Chapter 25: Mirrors

Chapter 25: Mirrors

I crossed the blocky entrance and climbed the stone spiraling steps to the next level of the pyramid. Once we passed the threshold, we came to a dark room lit only by self-illuminated mirrors. There were thirteen six-foot tall mirrors arranged in a circle. I stepped into the center very carefully, looking around me to see if there were any darts or weird traps like in the movies. I breathed out a long breath when nothing came flying out to attack me.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Remi asked behind me.

I waved my hand at him. "Hush. Let me figure this out."

In the mirrors, I saw the next threshold. I looked around at the rest of the dark room. Remi was walking around the backs of the mirrors.

"Do you see anything else?" I asked.

I couldn't see him in the darkness but his deep voice growled a negative response.

So, it had to be the mirrors. I stepped forward to the first one to the right. I saw myself. As I looked around at the other mirrors, I saw a few that showed the correct angles for the location, but some showed my back and other my front. My eyebrow's furrowed. It looked like light was not reflecting correctly here.

My finger reached out and touched the surface of the mirror. My finger squeaked slightly as it connected with the surface. I looked over my shoulder and picked a different mirror, one that had shown my front instead of an angle on my back. Remi came up behind me as I stared at it. Both he and I reflected in the mirror. I looked back over my shoulder. A few of the mirrors were also not showing the correct image. I slid my finger down the front but this time my finger sunk through the surface like it was water. I pulled it back quickly. The liquid surface solidified again reflecting my dark form.

"Did you see that?" I whispered.

I saw Remi's head nod in the reflection.

I stuck my finger through its surface again then pushed my hand in.

"Should you be doing that?" He asked.

"I don't think we have much choice." I pushed my shoulder through and then my head. As my head poked to the other side, I saw a group of five mirrors around the circle. Some of which showed my backside instead of my front. I stepped through the rest of the way. I spun around the circle. The room was similar, but with less mirrors, and still no threshold. Remi followed, stepping in behind me. Some of the mirrors showed the right angles of us and a few had a threshold behind us in the image. I touched each of the surfaces of the mirrors. Three of the five were liquid. I chose one and stepped through.

The next room held three mirrors. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. I picked another, with Remi still on my heel. This one held seven. I picked three more. The first room had three mirrors, the second eleven, and the third held five again.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Remi asked.

I shook my head. "I'm just guessing."

"Well, I can do that." He disappeared through another mirror. I watched him walked through three more through the images in the mirrors. In some, it was like he was right next to me. In one, I was alone. In another he was alone. I picked a different path. We wound a maze through the paths of mirror. After about twenty I stopped. I watched his image walk through multiple mirrors of the thirteen that surrounded me.

"I wish we could see that path..." I murmured.

That gave me an idea. I fumbled through my bag and found the keychain flashlight, which wasn't going to be helpful, but the other side was a laser pointer. I pointed it towards a threshold in a mirror. As the light left the flashlight, the red beam became visible. It wasn't just a spot like in our world, instead, it was a path of light.

"Whoa," I whispered. Then louder, I asked, "Can you see that?"

Remi's image looked left and right following the red beam in front of him. "Yes! Let me follow it."

After the first one, he stopped and looked around. "It looks like it bounces off the solid mirrors and points to the next one."

His image jumped through six more mirrors until he stood looking at the next doorway. "I'm here."

I jumped through the mirror. When I met with the next seven mirrors I stopped. There were several thresholds in the images. I didn't know which one my laser pointer would be sending me to.

"Great. Now how am I going to get there?" I said as I pointed the beam around the images.

"Can't you just point it at the door?"

"Which one? There are three." I pointed the light at the first one to my right. The laser light disappeared into it and then bounced as a red light across other images. I turned and pointed the laser straight ahead towards the next mirror. That mirror reflected it to another and then back to one at my left.

"Ah ha!" I followed the beam through to the next mirror.

"I take it, you figured it out?"

I pointed the beam straight in front of me again from the mirror I was climbing through. This one reflected off of three different mirrors before it sank into the mirror on my right. I climbed through that one.

"Yep. I'll be there soon, just hang on." I jumped through the next mirror and then three more.

"What am I supposed to hang on to?" He asked sarcastically while his dark figure leaned against the doorway.

I stepped through the last single mirror and into the last room.

"Well, that was exciting."

I couldn't see Remi's face, but he seemed annoyed.

"I wonder what's next," I said.

"How come you sound almost chipper about this?" He asked.

"Why shouldn't I? It's physics. Something I'm actually good at. None of this magic mumbo jumbo shit. I know the rules. I know how to play.

"Well, I sure don't. Come on Miss Physics, let's get a move on." He ushered me up the spiral staircase.

I couldn't help it. I was actually kind of excited for the last puzzle.