THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 1 – One Mistake Changed Everything
It was a Monday afternoon.
The sun was shining brightly.
The streets were crowded with cars, parents picking up their children, and students leaving school after another ordinary day.
Mariana, a 25-year-old young woman, was driving to work.
Soft music played through her car speakers.
She was smiling.
A few moments later, her phone rang.
The screen read:
“Ashley Calling…”
Mariana smiled.
Instead of connecting the call to her car’s Bluetooth, she answered with the phone in her hand.
Mariana:
“Hey! Good afternoon!”
Ashley:
“You’re already awake? I thought you’d still be sleeping.”
Mariana laughed.
“I’m on my way to work.”
Ashley:
“I’ve got some exciting news!”
Mariana:
“Come on, tell me!”
As the two friends talked, Mariana couldn’t stop laughing.
Her attention slowly drifted away from the road.
…
At that same moment…
Just a few blocks away…
A mother named Mireille arrived at her daughter’s school.
An eight-year-old girl named Lina ran out of the school gate.
She wore a pink backpack and held her favorite doll tightly in her hand.
The moment she saw her mother…
She ran straight into her arms.
Lina:
“Mommy!”
Mireille knelt down and hugged her tightly.
She kissed her forehead.
Mireille:
“How was school today?”
Lina:
“I have great news!”
Mireille smiled.
“What is it?”
Lina:
“My teacher picked me to play the lead role in the school play!”
Mireille’s eyes filled with pride.
She hugged her daughter once more.
Mireille:
“I’ve always told you that you can become anything you dream of.”
Lina smiled.
“When I grow up, I want to be a famous actress!”
Mireille gently touched her daughter’s face.
“And I know you will.”
Holding hands, they began crossing the street.
…
Meanwhile…
Ashley was still talking on the phone.
Ashley:
“So… did that guy you met last night call you?”
Mariana burst into laughter.
Ashley had just sent her a picture.
Mariana looked down at her phone for only two seconds.
Just two seconds…
Her eyes left the road.
…
Lina suddenly noticed a small red ball on the other side of the street.
Without thinking…
She let go of her mother’s hand.
She ran after it.
Mireille:
“Lina! No! Come back!”
The instant Mariana looked up…
She saw Lina directly in front of her car.
Her eyes widened.
Mariana:
“Oh my God!”
She slammed on the brakes with all her strength.
SCREEEEEECH!!
The tires screamed across the pavement.
Too late.
BANG!!
Silence.
For a few long seconds…
No one moved.
Mariana’s phone slipped from her hand and landed on the floor of the car.
Ashley was still shouting through the call.
Ashley (on the phone):
“Mariana?… Mariana?… What’s happening?”
Outside…
Lina’s backpack lay in the middle of the street.
Her doll had rolled several feet away.
Mireille let out a heartbreaking scream that made everyone nearby turn around.
Mireille:
“LIIIIINAAAAAA!!!”
She ran to her daughter.
She held the little girl tightly in her arms.
Tears streamed down her face.
Mireille:
“Please… open your eyes… please, my baby…”
Mariana stepped out of the car.
Her entire body was shaking.
She covered her mouth with both hands.
Tears filled her eyes.
Mariana:
“No… No… I never meant for this to happen…”
People quickly gathered around the scene.
One man pulled out his phone.
Man:
“Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
Another woman looked directly at Mariana with anger.
Woman:
“You were looking at your phone, weren’t you?”
Mariana couldn’t answer.
She just stood there crying.
In the distance…
The sound of police and ambulance sirens grew louder.
Then panic took over.
Mariana looked at the crowd.
She looked at the little girl.
She looked at the grieving mother.
She slowly stepped backward.
Then…
She got back into her car.
A man shouted at the top of his lungs.
Man:
“Don’t let her leave!”
But Mariana slammed on the gas.
Her car disappeared down the road.
Mireille looked up through her tears and watched the car vanish into the distance.
She cried out with all the pain in her heart.
Mireille:
“You may run today…
But one day…
The truth will find you.”
Mariana never came back.
That day…
She didn’t just leave a town behind.
