The Haunted Mirror: Part I

In a small town of England, in the later half of the 1800s, there once lived the Keynes family who were quite famous and highly-reputated in their locality as the family was the owner of a good-going business company. The Keynes lived in a huge villa which was filled with treasures but not happiness. David Keynes was the owner of both the villa and the company. He had huge masses of trasures. He resembled to be a very good hearted man. But from inside, he was actually a devil in disguise. His wife, Laura Keynes was a soft-hearted person but was always afraid of her husband as he used to torture her everyday. They had a daughter named Rosè. She was a very beautiful, soft-hearted and graceful girl. She had peering blue eyes. She held an intensity in her eyes and her face. People used to say that David was very lucky to get such a friendly and good mannered daughter. But David didn't much approve of Rosè as he was prone to a dirty thought that tells that females are inferior than males. The Keynes' were not a happy family. David and Laura often had quarrels which lead Rosè to a little depression. And finally, one day in the year 1855, when David could no longer bear Laura, he stabbed her. Rosè saw the whole incident happen. She was just of 10 years then. She was very angry and at the same time she was mentally challenged and hurt. She wanted to kill her devilish father but before she could spit out her anger on her father, she was put into a shabby, dark and pungent-smelling room by her father which was very scary. She cried there for hours and hours for what had happened. She never thought that matters would turn so worse. She cried over her loss of mother. She felt all lonely and tortured. The next day her father came to see her but he was not alone. A lady of about 25 had come with him. Rosè was very scared. She thought that maybe now she would be tortured by that lady. But nothing of that sort happened. Rosè asked her father in a very terrified tone, "Dad, who is she?" "She is your new mother, Enola Rambo. Tomorrow we get married and then she would be Enola Keynes instead of Enola Rambo." answered David in a heavy tone. "She can't be my mother! A mother can never be replaced! Dad you cannot do such an injustice to me! I will never accept this woman as my mother!" replied Rosè in the highest pitch that she could ever dare to speak in. And then her father slapped her and said in a very angry tone, "You do not accept Enola as your mother! Huh! Now see what I do to you. How dare you say in such a high pitch? You have forgotten that how you should talk to your father! Wait for what I do with you!" And he started beating Rosè with his belt. After 10 to 15 of such painful beating, he stopped and inquired of Rosè, "Now say what is your decision! Say will you...." "Wait David! Why do you beat this little girl? Look at her! She holds such an innocence on her face. Please don't beat her dear. If you love me, then please do not beat her." interrupted Enola. It was the first time she ever spoke something since the time she came in there. Thus on her request, he stopped beating Rosè. David said, "I will not beat you. But, I will keep you locked up in this room forever. You will be provided with two meals daily, some dresses, but you will stay here locked up forever. You will never be talked about to anyone. I will never consider you as my own blood." and he left with Enola leaving Rosè all alone in that room. Thus, Rosè was concealed forever from the rest of the world. She was mentioned by neither David nor Enola. Those who knew her were either killed or sent to faraway, desolate lands. 

After 10 years of all this, there took place a very painful and sorrowful incident. Rosè had then grown up to a yound lady of 20. These 10 years of concealment, was a curse to her. And it would be for the coming years too if it was her destiny. But this year of 1865, brought a new light of hope to her boredom filled life when she fell in intense love with a young man named Jacob Johansson. Jacob was the caretaker of the horses of Rosè's father. He was an American. His eyes were ocean blue in colour. He had a blonde, shiny hair. His behaviour was very gentle-manly. He never believed in discrimination between two objects. He was much socially advanced than Rosè's father. So their love story begins in this way. One day, when Rosè was looking out of her room's window, she saw Jacob. Jacob was cleaning the horses. When their eyes met, they instantly fell in love with each other and it was the beginning of a love that was authentic, a love that was never ending, a love that would see no bounds, a love that was cataclysmic and pure. 

