The Mirror: Chapter 1
Kowalski slipped on his science goggles. He watched as the colorful sparks ignited, and focused intently on his work. He didn't hear Private enter the lab.
"Kowalski?" The younger penguin asked.
Kowalski, startled, lost his focus and one of the sparks burnt his right flipper. "Ow!" He cried.
Private's face got a guilty look.
"No… ugh, it's ok Private… what did you want?" Kowalski said, holding his flipper as the sparks died out quickly.
"I… just wanted to see what you were doing" Private replied innocently.
Kowalski laughed softly under his breath as he got out a cloth and wrapped it around his flipper. "Well I WAS, working on my latest invention, but I guess now I'm wrapping a wound" He said with the slightest bit of amusement.
Private waddled over to Kowalski's side, and noticed a large mirror. That was a bit taller then Kowalski. "Is the mirror part of the invention?" Private asked.
Kowalski smiled, "no, Skipper couldn't find anywhere to put it, so he put it in here."
"Oh, so that's the mirror he looked at his sheriff costume in?" Private chuckled.
Kowalski nodded. There was a short pause, "so… do you want to know what my latest invention is?" Kowalski asked Private.
Private looked at the table. There was a small ray gun. "Sure Kowalski" He smiled.
Kowalski held it up, "this, is the time gun. It allows me to freeze or rewind time. Maybe to change something that shouldn't have happened… or it's… supposed too…"
Private smiled, even if Kowalski's invention's didn't always work, Private still looked up to the strategist, well, metaphorically… but he did literally look up to Kowalski too, the penguin was taller then him. "Is it ready for testing yet?" He asked.
Kowalski thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure… I don't know if it needs anything added yet…"
"That's what testing determines doesn't it?" Private asked putting on his best adorable face. He liked to see Kowalski's invention's before they were ready. Not only was it cool to see what Kowalski could invent, if they went a bit haywire, it was fun to fix.
Kowalski sighed giving in, and gave the little ray gun to Private.
Private looked around the room, and knocked over one of Kowalski's empty test tubes. Kowalski gasped. "I want to see if it can fix it." Private explained. He aimed for the shattered glass, and fired. Unfortunately, the ray bounced off that glass. Private ducked but the ray still bounced around the room.
Private and Kowalski hopped around frantically trying to not get hit by the ray. After bouncing off the ceiling the ray then headed for the mirror. But surprisingly, instead of bouncing off the mirror… it dissolved into it. Ripples of bright green faded into the mirror.
Private bit down on his flippers in nervousness. "What… happened?" He asked slowly.
Kowalski took off his science glasses and slowly walked towards the mirror. He looked at his reflection. It was normal. "It… doesn't look like anything happened to the mirror…" He ran his flipper down the glass. "The glass is fine…" He felt drops of water, "but it's… a bit wet…"
Private was about to reply, when Skipper called them. "We should look at it again later Skipper needs us." Private said. The young penguin left Kowalski's lab in a nervous rush.
Kowalski looked at his reflection for a while. The glass was… almost… not wet… soft. That didn't make any sense. He removed his flipper, had his ray changed the matter of the glass? It was supposed to bend the rules of time and space, not bend the rules of solids, liquids, and gases! Kowalski turned to leave, but felt a slight chill run down his spine.
He turned back to his reflection. Is my reflection… He practically slapped himself in mid thought, no, that's stupid. It's a MIRROR. If I'm looking at it, then of course my reflection is looking at me… uugh… I'm just a little un-easy abut not knowing what the ray does.. That's all he thought.
Kowalski turned and left the lab. As the door closed slowly Kowalski didn't look back, and ignored the feeling that someone was looking at him… he hadn't noticed his reflection had never turned around.