...please, if you can hear me. He really needs you." Fear gripped her small heart as she repeated the words. A shock ran through her arm as the mirror began to cloud. Again she placed her hand back onto the wood frame and spoke the words louder.
"Please, Miss Winter! Help me! Help my dad live." Tears streamed down her face as she cried.
Winter felt the pull from the mirror in the kitchen. A child's was crying openly. Winter ran into the bedroom just as the mirror began to cloud.
My dad believes you're real and so do I. Please...he's dying!" Her small voice barely whispered the last words. The mirror cleared and Tiffany watched an image appear before her. A tall dark haired woman stood before the mirror with a terrified look on her face.
"Tiffany! Tell me what has happened. Where is your father?"
Tiffany gasped in awe. The lady in the mirror was real, just as her dad had said.
"Tiffany, tell me where Jason is."
"Dad's in the hospital in intensive care. They don't think he is going to make it. He's asking for you. He needs you. Will you come?"
"Tell me what hospital, Tiffany. I'll be on the next flight out." Winter's bright green eyes filled with tears.
Tiffany watched the beautiful woman in the mirror and asked. "Do you love my dad?"
"I love him very much, Tiffany." A great sadness washed over Winter's face.
"Don't be sad. He's been happier the last few months than I've ever seen him. I think that was because of you. Come with me and save him. I don't want to lose my dad." Tiffany reached into the mirror and grasped Winter's hand.
Winter felt it immediately, even though she could not see Tiffany's small fingers on her wrist. Maybe it was that simple. Maybe you just had to believe. Instead of pulling away, Winter stepped into the mirror. The cold glass became mist filled with a feeling of warmth and love. She took a deep breath and stepped into Jason's bedroom and stared at his twelve-year old daughter.
"I knew you'd come. My granny says, "If you have faith, anything is possible." We have to hurry." Tiffany grabbed Winter's arm and they ran for the door.
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Tiffany pulled Winter into the waiting room. She pulled Winter down the hall to her father's room. Nurse Caine smiled at her as she came around the desk.
"You can go in for about ten minutes, Tiffany." The nurse eyed Winter closely. I'm afraid it's only one at a time Miss...and Tiffany gets priority.
"Please, Nurse Caine. This is Winter. She is a very close friend of my dad's. I want her to go and sit with him. It might make him better, please?" Her small face pleaded. "I know she's not family, but she's important to my dad." Tears formed in her small bright eyes.
"Okay, Tiffany. I'll put Miss Winter on the list of approved visitors." She glanced at the clock and relinquished. "You can go on in, but don't be shocked."
Winter stepped through the door leaving Tiffany behind. Jason lay quietly on the bed attached to tubes, monitors and needles from all angles. She'd been in enough hospitals and worked on enough medical software to know his vital signs were not good. Slowly she walked to his side. He was real, so real, so human and he was dying. She gently picked up his hand that lay limply by his side and caressed it.
"Jason, I'm here. You have to fight this just like you have everything else in your life. You aren't a quitter. Don't start now." A single tear slid down her cheek. "Remember I love the man behind the pretty face…the man who sees beauty in a sunset, the man who wants to see the world from a sailboat and visit ever port in the world. You started over...remember? Just like me." Winter wrapped her arms around him and held him gently. Finally, she smoothed his soft silky hair away from his face. Jason moaned her name softly. The nurses were in the room immediately checking everything.
Nurse Caine touched Winter's arm in comfort.
"This is a good sign. He is responding to you. Keep talking."
Winter pulled up a chair and sat down at his side. Carefully she placed his hand in hers and she began to talk. She told him about her job, her parents on the farm, how Tiffany got her to step through the mirror.
Still holding his hand, she feel asleep.
------------------
Jason could hear her voice. It was Winter, his Winter, and she was calling to him. He could feel her warmth, almost like she was holding his hand. She'd said she loved him. It made him smile. The lady in the mirror loved him, the screw up man who never seemed to remember where home was except for his daughter. She loved him anyway. The dim lights and whirring sounds of the machines reminded him he was still alive. Someone clasped his hand and bright green eyes met his. She was beautiful and so close.
"Winter?" He moaned softly. When his fingertips touched her cheek, he gasped. "You are here. Tell me I'm your fantasy again. Tell me you love me in spite of all the screwed up things I've done."
Winter clasped his hand to her face and held it. "I'm really here, Jason, and you've always been my fantasy. You haven't messed anything up. This is all part of life. You're just not ready to die yet." She leaned in and kissed his lips gently." The door opened and Tiffany walked in with Nurse Caine and the doctor.
"Dad!" Tiffany ran to his side, picked up his hand gently and smiled. "I knew Winter would help you. I just knew it. Granny's diary said the key to real magic is to open your heart and have faith." Tiffany smiled proudly. "I had faith, Dad and so did Winter. Maybe when I get older, the mirror will work for me. You think?"
Jason coughed in surprise and Winter laughed.
----10 days later
Tiffany walked into her dad's bedroom and turned on the light. She'd never seen him so happy. She carried the old leather book in her arms lovingly. She walked over to the mirror and rubbed in gently. "I knew you would work someday. The book said so." She smiled and laid it down reverently in front of the mirror. Magically the book flipped to the last page and words began to appear as Tiffany watched in fascination.

"The difference between fantasy and reality is faith...and a good witch!"

Tiffany giggled and touched the mirror. This time the room began to mist and the mirror quickly vanished beneath her fingertips leaving only the old diary behind. Tiffany smiled and held the book above her head in the mist as she twirled in delight, then it too disappeared. The gleam in her eye burnt away the remaining mist in the room with a small giggle from her lips then she finally turned out the lights and shut the door. She was still so young and there was much to learn...She'd only just begun.

Impressum

Texte: Copyright: BW Starmer a.k.a. Stormynite
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 27.01.2009

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