Hey guys, JTAF again! And here's my new story for all of you. You might think having so many stories at once is a handful, but for now, nicktoons is on hiatus. So then, let's get started.
As usual, I do not own ed,edd, n eddy.
mirror, mirror, sleek and clear
what lies beyond your reflective veneer?
adventure, death, disease or love
doth exist hell below, or heaven above?
I ask and ask, louder and clearer
what is it that lies, beyond the mirror?
The attic of eddy's home sat silent and still, dark and dusty like most attics are, especially ones that hold so many belongings. The hatch to the lower levels rustled with movement as someone down below fumbled with the lock. The hatch was pushed upwards where it then landed on the floor, allowing the residents downstairs to enter the upper levels. Eddy arose from the hole, the light from which acting as the only luminescence to the dark attic. He promptly fixed that by climbing up into the room and turning on the light switch. After the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling flickered to life, Eddy called down to his friends downstairs. "Hey guys, come on up!" At his call, Double D and Ed joined him in the attic. Ed was carrying a leather satchel, while Double D brandished a notepad and pencil. This was Eddy's latest idea for quick money: take some of the dusty old antiques in his parents attic (they were massive pack rats, so they'd never notice) and sell them to the people of the town. No tricks, no twist or cheat, just easy money. "Alright boys, look around. If it looks valuable, stuff it in a sack, my folks won't even know it's gone," Eddy said with confidence. Ed and Double d looked around the cluttered mess of eddy's attic, his parents obviously held no concept of organization and cleanliness, at least when it came to their attic. This of course did not go unnoticed by the OCD stricken sockhead, who prayed to whatever gods may be that he didn't die up here from choking on dust. Ed, on the other hand, remained completely unprovoked by the current situation. This was a man who lived in a basement, so he was used to being dirty and cluttered. The three boys wandered about the room, taking care not to step on anything, you never know what might be valuable. Double D watched every dark nook and cranny for rats or bugs, while Ed just absentmindedly stuffed miscellaneous items into his satchel. Eddy, on the other hand, moved with a little more finesse, carefully inspecting every object he got his hands on. Currently, he was looking over an old lamp post. "You think this'll fetch us anything?"
Double D walked up to him and inspected the post himself. "Doubtful, Eddy," He said, shaking his head. Eddy shrugged and threw the antique to god knows where. Ed, meanwhile, had found something that peaked his interest.
"Hey guys, I found a thing," He called out. The other two worked their way through the clutter and got to Ed. "Lookit!" Behind Ed was a very old phonograph machine. While Eddy was less than thrilled by the discovery, Double D was quite enamored with it.
"Why, Ed, you've found an antique phonograph. This has to be one of the earliest models I've ever seen!" Double D gently rubbed his hand over the machine, cleaning off the dust as he stroked.
"Why doesn't it surprise me that you're incredibly well versed in the fields of old timey music players?" Asked Eddy. Sockhead was beginning to become predictable.
"Eddy, don't you see, this is exactly what we need for the sale," Double D proclaimed, turning to his friend. "This could sell for hundreds, maybe even thousands if we find the right person." Dollar signs appeared in Eddy's eyes when this information is made known to him. "That is, if it even still works." Eddy's euphoria was popped like a balloon. They couldn't legitimately sell something that didn't work, without having the cops breathing down their necks.
"S-so let's figure out if it does or not," Eddy said, pointing to the crank that operates the machine. "Get on it, lummox." At Eddy's command, Ed rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the crank. He was about to turn it when Double D stopped him.
"You can't just turn it now, it needs a song to play," he explained. Edd then looked underneath the phonograph and opened the drawers to see if there were any records. Well, there weren't any records, but there was a single wax cylinder. Ed reached down and grabbed the cylinder, looking at it.
"Ooh, a tube!" Ed said in wonderment before trying to bite a chunk off of it. Double d grabbed the cylinder, causing Ed's teeth to slam down on nothing.
"It's not a tube, it's a wax cylinder," Double D said, waving his finger. "Early phonographs such as these used these instead of records."
"So, pop it in!" Eddy said, growing impatient.
Double d inserted the cylinder into its proper place and switched on the machine. "Okay Ed, let er rip!" Edd shouted in excitement. Ed nodded and began turning the crank. After cranking it for about a minute, Double d gestured Ed to stop. After doing so, Ed watched with the others as the machine began to play. Instead of music, however, a low humming flowed out of the tube. The humming was similar to an old machine firing up for the first time in years, but instead of the humming ending with a surge of power, the humming continued.
Eddy's scowl grew longer and longer. "Well, that was a bust," he grumbled.
"Maybe the cylinder's just old and worn out," Double d said.
"Who cares, turn it off."
"We can't, not with a model this old. We have to let itstop on its own, which shouldn't take too long."
Eddy threw up his hands. "Fine, fine, let's keep looking then." And so, the three dispersed, eager to get back to work. As Ed was making his way, however, he saw another interesting thing: A mirror. A sleek, beautiful, ornate mirror whose glass seemed untouched by the dust, and whose golden frame shone like the sun. Ed was drawn to it, as if an unknown voice were calling out to the lump. He grabbed the mirror and pulled it from its hiding spot, placing it in the same clearing as the still running phonograph, right in front of the machine, in fact.
"Hey guys, I found a mirror!" Ed called out once more, and once more they came.
"What is it this time, Ed?" Asked Eddy.
"It's a mirror!" Ed proclaimed as if mirrors were the most interesting things the world had to offer. Although uninterested at first, the same attractive feeling washed over the remaining two eds, who approached the beautiful mirror.
"It's...gorgeous," Double d muttered.
"Yeah, it's, well it's..." Eddy tried to find the right words to say, but his words failed him when he walked around the mirror. "What the...?" Ed and Double d joined their friend to see what had him so confused. Dumbfounded expressions graced all three faces when they saw what was wrong with the mirror.
The mirror was gone, and in its place, within the frame was a forest clearing. "What the hell?" Asked Eddy, finally finding his voice.
"E-Ed, you did say that this was a mirror, right?" Double d asked their large friend. Ed nodded, his jaw still slack. Eddy gulped, and then slowly reached out for the mirror, his hand about to touch it when the crank on the phonograph immediately came to a complete stop. At that moment, the forest disappeared, leaving behind only the mirror, with Eddy's fingers only centimeters away.
Eddy drew back his hand sharply. "Woah, what the hell?!" The other two eds were just as shocked as he was, though not as verbal about it. The gears in our heroes collective minds began turning, as they themselves turned to the phonograph machine behind them. Could it be?... There was only one way of knowing. Ed walked back to the phonograph and turned the crank again, and again the humming erupted from the tube. The mirror rippled like water when the sound reached it. The forest revealed itself once again, leaving the eds further dumbstruck. Once again, Eddy reached out towards the mirror, his hand passing right through. A calm summer breeze blew through his fingers. Eddy drew his hand back, astonishment washing over every fiber of his body and soul. Eddy turned around to his two friends, and slowly, a big smile stretched across his face. "We're gonna be so rich!"