THE MIRROR
“Hello Mom, I am home. I am sorry Mom, I cannot accompany you tonight. I
need to sleep right now.”
“Just go to sleep, honey. I know you are tired now.”
I was a mountain climber. This month, I climbed Mount Merapi with my
friends. I started to climb when I was in Senior High School. Tired. Yes, that’s
just what I felt right now.
I heard my wall clock ticking. It showed 8 p.m., but I did not care. I
needed to sleep right now. My cozy bedroom and my soft bed made me fast asleep.
I needed a beautiful dream after the four days that I could not sleep.
I tried to imagine a beautiful dream. I met a handsome man from the Javanese
kingdom. I did not know his name. I just followed him.
“Who are you? And… where is this place?”, I asked.
No talking between us. He just smiled at me and I continued to walk
through the rice field and into a forest. I did not feel strange with this
place, I said to myself. I heard other sounds, sounds of a crowd in the middle of forest. They looked at me
with their strange faces. People were dancing around me. There was the sound of
Gamelan. Such a horror night in the middle of strange people. They gave me a
mirror. Yes, a mirror. I just remembered about that mirror. It was my mirror,
and I lost my mirror when I climbed
Mount Merapi.
“It is your mirror, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I dropped it three days ago.”
“I am the prince in this kingdom. I found it near the water fall when I
hunted,” said the man. “I can see your face from this mirror. You are very
beautiful. Do you want to be mine?”
“Don’t! Please go away from her!” screamed a boy. “Run!”
The boy held my hand and we ran from the crowd. They chased me and my
new friend. I was afraid because their bodies and faces changed to be giants.
“Help me…. Help me…. Mom…” I screamed.
We ran and ran. Finally, we stopped near the water fall. I still kept my
mirror. The boy looked at my mirror and said,
“You have to get out from here. Now, look at your mirror. This mirror
can bring you home. They are the watchmen from Mount Merapi. They want you as
their follower. Please go now!”
“How about you?”
“I am safe here. Look at your mirror. Do it now!”
I did what he said. I heard my Mom’s voice as she entered my room. She
hugged and kissed me. I was safe now. She reminded me to pray before sleep. I
forgot to do that. After praying, I tried to sleep again.
“Wait… What smell is it? The smell is like jasmine. And… What… what is
it? My mirror? How come?”