She left her conscience behind as well.
End of Part 1…
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 2 – One Year Later
One year later…
Mariana had built a new life in another city.
She dyed her hair.
She changed her phone number.
She rented a small apartment.
She even found a new job.
To everyone around her…
She looked like a normal young woman.
But every night…
The accident came back.
Sometimes she dreamed of tires screeching.
Sometimes she heard a little girl screaming.
Other nights…
She saw a pink backpack lying in the middle of a dark road.
Mariana always woke up covered in sweat.
Breathing heavily.
One morning, while getting ready for work, she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.
Dark circles had formed under her eyes.
She barely recognized herself.
Mariana (whispering):
“I need to move on…”
She splashed cold water on her face.
Then left for work.
…
Weeks passed.
She tried therapy.
She tried sleeping pills.
She even stopped driving for several months.
Nothing helped.
The memories never left.
…
One afternoon, while eating lunch with a coworker named Emma…
Emma noticed something strange.
Emma:
“Are you okay?”
Mariana looked up.
“What do you mean?”
“You keep rubbing your face.”
Mariana froze.
Without realizing it…
Her fingers had been scratching her left cheek.
She quickly lowered her hand.
“I guess my skin is just dry.”
Emma smiled.
“You should buy some moisturizer.”
Mariana forced a smile.
“Yeah… maybe.”
…
That evening…
The itching came back.
It wasn’t painful.
Just…
Annoying.
She scratched her cheek again.
And again.
And again.
By the time she got home…
The itching had disappeared.
She thought nothing of it.
…
The next morning…
It returned.
Stronger.
She scratched until her skin turned red.
A customer at work noticed.
Customer:
“Miss… your face is bleeding.”
Mariana touched her cheek.
There was blood on her fingertips.
She stared at it.
Confused.
“I… I didn’t even feel that.”
…
That night…
She searched the internet.
“What causes sudden itching on only one side of the face?”
Hundreds of results appeared.
Allergies.
Stress.
Skin infections.
Nothing seemed to fit.
She closed the laptop.
“I’m just imagining things.”
…
Three days later…
The itching became unbearable.
It felt like tiny fingers were crawling beneath her skin.
Mariana rushed into her bathroom.
She turned on the light.
She grabbed the mirror with trembling hands.
She stared at her reflection.
Everything looked normal.
She sighed with relief.
Then…
The bathroom light flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Mariana frowned.
The lights became steady again.
She looked back into the mirror.
Her reflection smiled.
But…
She wasn’t smiling.
Her heart stopped.
She stumbled backward.
The mirror slipped from her hands…
CRASH!!
It shattered across the bathroom floor.
Mariana stood frozen.
Unable to breathe.
When she looked down…
Every broken piece of glass reflected only her own face.
Nothing else.
She slowly shook her head.
“No…
I’m losing my mind…”
Outside…
A cold wind blew against her apartment window.
Even though…
Every window was closed.
End of Part 2…
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 3 – The Girl in the Mirror
The next morning…
Mariana convinced herself it had all been a nightmare.
The broken mirror was gone.
She had cleaned every piece of glass before going to bed.
She looked around her apartment.
Everything seemed normal.
She took a deep breath.
Mariana:
“It was just stress.”
She grabbed her keys and left for work.
…
For the next few days…
Nothing happened.
The itching disappeared.
Mariana slowly began believing she was finally recovering.
She even laughed with her coworkers again.
For the first time in months…
She felt hope.
…
One rainy evening…
Mariana stopped at a department store after work.
She needed a new bathroom mirror.
As she walked through the home section, dozens of mirrors surrounded her.
Large mirrors.
Round mirrors.
Square mirrors.
She picked up a small handheld mirror.
The moment her fingers touched it…
A freezing chill ran through her body.
She quickly put it back.
Mariana:
“Why does this feel so strange?”
An elderly employee walked over.
Employee:
“Are you alright, miss?”
Mariana forced a smile.
“I’m fine.”
She picked another mirror instead, paid for it, and went home.
…
That night…
The rain poured without stopping.
Lightning flashed outside.
BOOM!
Thunder shook the apartment.
