SEC-S30W5: Spooky Bedtime Stories | You Should Never Look Into the Mirror at Night
A fictional story inspired by a personal real life event
The service should have ended by 7:30 PM, but something happened and Pastor Deborah had to drive home by 11:35 PM. She had a hectic day and was glad when she finally trudged through her door 15 minutes after.
Deborah thought about the activities of the day while she boiled some water for her evening bath. Minutes later, she was sitting by her dressing table, applying some facial serums, eye creams, and moisturizer. An dermatologist had recommended this nighttime skincare regimen to help clear some black, rough warts that she inherited from her mother.
Those warts disfigured her face, scaring away many suitors and business partners . But beyond that, it affected her self-esteem as well. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror to make sure that no wart remained untreated.
At that moment, the lights went out.
She froze as her image flashed quickly in the mirror.
The power went out frequently, so she wasn't worried. Perhaps tiredness was playing tricks on her. She went to bed and told herself it was nothing.
That night she slept peacefully. She dreamed of every wonderful thing life can offer. She imagined herself falling in love with a handsome man who loved her for her personality, not caring about the warts. He promised to take her to the best hospitals for surgeries and dermatological treatments. He made her feel alive and loved her like his own. All she could think about were the many beautiful years ahead.
In the middle of her dream, she remembered seeing his eyes go completely black when he turned to look at her, but when, he smiled, she felt her heart swell with joy, though a part of her shuddered.
She forgot about those eyes by morning.
The next day, she woke up glowing. The warts were subsiding — thanks to the skincare routine or was it something else?
That morning, she earned over 50,000 naira (more than 600 Steems). In less than a week, she had made approximately $3,000 from her various businesses. Life was smiling on her. Her numerous suitors were once again vying for her attention. Business partners thought her businesses were worth investing in. Things were moving smoothly. And most importantly, she dreamed of her Prince Charming every day.
However, the blessings came too fast. Her sister said as much, "Something shifted in you, Deborah, and I can't place what". But Deborah laughed it off. Happiness has a way of making people suspicious of you, she thought.
She missed her Prince Charming every day and wondered why that dream never came true in real life.
But it did. That night, she saw a man walk through her driveway. From behind, he looked so much like her Prince. She honked at him and the most gorgeous man ever created turned. He smiled the smile of angels and Deborah could feel her heart flutter.
"Have we met before?" She asked, her eyes sweeping over his tall, brown frame suspiciously.
"I don't think so. But you look familiar as well. Do you work at Ibom Air?"
They got talking. The more they connected physically, the lesser she saw her Prince in her late night dreams. The love between them grew stronger and stronger. She became more beautiful and richer.
She discovered that she enjoyed spending time with her Prince Charming at the beach or by the sea. They both shared a love for nature. They loved the waves, the beach sand, and sea breeze. But Deborah noticed that whenever he stepped into water, he seemed to linger a little longer than necessary. He'd watch the horizon as if waiting for something to appear. Yet, she said nothing.
"Let's go swimming, Debbie."
She loved the idea. She was a decorated swimmer during her university days and she quietly wanted to prove to him that he was no match for her in the water. They waded inside the water together, laughing.
Witnesses said the water went very flat around them, glassy and still, the way water gets before something large moves underneath. The waves simply stopped. One woman said she heard a woman singing. Her voice was low, like a hum coming from beneath the surface.
We never saw her again.
There was no report of floating bodies. For years we searched and searched until, one day, we gave up searching.
Ten years later, someone saw a beautiful woman sitting alone by a bus stop at dusk. She called out her name.
Debby turned around and smiled slowly.
She looked like she was aging backwards. Her skin was incredibly smooth. Every wart had disappeared. Her hair was long and shiny and moved slightly even without wind blowing. She didn't remember anything from her past. She was quiet, but her eyes were distant in a way that felt less like she was seeing something happening just behind your shoulder. You'd turn around to look but find nothing. If you turned back, she'd still be watching it.
The lady brought her home.
A pastor came to pray over her. It was revealed that she had been possessed by the Mami Water spirit. It had given her all the good things of life. It had given her the gift of seeing into the future and the past. She would pray over people who were seriously ill and they would be healed. People rushed around her as if she were the new generation prophet.
But she would sometimes stop mid-sentence and look toward the nearest body of water. The ocean was miles away. She could hear it anyway.
A year later, she was swimming in her pool.
That was the last time we saw her.
We searched and searched until we gave up searching. We have told ourselves she is somewhere out there. Maybe she will return. We have five more years to find out.
Hello, @ukpono
It's a pleasure to see you've accepted my challenge,I'm glad you took the time to participate. Correct the label, you are using last week's label and you are not listed for this week. It is important to validate your participation.
Verificated by Duplichecker & Scribbr
Correction made.
Thank you for pointing that out.