Broken reflections

BROKEN REFLECTIONS

...Videl woke up with a start, trembling from the nightly night terrors and horrific dreams. He made his way toward the bathroom. He washed his face with ice-cold water and stood there, staring intently at the mirror before him. Due to the clarity of the mirror mounted above the sink and the brightness of the lamp, he could observe his own reflection within the pupils of the eyes in the looking glass. The "he" reflected in those pupils was slightly stranger than his actual reflection in the mirror: he was entirely pitch-black, and his hair stood slightly upward as if he had horns. What terrified Videl the most was the smile on the "reflection’s" face. It was a smile that embodied the lowest and ugliest traits: evil, hypocrisy, betrayal, deceit, duplicity, and vileness. Pressing his hands firmly against the sides of the sink, Videl leaned his head closer to the mirror. The "reflection" stared back at him, as if it were about to burst through the pupil. Utterly bewildered by the transformation occurring within him, Videl looked at the mirror and screamed:

"Leave me alone!"

Unexpectedly, the reflection in the mirror came to life and burst into a cackling laughter.

"What, do you want to die?" the strange creature in the mirror spoke.

Unable to fathom what was happening and thinking this was merely a dream, Videl forgot to even breathe; his tongue grew heavy with fear, leaving him speechless.

"You will die without me. I exist—therefore you exist. You cannot live without me!" the reflection continued, using Videl's own voice.

"W-w-why? I’ve lived until now, haven't I?" Videl finally found his voice.

"You cannot live without me!" the reflection repeated.

"I don't need you. I lived without you and I can continue to live without you," Videl spoke, his voice trembling with dread.

"Is that so? Then let us review the moments in your life that brought us together and brought you to this state."

The mirror emitted a bluish glow, opening a path toward the life Videl had lived.

... "Excuse me, brother, did you happen to find a phone here?" a young student asked.

"No," Videl replied brusquely, gripping the phone he had just found under a desk in his pocket.

"I found it—therefore, it’s mine. It’s not like I stole it; it’s his own fault. He should’ve been more careful instead of daydreaming," he thought, smiling with satisfaction. In the mirror, other events from Videlʼs life began to be displayed in a rapid sequence.

... "Nancy, may I have a moment of your time?" Videl called out to the most beautiful and spirited girl among a group of friends.

"You are an intelligent, beautiful girl, but you are far too naive. Forgive me, but you aren't seeing the truth," Videl began.

"I don't understand," Nancy said, her long eyelashes fluttering in confusion.

"Well, to be blunt, James is playing you. You’re nothing more than a pastime to him. His intentions aren't serious. I saw him with another girl yesterday." Videl spoke these words with such conviction that he almost believed his own fabrication.

"What?" The eyes that had been sparkling with laughter just a moment ago went dim with both shock and sorrow. "So, that’s why he hasn't been meeting me. But why are you telling me this? Isn't he your friend?" the girl asked, a sob catching in her throat.

"I cannot stand lies. Especially when it comes to deceiving a good girl like you..." Videl donned a mask of innocence and sympathy as he stared into her eyes.

"The scoundrel, the liar. If he didn't love me, why would he break my heart like this?" the girl said, referring to the kind-hearted young man who loved her more than life itself. She had fallen completely for Videl’s trap, not even asking for proof.

"Don't. Don't waste your tears on him. He isn't worth it."

...As if the cigarette in his hand were to blame for all the failures in his life, Videl took deep, aggressive puffs. "Why is life so hard? I have no steady job, no money, and no peace of mind at all," he thought, sitting down on one of the park benches.

"Help... help me," rasped an old man sitting on the opposite bench. The elderly man was clutching his heart, his face drained of color, beginning to slump sideways as if about to fall off the seat.

"Why don't you just die and get it over with? What is it to me? Am I a doctor?" Videl muttered, his face contorted with annoyance.

"Medicine... in my pocket..." the old man managed to whisper.

Videl walked over to the old man, who was closing his eyes and losing consciousness. With a look of irritation, he began searching the man’s pockets for the medicine. Along with the pills, a bit of small change came out of the old man’s side pocket. He shoved the medicine into the old man's hand and pocketed the money for himself, then quickly vanished before the old man could recover.

... "What is this?" Videl glared through the rearview mirror at the woman in the back seat.

"The fare," the young passenger replied, bewildered.

"I’m not a fool, I can see that. Why is it short?" Videl asked brashly, slamming on the brakes.

