A Wind Mirror

Edson S. Conn

A soft wind blows.

The light branches of a nearby tree wave gently. Every then, letting a crisp orange leaf go. At an angle, a mirror reflected twice as many leaves. An older woman walks by herself. She suddenly glances up when she is almost sure that she saw someone walking right beside her. To her right, nothing. To her left, she sees herself. Through a mirror reflection, she sees herself as a younger lady. She thinks to herself, this can't be. I’ve never seen that before. She continued her walk, glancing back only once to see if she was being followed. But of course, she is alone once again.

The next day, she walks by again with her husband this time, to show him what she saw the other day. She walks right in front of the tree where she stood before and looks to her left. The young figure of her is there again

“There,” the woman said pointing at herself

“Mary, there is no one there but a tree and some leaves falling,” Larry says as he waddles and stands next to her, “Are you ill my dear”

She didn’t respond. Mary stared at the reflection with wide eyes, “It’s not possible.” she cried, “we look so young

Larry looked at his wife confused. She looked as though she meant what she was saying but wasn’t so sure if it was true. “Mary, you must be very ill. Maybe we should stop doing these walks and get you some more rest in the morning.”

“No dear. I get enough rest. What is this Larry? What does it mean?”

“Mary, there is nothing there. Should we keep on walking?”

“I’m coming back tomorrow.”

They continued walking. She glanced back only once, to see if she was being followed. She was again with just her husband. She had no response.

Larry made her go to the doctor, so she did. And as she expected, the doctor said nothing was wrong with her. She got back home to find that Larry had left a note saying he went on a short walk. She had a feeling that she knew where he had gone but she didn’t want to walk anymore that day. So while she was waiting, she cleaned the kitchen, dusted the furniture, and folded her husband’s laundry that he doesn’t ever fold. Two hours later, she realized that he was not back. She began to worry.

“I’ll wait a little longer. Maybe he went for a long walk,” she said to herself But an hour later, he still wasn’t back. She quickly put on her shoes and ran out the front door. She had an idea where to start. She turned right and walked away from the place she wanted to look. But a little into the walk, she turned around and walked the other way, the direction she wanted to go. She walked a little faster than she would have preferred. But as long as she could find her husband a little faster, she didn’t care how fast she went. she came where she wanted to be. The mirror. As she walked closer to the spot, a soft wind began to blow. Shaking the branches of the tree and leaves fell in front of her. She stood in her spot and found her reflection. At first, there was nothing. Then a slight smudge. And then movement. Her husband. Standing and looked directly back at her with his soft eyes and caring smile. A confused look in his eyes.

She reached to touch the mirror but he started to wave his hands like crazy and scream. She couldn't hear him. So she touched it. All around her, she heard the wind blowing like a thousand fans. It blew her off her feet. She reached out for the tree less than three feet from her. The branches refused her and she was pulled off her spot and thrown toward her reflection. She never hit. The mirror sort of absorbed her. She opened her eyes. Her husband stood over with saddened eyes. He reached out and pulled her to her feet.

“Where are we? What is this place?” she asked, looking around her.

“I have no idea. I came to check the mirror you were talking about and when I moved in

to touch it, I got here,” he said with a trembling voice.

“You saw it too?” the lady asked.

“There was a soft breeze and I could see it but it was very faint.”

“What did you see through it”

“I saw...you”

Mary paused and looked at her husband. He only smiled back at her and had those

truthful eyes that he always has. She sighed, looking away.

“How do we get back?” she asked softly

The place around them was just like it was back home If they had ever left. Nothing

looked to be different about it.

“Maybe we count to 30!” the old man said, looking out to the distance

“Why the count of 30?” Mary asked, pausing.

Larry pointed behind her, “Because that sign over there says to.”

Standing across from them was a board of bright white with the words count to 30

together to go back to your time in dark black.

“Mary, do you know what this means?” Larry asked, smiling.

“Back to your time,” Mary read out loud again

“My beloved, we have done something no one has ever done. We time traveled.”

“But we really can't prove that-”

Just then, someone rounded the corner and walked toward them. Two people. And they both looked like... them. As they were almost 50 years ago. They continued to walk and when they reached the two old people, they sort of looked at each other and they walked on.

“Let's go back.” the woman said after they disappeared.

“But Mary-”

“Let go back Larry,” she pleaded, “please”

The old man frowned and shook his head.

“On the count of 30,” he said, his smile disappearing.

“...2...4...6...8...10…” they continued to count.

