[Reflections – Family Short Story]
Reflections - Family Short Story
It had been years since she had looked at herself. The reflection in the mirror left her appalled and frightened. She was terrified of mirrors. Her children had removed nearly all the reflective mirrors of the house as they caused her immense anxiety. Eventually, they also left. She hardly went out and on the rare occasions she did, the sight of the warm neighbourhood was terrifying. After a while, she never stepped out of the house. Hired help would often turn up to do the basic cleaning for her but she often drove them away with her complaints. The house couldn’t be changed according to her orders. She refused to have old things thrown away and left them baffled. The items in her house gathered dust and fungus. She had turned blind to the ugliness around her. Once a majestic vision, the house had been reduced to a moor.
Her husband’s death broke her completely. She grew more critical and irritable. Her children provided financial help but never came to see her. They never seemed to have the time. Earlier, she would taunt them to come in the name of affection and duty. In the end, she grew weary of waiting and only found comfort in the past. She wanted everything to stay the same. The loneliness was unbearable at times. She would often talk to the walls and start crying as she hugged the mouldy furniture. The hired helps would maintain minimal contact with her. Their relatives started distancing themselves when they heard of her eccentric activities. Social stigma prevented them from trying to send her to a mental asylum. At times, she would laugh bitterly and say,
“I am like a dirty and torn shoe. They are ashamed I exist. No one wants me,”
It was raining heavily in the middle of the night. She loved the rain and often wanted to get drenched but was too scared to step out. Today was different. No one would be out on the streets at this time of the night. Despite her reluctance, she dragged herself outside the house and stood in the downpour. The street lights were the only witnesses. Huge puddles had gathered on the street. After a while, the rain stopped. Suddenly, she saw her shaky reflection in the puddle. Her eyes widened as the hazy reflection showed her a different looking person. She touched her face and wondered why the skin seemed so rough. In those painful minutes, she began to think about the time that must have passed. The years that had sped in a blur became more obvious to her. She wondered how much she had aged since her husband died. A part of her wanted to find a mirror. She walked back to her lonely home feeling more lost than ever with the realization of some gnawing truths.
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