"I’ve always paid this much for this route, and I asked you before I got in," the woman said, her voice faltering.

"And the child? Who pays for him? Your aunt?"

"The child is only three years old; besides, he sat on my lap. He didn't take up an extra seat..." the passenger argued, getting frustrated.

"Even on your lap, he bothered the others; they were cramped. You’ll pay me for that!" the driver thundered with rage.

Intimidated by Videlʼs aggressive demeanor, the other passengers couldn't utter a single word against him. Only the woman, after paying the extra money, snapped:

"This is nothing but a scam! I do not give my blessing to this money!" she said, slamming the car door shut as she got out.

"Typical. I run into such foolish passengers at least five times a day."

... "Uncle, hey uncle, please give some alms. Charity wards off misfortune," a little beggar girl said, running up to Videl’s car.

"Get lost! You’re all I needed right now!" Videl snapped.

"Uncle, may you earn much money. Please, give some alms," the girl persisted.

"Fine, here, take it." Videl handed some money through the car window. As the girl leaned in to take it, he lecherously and firmly grabbed her chest. The twelve or thirteen-year-old girl recoiled in sudden pain, her eyes frozen in horror and shock, while Videl, relishing what he had done, let out a booming laugh.

... "My son, the doctor prescribed new medicines. He said, 'If the old ones are no longer working, take these instead.'" Videl’s elderly and frail mother handed the list of prescriptions to her son.

"Did you go to the doctor again?" Videl snapped, his face twisted in annoyance.

"My pains just won't go away, my child. What else can I do?" his mother pleaded.

In response, Videl spat through his teeth onto the ground.

"Take this money and please bring those medicines," his mother begged.

Snatching the list from her hand with rage, Videl left the house, returning half an hour later with some medicines. He handed them to her in silence and headed back out toward the street.

"May you be blessed with a long life, thank you, my son," his mother called out, offering a prayer behind him.

Videl had not bought the medicines the doctor prescribed. Following his usual habit, he had purchased the cheapest painkillers and sedatives available; he hadn't even spent a quarter of the money his mother gave him on her remedies...

"Well, shall we continue?" the reflection in the mirror asked.

Returning from the past to the present, having seen his villainy laid bare, Videl stood in a state of numbness, his tongue unable to utter a single word.

"You humans do everything yourselves, yet you lay the blame for your sins on the Devil. In truth, the culprit is you—yourself!"

With those words, the reflection began to fade. In its place, the mirror fogged up, and a single word was written: "VIDEL." Suddenly, the letters shifted, and a new word emerged: "DEVIL"

"Who... who are you?" Videl stammered, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, his legs trembling as he leaned against the wall.

"You know exactly who I am."

Now, both the name and the fog disappeared from the mirror, and Videl’s own reflection appeared. But this reflection had a diabolical form. It was Videl’s exact double, mimicking his movements, yet its eyes were blood-red, its hair was disheveled, and horns protruded from both sides of its head. Paralyzed with horror at this sight, Videl slumped into the corner of the wall, clutching his head with his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut. In his mind, a childhood memory flickered to life.

As a child, Videl would often visit his grandmother and stay overnight. To Videl, his grandmother’s silver hair peeking out from under her headscarf, her missing teeth, and her wrinkled face were incredibly precious; he especially loved her fascinating stories. As he grew older, the themes of the stories she told shifted, becoming more intriguing—and sometimes, more terrifying.

"Grandmother, where are the jinn and demons now?" Videl asked one night, following another one of his grandmother’s tales.

"How should I know?" his grandmother replied after a brief silence, her mouth dry from storytelling. "Legend has it that the jinn make their homes in the places where the dirty, foul waters of bathhouses collect. But that is likely just a myth," she answered, kissing Videl on the forehead and urging him to sleep. This event from many years ago did not flash back into Videl’s mind as if it had happened only yesterday for no reason.

"I am not you. I am not made solely of devilish impulses. Leave me alone. You are nothing but a cursed jinn!" Videl stood up with sudden resolve and screamed at the diabolical reflection staring back at him from the mirror above the sink. "I am not you!" he repeated, his nostrils flaring as he struggled for breath. "I can be different!" With a desperate cry, he struck the mirror with all his might.

The shattered pieces of the mirror lay scattered across every corner of the bathroom floor, and within those countless shards, a multitude of demonic faces stared back at Videl.