Mariana had just finished hanging the new mirror in her bathroom.
She looked at herself.
Everything looked normal.
She smiled.
“See?
There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
She turned off the bathroom light and walked toward her bedroom.
Then…
The itching returned.
Not on her cheek.
This time…
It burned across her entire face.
Mariana dropped to her knees.
She scratched desperately.
Mariana:
“Please… stop…”
The burning only grew worse.
Then…
Everything stopped.
Silence.
Her breathing slowly calmed.
She remembered the broken mirror from a few days earlier.
With shaking hands…
She walked back into the bathroom.
She looked into the mirror.
At first…
She saw only herself.
Then…
Very slowly…
Another face appeared behind her.
A little girl.
About eight years old.
Wearing a school uniform.
Holding a worn-out doll.
Mariana’s heart nearly stopped.
She spun around.
No one was there.
She looked back at the mirror.
The little girl was still there.
Standing silently.
Looking straight into her eyes.
Mariana whispered…
“No…”
The little girl slowly raised one hand.
She gently pressed it against the inside of the mirror.
Mariana stepped backward.
Her legs trembled.
Then…
For the first time…
The little girl spoke.
Her voice was soft.
Almost like a whisper.
Little Girl:
“You ran away.”
Mariana’s eyes filled with tears.
“No…”
Little Girl:
“You left my mommy alone.”
Mariana shook her head.
“I’m sorry…”
The little girl lowered her head.
When she looked up again…
Her eyes were filled with sadness.
Not anger.
Just sadness.
Little Girl:
“You broke my dream.”
The bathroom light suddenly went out.
Darkness.
Mariana screamed.
A second later…
The lights came back on.
The mirror showed only Mariana’s reflection.
Nothing else.
She backed away from the sink.
Breathing hard.
Her phone rang.
She jumped.
It was Emma.
Mariana answered with trembling hands.
Emma:
“Mariana?
You sound terrified.
Is everything okay?”
Mariana looked at the mirror one last time.
She whispered…
“I don’t think I’m alone anymore…”
End of Part 3…
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 4 – Every Scratch Has a Reason
Mariana didn’t sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes…
She saw the little girl’s face.
Every time she opened them…
She looked toward the bathroom door.
Waiting.
Listening.
Hoping she wouldn’t hear that tiny voice again.
…
The next morning…
She called in sick.
Then she drove to a bookstore.
She bought books about hallucinations…
Trauma…
Sleep disorders…
Anything that could explain what she had seen.
By evening, her coffee table was covered with books.
She read for hours.
None of the answers fit.
She slammed one of the books shut.
Mariana:
“No…
This isn’t in my head.”
…
Three days passed.
Nothing happened.
No scratching.
No voice.
No little girl.
Mariana slowly began believing it was finally over.
Then…
While shopping at a grocery store…
Her face suddenly began to itch.
Not a little.
Violently.
She dropped the shopping basket.
People turned to look at her.
She scratched her cheek over and over.
Customer:
“Ma’am…
Are you alright?”
Mariana ignored everyone.
She ran to the restroom.
She locked the door.
Her hands shook as she stared at the mirror.
Slowly…
The little girl appeared again.
She was wearing the same school uniform.
Holding the same doll.
But this time…
She smiled.
A sad smile.
Little Girl:
“You came.”
Mariana burst into tears.
Mariana:
“What do you want from me?”
The little girl looked down at the doll in her arms.
Then back at Mariana.
Little Girl:
“I never got to finish being a child.”
Mariana couldn’t speak.
Little Girl:
“I never got to grow up.”
Tears rolled down the little girl’s face.
Little Girl:
“You took away my dreams…”
Mariana covered her mouth.
“I’m sorry…
I’m so sorry…”
The little girl slowly raised her eyes.
Little Girl:
“So now…
You will help me finish them.”
Mariana frowned.
“What do you mean?”
The little girl looked straight into her eyes.
Little Girl:
“Whenever my face makes yours itch…
Take out a mirror.”
“You will listen to me.”
“You will do what I ask.”
Mariana stepped backward.
“And if I don’t?”
