Three of Thousands

by Clar the Pirate

You have heard the story of Little Kay and the Snow Queen no doubt, but the mirror that began it all shattered into a thousand fragments. And each has a story of its own.

1. But First

But First

which describes a looking-glass and the broken fragments

There once was a creature, that cannot be called a man though that is what it most resembled, and its name might have been Faradiddledumday, or it might have been Mr Terrytop, or it might have been any number of things for its name was legion and at any rate quite immaterial to the story at hand.

Material to the story at hand, and the stories to come, is that most famous of the creature's creations – a looking-glass. Appreciate the irony; for what is more clear, more transparent, more innocent than glass? This looking-glass was no more than two hands wide and four tall, oval in shape and set in a frame white as new-driven snow. Oh, how the creature had laughed and laughed as it made that frame.

For the mirror itself was the loss of all innocence. It had the power to change everything good and beautiful that was reflected in its surface; the most lovely landscape would look like boiled spinach, a person's virtues would become magnified flaws, beating hearts would become like lumps of ice.

The creature took to the streets, high and low, touting his mirror as the true reflection of the world and mankind. People flocked to it and were irrevocably altered; some returned and were able to claw back small happinesses, more wept that they never could, and still more simply stopped caring.

But soon such small success was not enough for the creature; it wanted to reflect the whole world, the heavens and the depths all at once, so that nothing could escape its gaze. Up, up, up it flew with the mirror, faster and faster, chortling in anticipation. The higher it flew, the colder it became and soon the mirror was slick with ice. The creature scarce could hold the glass between its fiery fingers, till at last it slipped from his grasp, fell to the earth, and was broken into a thousand thousand pieces.

The creature shrieked and screamed and ranted and raved and suddenly became calm as it realised what was to become of the fragments no larger than snowflakes. They drifted to every corner of the world and caught themselves in eyes and mouths and ears and hearts and hands. The creature laughed until its sides shook.

No doubt you know the story of two of those pieces – of Little Kay whose eye and heart were pierced, who turned from his home to follow a snow-cold queen, who was redeemed by the strength and love of his dearest friend. What follows are the stories of three more.