Short Story: The Endless

She woke to find herself on a floor of glass. Looking down was dizzying. She could see what looked like miles beneath her—all darkness with small dots of lights here and there. After patting around herself and being sure there actually WAS a floor all around she slowly rose from the floor. It was so disconcerting—this walking over a limitless-looking chasm. All around the (room?) were mirrors. They were set in such a way as to make it seem there were hundreds of her leading back to infinity. She could see no door.

“First to make sure I am okay”, she thought. She checked her body, patting it all around and making sure nothing was sore, bruised or hurting. She looked at her clothing. It was a long, white light gown. Like a nightgown but with a bit more substance. Across her waist was a band as blue as a robin's egg.

After she was satisfied she was physically fine she began to think back on how she might have gotten here. She couldn't remember anything before right now. She didn't know her name, where she was from, how old she was, nothing of her personal history or makeup.

She moved to one of the mirrors. Female. Tall. Fair skinned. Green eyes. Long white hair down to her waist. Small lines around her bright eyes. Long, slender fingers just showing some age. A plain, silver ring on her right index finger. The white gown fit just right. The sash around her waist was pretty.

But now she wanted to get out of this room. It was beginning to bother her mind. The deep, endless pit beneath her, the endless mirror images of her all around her. She had also become aware of some non-specific musical tone surrounding her. It had been so quiet that she had not been aware of it at first.

She began to walk the edges of the room, negotiating around the mirrors and pushing on this mirror or that one, hoping one of them was a door. As she made her way around she found a small glass cube with a small blue puff in the middle of it like a dandelion seeding. Picking it up it started to glow. No heat. Just glowing, the puff in the middle disappearing in the brightness. Across the cube it began to say ASK ME ANYTHING over and over....ASK ME ANYTHING....ASK ME ANYTHING....ASK ME ANYTHING...

Ok so she asked it “How do I get out of here?”

MUST BELIEVE.....MUST BELIEVE....MUST BELIEVE...MUST BELIEVE....

“What do I need to believe?”

IN OTHER WORLDS..........

“Other worlds in the mirrors???” she asked feeling both perplexed and intrigued.

THEY ARE GUIDES......

Do I push on them or?? what?

BELIEVE...BELIEVE....BELIEVE.....

Well, she thought, that wasn't much of an answer but it seemed the cube was just a guide not there to give her specific instructions.

Believe??? she thought 'Believe in what?? Other worlds? Am I supposed to push on the mirrors and believe in other worlds and then I can get out of here? That seems so strange but then this whole thing is strange.

Tucking the cube in the folds of her robe she made her way over to the mirrors. She looked at herself in one of them, seeing miles of tall, white haired women. She tried to will herself to Believe. Thought of worlds spinning all around her, thought of those worlds turning into other worlds....like these mirrors.

That's it!!! The mirrors are the gateways to the other worlds!! I know it! She yelled into the empty room.

Bringing the cube back out again she asked “Do I say something to the mirror?”

TELL IT WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE

Anything?? she asked

YES

What's my name? Do you know?

IONA UNESTE ORWYNE....IONA UNESTE ORWYNE

That's my name?

YOU HAVE MANY MANY NAMES

She decided to choose Iona. That would do. She went back to the mirrors. Looking into the depths she said aloud “I want to see a field of purple flowers with a sunset pink sky and a moon hanging low in it. I want there to be horses running across the field. I want to see mountains in the distance and hear distant peals of bells. I want birds flying overhead of every color in the universe. I want to see other people like me that I can talk to and a path that leads to a beautiful forest where I have a beautiful house among the trees.”

The mirrors silently stared back image after image of Iona. Had she done it wrong? Asked too much? Been too specific?

Cube—What did I do wrong?

MUST BELIEVE...MUST BELIEVE...MUST BELIEVE...the cube burned brightly now, brighter than before.

She looked back at the mirror and with all her will thought of that beautiful land she had asked for. She closed her eyes and envisioned riding a horse down that path to her forest home, finding others to talk to, beautiful pink sky, the purple flowers smelling so sweetly it was like breathing honey.

She began to hear something first. A little whistling sound. Then she felt her hair begin to flutter. Her feet no longer felt glass underneath but tall grass. The sweet smell filled her nose and she looked up. She was here. In her dream. All around her were a giant ring of mountains. Overhead the sky was a sunset color with a huge crescent moon hanging low in the sky. The breeze blew her white robe around her and her hair up in dancing strands. And there! There was a path. And then she saw them. The horses. Dozens of them all colors even blue, pink, purple, green. They ran across the field manes and tails flying back, winnying to each other.

She walked down the path. She imagined herself wearing some soft sandals and there they were on her feet. She thought about a cold drink and there was a goblet of some kind of sweet juice for her to drink.

This must be a dream. I am in bed. I am lying in bed and dreaming all of this. The mirrors, the cube, this land. But it still didn't explain why she couldn't remember anything about herself. Well maybe that's the dream too! That was a thought there.

She walked along smelling the sweet flowers, hearing the birds sing and circle above her. It never got darker, the sky never changed color, the scene stayed constant. The horses ran. She tried to believe something else into existence but couldn't think of anything else. She was tired from figuring out all these puzzles. She saw the woods ahead of her. They lead her to a lovely little thatch roof house. She went into it and saw a pallet on the floor. She fell into it and was almost instantly asleep. 

__________________________________________________________________

She was lying on a glass floor. Beneath her was a vast, deep chasm filled with little points of light. She felt around. She was not hurt. She couldn't remember her name or anything before right now. She made sure all was glass then got up and looked around her. Mirrors all around her, reflecting back endless images of a young girl with short, dark hair wearing a red gown.

She circled around and found a glass ball. She picked it up and it began to glow.

ASK ME ANYTHING...ASK ME ANYTHING...ASK ME ANYTHING.......

THE END