As they reached 30, a wind began to blow, growing stronger and stronger. When they did say 30, the wind was blowing so fast, everything around them spun a wide circle. Then they were pulled forward hard. Then it all stopped to nothing.They looked around them, they were in the same place, but in their time. The place where they belong. Mary never wanted to do that again. She had already seen more than she wanted to see.

But Larry wanted to go back. As a child, he had always wanted to fix things in his childhood. The mistakes that he had made. Now that he knew that he could time travel, he was able to fix them.

Now seated around the table, they both played with their food. Not even Larry, who likes to eat, was hungry.

“Why do you think we were chosen to be the first to time travel?”

He paused and stared at his meat, “Maybe because… I don't know.”

“You’re not going back, are you?” Mary asked.

Larry put meat into his mouth and chewed slowly.

“I might,” he said with his mouth full.

“You know that could be dangerous.”

“But think of all the things we could do. The mistakes we could fix. All the problems in

this world. All our deepest regrets. The wrong in us. We can now undo them all.”

“Do you think that the past will change? I mean, it has already happened so will it change

itself?”

“It’s worth the shot.”

The rest of dinner was eaten in silence. There was no more talk about time travel that

night. They both knew the possibilities of change. But they also knew the odds they could face.

Larry kept in his head all the mistakes he made. There was a lot! The right pathway to all his mistakes was nowhere. he had to thank his wife after. She forced him to bed early that evening.

Mary, on the other side of the bed, watched her husband with worry. And she didn’t want him to be anything that could put him at risk. She worried that if he did go back to the past, he could get what he wants, but he could also mess up the past and make his future even worse. Or he could do nothing.

“Larry, what are you going to do when you go back?” she finally asked.

“I don’t know,” he answered, after a long silence.“Please be careful”

“I’ll try.”

They both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Larry?” a voice rang out

“Dad!?” he replied as he opened his eyes, “Aren’t you dead?”

“Not in dreams,” the voice replied, still not visible. Only a voice. “Son, what is on your

mind?”

“That can’t be. Where is mom then?” Larry replied, shaking his head, “where are you?”

“She chose otherwise.” the voice answered. “ but tell me, son, what is on your mind?”

“I’m going to fix my past!” Larry said, smiling.

“How?”

“Mary found a way.”

“Why?”

“Because it needs to be fixed. This is my only chance to make things right.”

“My son,” the voice said, “There is something that you don’t quite understand. That wind

mirror only allows you to view the past. Your creator put it there. Tomorrow he will take it

back.”

“But why?”

“Because it has served its purpose.” the voice said, “ Listen, son. Your past is a part of

you. Your present is part of you. Your future is a part of you. Everything has a purpose and you can’t stop it. This wind mirror only appears to the lost. To those that need to see themselves again before they were lost. It does not carry the functions to change the past. Nothing can or ever will hold these capabilities. Embrace your past son because it will stick to you no matter what you do.”

“But dad, I was never lost!”

“That was why you didn’t see it at first. It wasn’t your turn. Let me ask you a question. Do you know your past?”

“Yes”

“Can you see your mistakes?”

“Yes”

“Do you confess to them?”

“Yes”

“To whom?”

“God”

“Then you have your past fixed.”

There was a pause.

“Dad?”

“What son?”

“Can I see you?”

“Why?”

“I want to see you one more time.”

“Can you go back to your past?”

“yes”

“Then you may”

Suddenly, there was a figure clothed in white. The hands were covered by the white cloth. It hung just a few inches from the ground. But what puzzled Larry the most was the face. It was his face. Staring back at him with the same eyes and smile of his own. None of his father’s appearance showed up in the figure. It just looked at him. Without another word, the figure dissolved, waking up the confused man.

* * *

Before dawn and Mary had woken, Larry slipped out of bed and out the door. He still had the dream on his mind as he speed-walked to the tree. But as he came closer to the tree’s location, he found that it was no longer there. And as he realized, his dream had come true. the wind mirror and the tree had both left from existence. To make sure, he walked in and around the area but found nothing. He returned home to find Mary up and cooking.

“Larry, you don't look good. Are you okay?” Mary asked as she flipped a pancake on the stove.

“I’m giving up on the mirror,” he said without looking at his wife.

“Why the sudden change?” Mary asked as she placed a pancake on a plate in front of

him.

He didn’t reply. Only stabbed his plate and took a bite.

He thought to himself "because a wind mirror does not exist anymore"