The little girl’s smile disappeared.
The bathroom became silent.
Then she answered…
“If you refuse…”
“You will hurt yourself…
Until you listen.”
Mariana’s heart pounded.
“No…”
The little girl pointed toward Mariana’s purse.
Little Girl:
“From today on…
Always carry a mirror with you.”
The lights flickered.
The little girl vanished.
Mariana stared at her own reflection.
She whispered…
“This can’t be real…”
…
The following morning…
Mariana bought a small pocket mirror.
She slipped it into her purse.
As she walked out of the store…
She kept telling herself…
“I’ll never use it.”
Just then…
The itching returned.
A sharp…
Burning itch.
Mariana froze.
Slowly…
She reached into her purse.
She pulled out the mirror.
The little girl was already waiting.
She smiled.
As if she had known…
Mariana would obey.
End of Part 4…
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 5 – Living Someone Else’s Life
Mariana stared at the pocket mirror.
The little girl was waiting.
Silent.
Patient.
Finally…
She spoke.
Little Girl:
“Take me to the park.”
Mariana frowned.
“What?”
“The park.”
“I want to play.”
Mariana shook her head.
“This is insane.”
The little girl’s expression hardened.
“I didn’t get to play.”
“My life ended before I could.”
Mariana closed the mirror.
“I’m not doing this.”
She put it back into her purse and started walking away.
Three steps later…
A sharp pain exploded inside her head.
Her vision blurred.
She lost her balance.
BANG!
Her forehead slammed into a nearby streetlight.
People gasped.
A man rushed toward her.
Man:
“Miss! Are you okay?”
Blood trickled down Mariana’s forehead.
She stood there in shock.
She hadn’t meant to hit the pole.
It was as if…
Something had pushed her.
With trembling hands, she reached into her purse.
She opened the mirror.
The little girl looked at her calmly.
Little Girl:
“I warned you.”
Tears rolled down Mariana’s face.
“Please…”
“I can’t keep doing this.”
The little girl lowered her eyes.
“You can.”
“You owe me.”
…
An hour later…
Mariana found herself sitting alone in a children’s park.
Around her…
Little boys and girls laughed as they ran across the playground.
The little girl appeared in the mirror again.
She smiled for the first time.
“A swing.”
Mariana slowly walked to the swings.
She sat down.
Back and forth…
Back and forth…
Children stared at the grown woman swinging by herself.
Some laughed.
Others whispered.
A mother quietly pulled her son away.
Mother:
“Come on…
Let’s go somewhere else.”
Mariana wanted to stop.
She couldn’t.
Only when the little girl nodded did the itching disappear.
…
The next day…
It happened again.
The itching.
The mirror.
The little girl.
This time…
She held up her doll.
“I want a new one.”
Mariana whispered,
“No…”
The little girl’s eyes filled with sadness.
“I never got another birthday.”
“I never got another toy.”
…
Mariana walked into a toy store.
She was surrounded by colorful dolls, teddy bears, and children’s laughter.
A young employee smiled.
Employee:
“Buying a gift for your daughter?”
Mariana forced a smile.
“No…”
“It’s… for someone I couldn’t save.”
The employee looked confused.
Mariana picked the most beautiful doll in the store.
When she paid for it…
She looked into the mirror.
The little girl hugged the doll tightly.
For a brief second…
She smiled like an ordinary child.
Then she disappeared.
…
That night…
Mariana sat alone in her apartment.
The doll rested on the couch across from her.
She whispered,
“How much longer?”
No answer.
Only silence.
Then…
Very softly…
The itching returned.
End of Part 5…
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 6 – The Last Wish
The itching returned almost every day.
Mariana stopped making excuses.
She knew exactly what it meant.
Whenever her face began to burn…
She reached into her purse…
Pulled out the small mirror…
And waited.
The little girl was always there.
Waiting.
…
Days turned into weeks.
One afternoon…
The little girl whispered,
Little Girl:
“I want to go to school.”
Mariana’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“I never got to finish school.”
“You promised you would help me.”
Mariana looked around.
“There has to be another way…”
The little girl slowly shook her head.
