Midweek Writing Prompt: The Mirror

 

In my quest to master the chaos and add a sprinkle of order to my blog, I discovered a genius trick – dedicating specific days to celebrate certain themes. Et voilà! Just like my iconic Folklore Fridays, now I shall be rolling out Prompt Wednesdays for your (or mine, to be more honest) midweek inspiration. Not the most original names, granted, but hey, they will surely get the job done!

So, here I am on this wonderful Wednesday pondering all things dark, gothic, and fantastical. It seems I can't help but drift towards this sub-genre; there's just something always intriguing about the gloomy, decaying world of dark, gothic fantasy where characters tend to lean towards madness or turn to the (un)dead. Nevertheless, despite the heavy dose of tragedy and impending doom that defines this genre, who can resist indulging in a nice cup of tea or coffee while diving into Bram Stoker's "Dracula" or Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman"?

Given these considerations, when I was a kid I often found myself looking at mirrors and wondering if there was a parallel universe within. Who was the girl on the flip side, who looked like me, dressed like me and mirrored my movements? What would happen if I could step into the mirror and see what it was like? Would my doppelganger greet me there too? What sort of realm wouldI encounter, even if it was the spitting image of my own world?

Mirrors are a fascinating invention. Not only do they make you reflect on yourself, but they also have a sneaky way of revealing both your favorite and least favorite sides. All considered, I was on the hunt for a prompt that could dive into a character's deepest desires, with a splash of internal struggle, and a pinch of reality with a touch of dark fantasy. So how about this:

«In an old, abandoned mansion, you discover a mirror that reveals not your reflection, but your darkest desires. Each time you look into it, a piece of the mirror's world seeps into reality.»