The Mirror

The victorian house groaned as Anna made her way up the stairs. Her bedroom was on the first floor at the front of the property. Her parents room was to the rear of the building and the long bathroom stretched the length of the hallway. The staircase continued to wrap around the second floor which Anna had not managed to explore. Flicking the switch on the first floor, Anna decided she would continue to the second floor where all the junk and numerous boxes yet to be unpacked had been dumped.

The second floor was a small square landing at the top of the house . A tall internal door with a golden knob stood out on the shabby landing. The rain was still pounding on the sky light window but the warmth of the property made Anna forget the horrid weather outside.

Anna went to the lonely door and pushed hard to open the it and discover the treasures which were hidden within the room.

The loft space was dreary and other than a few boxes from their old house it held items which hadn't been touched for years and years. Cobwebs hung low from the rafters of the room and dust had settled on almost every available space. The bare floorboards creaked as Anna made her way into the room ready to investigate the many items untouched in this empty house.

The only light which entered into the room was that from the daylight outside which poked its way into the room through the small circular window.

Pushing a large cobweb to one side Anna dusted off the first cardboard box which attracted her attention. With the words 'do not open' its always the most intriguing of items. Opening the box, Anna found a variety of hats and scarves in the box. Large round formal hats with fur lining they looked beautiful and well kept. Small moth balls had been packed in to the box to protect the items within it, indicating they were once loved and meant something to someone a long time ago.

The next few boxes all contained clothing which appeared to belong to a man and lady but nothing Anna recognised in her era. The stale smell of dust lingered in the room indicating just how long the items had probably been left unattended and stranded in the empty loft space.

Anna turned around to see what other items were in the space, old but grand furniture covered the space. The loft was a vast space which covered the entirety of the building. Anna thought the space would make a beautiful study for her to come and do her homework and generally relax. As she skulked around the room in a general day dream a beautifully crafted full length mirror caught Anna's eye. Covered behind an old sheet, Anna made her way to the mirror to take a closer loom. She removed the sheet to reveal the white baroque style finish with intricate detail. The mirror was exquisite. Anna thought it would look beautiful in her new room so made an attempt to lift it to tKe it back downstairs.

As Anna stepped to grab the mirror, her foot caught in the sheet she had dropped, she struggled to keep her footing as she held the mirror. The sheer weight of the mirror prevented her from keeping her balance, Anna fell with the mirror crashing in front of her, the largest crash boomed across the house as the mirror shattered into a 1000 pieces across the wood floor boards.