“There isn’t.”
…
The next morning…
Mariana drove to the elementary school where children were arriving for class.
She parked across the street.
She took out the mirror.
The little girl smiled.
“Walk with them.”
Mariana stepped out of the car.
She walked slowly beside the children as they entered the school grounds.
Some parents stared.
Others whispered.
A security guard approached her.
Security Guard:
“Ma’am, can I help you?”
Mariana quickly stepped back.
“I… I’m sorry.”
She hurried away.
As soon as she reached her car…
The itching stopped.
…
A few days later…
The little girl appeared again.
This time…
She wasn’t smiling.
She looked at Mariana with tears in her eyes.
Little Girl:
“I miss my mommy.”
Mariana felt her chest tighten.
She lowered her head.
“I know…”
“No…”
“You don’t.”
The little girl’s voice cracked.
“You left her alone.”
Mariana began crying.
“I’ve regretted that day every second of my life.”
The little girl stared at her.
Then she asked quietly,
“Do you know where she lives?”
Mariana froze.
She had spent a year trying to forget.
She had never allowed herself to look back.
“No…”
“I don’t.”
The little girl pointed straight at her.
“You will find her.”
Mariana’s breathing became heavy.
“I can’t.”
“You can.”
“I’m afraid.”
“So was I.”
Silence filled the room.
Finally…
The little girl spoke one last time.
“When your face itches again…”
“It will be the last time.”
“Bring me to my mother.”
The mirror suddenly turned black.
Mariana called out,
“Wait!”
No answer.
Only her own frightened reflection.
…
That night…
Mariana opened her laptop.
For hours…
She searched old news articles about the accident.
She found photographs.
The date.
The location.
Then…
A picture of Lina.
Standing beside her mother.
Both of them smiling.
Mariana gently touched the screen.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I’m coming back…”
“I should have come back a long time ago.”
As she closed the laptop…
Her face began to itch once more.
Slowly…
She reached into her purse.
She already knew…
What the little girl was going to ask.
End of Part 6…
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 7 – The Truth Finds You
The itching was stronger than ever.
It felt as though hundreds of tiny fingers were scratching beneath Mariana’s skin.
With trembling hands…
She opened the pocket mirror.
Lina was already there.
But this time…
She wasn’t wearing her school uniform.
She wore a beautiful white dress.
The doll was gone.
She looked peaceful.
For the first time…
She smiled without sadness.
Lina:
“Are you ready?”
Mariana swallowed hard.
“…Yes.”
Lina nodded.
“Take me home.”
…
The next morning…
Mariana packed a small bag.
She got into her car.
And drove back to the town she had spent a year trying to forget.
Every mile felt heavier than the last.
The closer she got…
The harder it became to breathe.
She almost turned around.
Twice.
But each time…
Her face began to itch again.
She knew there was no escaping it anymore.
…
Late that afternoon…
She parked in front of a modest house.
The same house she had seen in the old newspaper photo.
Her hands shook as she walked to the front door.
She knocked.
Once.
Twice.
The door slowly opened.
A woman stood there.
Older.
Thinner.
The grief of the past year was written across her face.
It was…
Mireille.
For several long seconds…
Neither woman spoke.
Mireille stared into Mariana’s eyes.
Then she whispered,
“I know you…”
Mariana’s knees gave out.
She fell to the ground.
Tears poured down her face.
“I’m sorry…”
“I’m so… so sorry…”
“I was driving.”
“I looked at my phone.”
“I hit Lina…”
“And I ran away.”
“I’ve hated myself every day since.”
Mireille closed her eyes.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
For a long moment…
The only sound was the wind.
Finally…
She spoke.
“My daughter waited for me every afternoon.”
“She wanted to become an actress.”
“She believed the whole world was waiting for her.”
Her voice broke.
“You didn’t only take my child…”
“You stole every tomorrow she was supposed to have.”
Mariana couldn’t lift her head.
“I know.”
“I deserve whatever happens to me.”
…
Slowly…
Mariana took the pocket mirror from her purse.
She looked inside.
Lina appeared one last time.
She was smiling.