One fine day, when the relation of Rosè and Jacob had already ripened up, Jacob climbed up to Rosè's room by the help of a ladder as usual and gifted her a beautiful hand mirror. It was his symbol of love for Rosè. The mirror was a very unique one. Jacob said to Rosè, "Take this my dear. This is the symbol of our love. This will be the legacy of our infatuating love. I made it myself for you. Please do accept this." Seeing this Rosè broke into tears. Jacob ejaculated, "What, what happened Rosè? Didn't you like my gift? Did I angry you? Did I do any mis....." "Jacob! No! No! It's not because of any of your faults that I am in tears. It's because of the happiness and joy that you gave me through this gift. I never gained any love. My own father tortured me. He himself wanted me to beat to death. It's just because of his wife Enola that I am safe and sound still now. And you! You love me so much. We met just a few months ago but still you understand and love me more than my father. Thank you Jacob for this gift. It would indeed be the symbol of our passionate love. I will keep it with myself forever. Never will I forget to take this with me. Even if I die, I will die with this mirror. Thank you Jacob. Thank you. I have no words to express my gratitude towards you. Thank you once again." And then they hugged each other which was followed by a gratifying kiss. But their happiness was meant to be short-lived. They were unaware of the fact that today would be the day of both of their death. David had come to the stable to take his horse for a ride. When he called up for Jacob, he heard no response and then he noticed the ladder which Jacob had used to climb up to Rosè's room. Then he climbed up the ladder to reach her room where he found Rosè and Jacob sharing a kiss. He ejaculated in a very high pitch, "What is this? Hey you! You Jacob! How dare you come here? And you! You dirty, filthy, little girl! I said you never to be friendly with anyone. Never to talk to anyone. But still you did! Wait and watch what I do to you and your love! Just wait and watch! Today I will beat you both to death. Just wait! Hey you boy! Come with me! Come! I will kill you today! Come w...." "Father! No! Please! Don't kill him! If you want to punish someone then that should be me. I was the one who looked out of the window to find some ray of hope to escape from here. And one day my eyes came in contact with those of Jacob's. It is all my fault. Please do not punish him. Please! Father I will do anything you tell me to do. Even if I have to die then I will. But please do not hurt him. Please!" cried out Rosè to her father pleadingly. But that was of no use. David slapped Rosè twice and then took away Jacob. Jacob wanted to punch her father but he probably couldn't because of the vow that he will never say anything about the tortures he did with Rosè by going against him. He had taken that pledge to Rosè. Thus, he went with David. After about half an hour, Rosè saw Jacob near the tree in the garden. She was afraid because she thought something terrible would happen and she will lose Jacob too like the way she lost her mother 10 years back. David then came. He had a rope in his hand which was used by him to beat someone to death. But this time it was tied into a big knot. It looked as if something would hang from that rope. That rope was tied on a strong branch of the tree. The knotted hollow side was towards the ground. And Rosè didn't need any other indication that her love would be killed very soon. She wanted to escape from there but her door was tightly closed. And there were guards below every window. She had no way to run away from there and save her love. 5 minutes later, Rosè saw Jacob putting that hollow part of the rope around his neck. He had no fearful expressions on his face even after knowing that his death was not too far. He was standing on a horse and doing that. Then the man who was sitting on that horse started beating the horse so that the horse moves. And as soon as that horse moved, Jacob died. Rosè could never think of this day. They had planned so many things for their future. They built up so many dreams. And all of them broke into pieces in just a moment. She felt as if her life had turned into a somber and gloomy one. It's inexplicable to express what she felt at that moment. A fire of revenge took birth inside her. She wanted to kill her father now. She had no mercy left for him. The next day, David came into her room with his belt. Seeing the belt, Rosè instantly knew that she was to be beaten to death. She didn't want to die in pain. So before her father could touch her, she took a knife and the mirror that Jacob had gifted her and said in a faint voice, "Father, I know you came to punish me. And I have no objection to it. The only thing is that I don't want to die in pain. So I will stab myself up with this knife." And with these words she stabbed herself with the knife holding the mirror in her hand leaving the room stained with blood and her body as motionless as a non-living thing. David didn't say a single word because he wanted Rosè to be killed. And when she did that herself, he was probably happy. But then, within a few moments, a queer thing happened. The body of Rosè disintegrated to ashes by itself. Those ashes formed a strong gust of wind around David. Everything flew except David and the mirror that Jacob had gifted Rosè on that very day. When David noticed that mirror he was so astounded that he stood frozen in his place. He espied that the mirror didn't at all move from its place. Though it was light but still it didn't fly with the sudden gust of wind. David was partially terrified. And then a more outlandish thing happened. There came a deep voice of a woman. It said :

"The 𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝘂 did to me, 

 Will cost you heavily. 

 The 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 that was born in me, 

 Will not render so easily!" 

At these words, David got extremely scared. He was shaking from head to foot. He was awestruck. After that the knife with which Rosè had killed herself, started flying in the air. It looked as if some invisible and invincible power was holding that knife. And gradually that knife came towards David. Then it struck right into his left eye and he laid dead on the floor of the room. At last, Rosè's revenge was fulfilled but for some reason she stayed on like a ghost. She was pulled towards the mirror. Her soul then slowly went inside that mirror. And she lived on in that mirror forever like a ghost. Her promise was not at all broken. As she vowed, the mirror that Jacob had gifter her stayed with her forever. And after 100 years of all this incident, when this mirror was declared to be an antique in a museum, the story of her evil soul begins.