Bitesize 3.2

Bitesize 3.2

With Lady Barrington out of his hair Ed set about familiarising himself with the layout of the house. The mirror in question was located in the hall outside the suite he'd be staying in. He gave it a cursory inspection but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a big round mirror on an axle, allowing it to be tilted, sat on top of a chest of drawers. He took a chair from his suite and set it up about ten feet from the mirror. That would be his observation station that evening. There was nothing to suggest that the face, if there was one, would only appear at night but Ed still had a hunch that that would be the case. He wandered around the house a little after that. There were more mirrors he noticed and he wondered whether he should watch a different one if the night passed without a sighting. He wandered around for another half hour without finding anything of serious interest and then realised he was going to have to go eat before James locked the place down for the night. He'd already seen a café on the drive here, within walking distance, and he headed out of the house and down the driveway on foot. The gates opened as he approached them and he noticed a camera pointed at them in one of the trees. He gave it a wave and went through the gates.

When he got back to the house some time later the gates opened for him again. The food had been mediocre but it had killed some time. Eight thirty was approaching rapidly and so Ed made his way inside and up to his suite. Suite was the right word. It was more than just a simple bedroom, larger than his own knockthrough job at home. A large old fashioned writing desk and bookshelf to one side. A bed to another. A huge wardrobe and two chests of drawers and even a large glass panelled cabinet containing various antiques. The room had an en suite bathroom but it was non functional, Lady Barrington had told him. Instead he had shown him another similar bathroom two hallways away. He wondered whether James too had his own unique combination of bathroom and bedroom scattered around the house. Still, Lady Barrington had been kind enough to provide fresh towels and basic toiletries. He took a quick shower, mainly to refresh himself ready for his night time vigil then sat himself down on the chair opposite the mirror and watched.

Ed watched and waited and watched. Minute by minute the hours slipped by and Ed felt tiredness pulling at him. He was more slumped in the chair than sat in it, bordering that half asleep feeling. One arm hung low, his fingertips brushing against the carpet. The rhythmic noise of his breathing filled his ears and threatened to pull his eyelids down... down... Suddenly the flash of motion filled his half-vision and his eyes opened wide to stare at the mirror. Swimming in the surface was a mostly transparent face, a young blonde girl that he presumed must be Alice. The surrounding mirror shimmered like the surface of a lake as the face floated around before him. Wordlessly he watched as the face peered at him and it took a few moments for his eyes to register that the girl's mouth was moving as though trying to say something to him. An arm joined the face at the mirror and a finger extended. Where it made contact with the mirror's surface it broke and rippled like water. Ed's heartbeat thundered in his ears as he saw the finger break the surface and extend, right out of the mirror! He opened his mouth and gasped...

Ed jerked awake and fell from the chair. He scrambled to his feet, the fear of what he had just seen still lingering in his system but the face had gone. The mirror was solid once again and reflected only his own sweat-drenched face. Cautiously he approached it and reached out a tentative finger to touch its surface. It was solid and unyielding as glass should be. Confusion took over from fear. Had he dreamt it? Had he been awake? Common sense and studies in psychology told him he'd simply fallen asleep and imagined what he'd wanted to see. Years working for the Bureau suggested this could easily have been real. With a sigh of unfulfilled curiosity he took up position in the chair again and waited..
And watched...
And waited...