Behind her…
The school playground was filled with children laughing.
The sun shone brightly.
Lina held her doll close.
She looked at Mariana.
Then at her mother.
Lina:
“You broke my dream…”
“But today…”
“You stopped running.”
She turned toward Mireille.
Though Mireille couldn’t see her…
It was as if she somehow felt her daughter’s presence.
A gentle breeze passed through the yard.
Lina smiled.
“Goodbye, Mommy.”
Then she looked back at Mariana.
“Now…”
“You finally see me.”
A single tear rolled down Lina’s cheek.
Then…
She slowly faded away.
The mirror cracked from the center.
CRACK…
CRACK…
CRASH!
It shattered in Mariana’s hands.
Neither woman moved.
The silence said everything.
…
A few minutes later…
Police sirens echoed through the neighborhood.
Mariana stood up.
She didn’t try to run.
She didn’t say a word.
She quietly held out her hands.
An officer placed handcuffs around her wrists.
Police Officer:
“Mariana Collins…”
“You’re under arrest for leaving the scene of a fatal accident and other related charges.”
Mariana nodded.
“I understand.”
As the officers led her toward the patrol car…
She looked back one last time.
Mireille stood in the doorway.
Their eyes met.
There was still pain.
There was still loss.
But the truth…
Had finally come home.
Mariana lowered her head and got into the police car.
As it drove away…
For the first time in a year…
Her face no longer itched.
End of Part 7…
THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR
PART 8 – Peace at Last
Six months later…
Mariana sat quietly inside a courtroom.
She no longer tried to hide.
No longer tried to explain away her actions.
She had already confessed everything.
The evidence…
The witnesses…
The surveillance footage…
Everything confirmed her story.
The courtroom was silent as the judge prepared to speak.
Judge:
“Mariana Collins…”
“You chose to flee after causing the death of a child.”
“You left a mother behind to suffer alone for an entire year.”
“Today, this court finds you guilty.”
“You are sentenced according to the law.”
Mariana slowly nodded.
“I accept your decision, Your Honor.”
She didn’t cry.
She didn’t argue.
She simply closed her eyes.
For the first time…
She felt as though a weight had been lifted from her heart.
…
As the officers escorted her out of the courtroom…
She noticed Mireille standing in the hallway.
The two women looked at each other.
Mariana stopped.
“I’m sorry…”
“I know those words can never bring Lina back.”
Mireille remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she spoke softly.
“No…”
“They can’t.”
“But running from the truth kept both of us trapped.”
She looked at Mariana with tears in her eyes.
“I lost my daughter.”
“And you lost yourself.”
Mariana lowered her head.
“I hope one day…
you’ll find peace.”
Mireille took a deep breath.
“I’m trying.”
After a long silence…
She stepped aside.
The officers continued leading Mariana away.
…
That evening…
Mireille returned home.
She walked into Lina’s bedroom.
Nothing had changed.
The little bed.
The books.
The stuffed animals.
The doll collection.
Everything remained exactly where Lina had left it.
Mireille picked up her daughter’s favorite doll.
She held it close.
Then…
A gentle breeze moved through the room.
The window was closed.
She slowly turned toward Lina’s bedroom mirror.
For just one second…
She saw Lina standing there.
Healthy.
Smiling.
Wearing her school uniform.
She wasn’t crying anymore.
She simply waved.
Lina:
“I love you, Mommy.”
Then…
She was gone.
The mirror reflected only the empty room.
Tears rolled down Mireille’s face.
But this time…
They weren’t tears of despair.
They were tears of goodbye.
…
Across town…
The prison transport vehicle carried Mariana toward the state correctional facility.
She looked out the window.
For the first time in over a year…
Her face didn’t itch.
She reached into her purse by instinct.
Then she remembered…
The mirror was gone.
She closed her eyes.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
She whispered…
“Rest in peace, Lina.”
Outside…
The clouds slowly parted.
Sunlight broke through.
Far above…
A little girl laughed as she ran across a bright field, holding her favorite doll.
This time…
She never had to stop running.
THE END
Written by: Roostacot Previl
KB STORIES 
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