Shadows and Mirrors
The floor and the sky are the same. Both white, and both empty, save for the doors and the island tree. I sit in the shadow of the old dead branches. The endless hush of streaming water fills the air, and my breath mimics it—quiet and soft. I've been here forever, and I don't know why. I will be here forever, just like the dark and the silence.
There was never anything else, and there never will be.
I lift my hand and examine it—admiring the curve of my fingers—the way the muscles flex and bend. The water laps around my unmoving feet, leaving the reflected sky entirely undisturbed. There is a simple beauty in existence, just as there is a strange beauty in this prison that is my home.
Black rests on white. Motion hides in stillness. A shadow lies across the mirror. Silence reigns.
Nothing ever changes. Nothing ever will.
Yet I am content.
A grinding crash echoes through the chamber. Ripples carve through the water. The tree's reflection dances in the light. Startled, I look up.
The door was always shut, always impassible, yet now it opens, welcoming the darkness of the world beyond. A figure strides through, disrupting my peace with his loud, echoing footfalls. The door slams behind him, trapping him here in my otherwise silent kingdom.
He wears my face. He wears my face and holds my form, yet he is wrong. Where I am dark, the perfect match for this pale, stark world, he is green. He does not know to keep the silence I protect. He does not know the peace of stillness.
I stand to watch as he stumbles noisily past my tree, blind to my being.
"Navi, I don't like this," the strange green man mumbles, speaking to a blue orb at his shoulder, "The doors are barred, but there isn't anything here. It's too quiet…"
"There has to be some way through, Link. We'll find it. You're the hero, and I'm your fairy. Together, nothing can stop us! Right?" The blue orb flits around the man's head. It glows bright. My eyes hurt to look at it.
The man chuckles. "Right. Phantoms, dragons, killer chickens—after everything we've gone through, Ganondorf won't stand a chance. We'll have no trouble saving Hyrule, assuming we make past this door." He shakes the bars that seal the far exit, polluting my world with a useless metallic rattle.
The blue orb giggles, its high voice paining my ears even from a distance. "Strong iron bars are blocking the doors. You can't open them with your hands, Link!"
"I know, I know," the stranger sighs, twisting his stolen face into a grin "It's not like this is my first dungeon, after all. I'm not that forgetful."
He turns and starts to walk back into the center of my world, each step disturbing the stillness of the water as he approaches my tree. It stands in the center of the room, the only landmark between the two standing doors. I step out of its comfortable shadow, revealing myself to the intruder.
His gaze meets mine, showing the same shock I felt before. I face my reflection calmly, refusing to reveal my fear.
He draws his sword. I draw mine. I will protect my sanctuary, whatever the cost.
He swings his sword. I swing mine. Our blades meet. Metal crashes. Water trembles.
He and I are the same. I fight to protect my home, he fights to save his.
We swing our swords again. I dance with my reflection across the mirror's edge, under this pale white sky.
Author's Note:
Basically, this was just a spur-of-the-moment experiment aimed to get me back in the swing of things. It's nothing serious, but all the same- I would truly appreciate reviews.
Whether you enjoyed it or not- thanks for reading!