when hell over flow,a story by Ufouma K Oluwaseun

Chapter 3

Abidemi was the mirror image of royalty. She
had spotless skin, beautifully sculpted facial
features, light brown expressive eyes, thick
shoulder length hair and was considered too tall
for her age. At 5ft8”, she towered over most of
her age mates. She carried herself in a manner
that would put many beauty queens to shame,
head held high, spine straight, chin raised but not
too high, long confident strides. She was the
envy of most girls her age. What they didn’t
know was that because her mother was a former
beauty queen who took a lot of pride in her looks
and had lots of endorsement deals still coming
her way despite the fact that she was forty, she
had made sure to drill Abidemi into perfection.
“Don’t leave your mouth hanging dear, there is
nothing beautiful about a droopy face” her mother
had once said to her. She was just ten years old.
“Don’t drag the towel across your face, you pat it
dry not rub, otherwise your skin would wrinkle”.
She was thirteen.
“Do not slouch dear, sit up straight. A straight
spine is essential to looking good”. She was
fifteen.
“Is that a zit I see? I need to send you to see the
dermatologist”. She was sixteen.
Now, at seventeen, she was filled with
insecurities despite being a beautiful girl.
She was the daughter of a beauty queen and
hated politician, this meant she couldn’t go
anywhere without a security detail so she
decided to spend most of her free time flipping
through glossy magazines and buying vintage
items online. Recently she had purchased a
mirror on a website claiming to ‘change the way
you see yourself'. It was said to have belonged
to a former enchantress.
When the mirror was delivered to her room, she
was beside herself with joy. She hung it up on
the wall and to her surprise, the mirror actually
changed the way she saw herself.
She felt prettier when she looked in the mirror,
she felt more confident.
When her mother announced that the minister of
finance and his family would be visiting for
dinner, she was ecstatic. She was infatuated
with the minister’s son.
She pulled out a white lacy gown, she was going
to make her move tonight. She was going to tell
him how she felt.
After slipping on the gown and applying light
makeup, she ran a comb through her hair and
proceeded to examine herself in her vintage
mirror. She needed the boost in confidence. The
mirror delivered. She looked stunning. For the
first time in her life, she liked her mirror image.
She was still admiring herself when something
happened. She blinked. The mirror image.
Abidemi was shocked, she was quite sure her
mirror image had blinked when she herself had
not and so she leaned in to take a closer look,
taking care not to blink and it happened again.
She was still pondering on the strange
occurrence when steam began to build up within
the mirror. She reached out to the mirror in an
attempt to wipe away the steam when a hand
reached out from the mirror and grabbed hers.
Within seconds, they had switched places with
the real Abidemi stuck inside the mirror and
unable to do anything but blink. Her mirror image
stared back at her, her lips curving in a sardonic
smile.
“Woah” mirror image exclaimed “It feels nice to
be able to use my mouth again”.
Abidemi found herself mouthing the words of the
mirror image.
The mirror image ran her hands across her face
and down her neck, forcing Abidemi to do the
same “Oh, my skin feels so good” she paused “
You don’t have to do everything I do when
nobody’s watching” she commented dryly.
Abidemi blinked.
“Sucks doesn’t it? Only being able to blink….blink
if you think it sucks”.
Abidemi blinked.
“Yeah, it does but don’t worry I’m only out here
for a short while” she giggled loudly before
continuing “ Only a monster deserves to be
locked up in there and you my dear” she trailed
her fingers across the cold mirror, across
Abidemi's face “ You my dear, are not a
monster”.
“Our guests are here Demi, please come down
and act appropriately” her mother announced on
the intercom.
“It is always one thing with that woman isn’t it?”
The image blurted “Always yapping about posture
and the likes, she’s gonna get hers” she said
before replying the woman that she was on her
way.
On her way out of the room, she turned to
Abidemi and mouthed “ This is going to be fun”.
Abidemi stayed stuck in the mirror long after the
image was gone, she could hear and see but
couldn’t talk. After several minutes, she heard
screams, blood curdling screams that went on
for what seemed like hours along with the sound
of things crashing. Then it stopped, the chaotic
sound. It was followed by an unsettling quiet.
The image waltzed into the room covered in
blood.
“Red suits us better” The image said with a smile
“Look how it complements our skin”
Abidemi was horrified, but she could only blink.
“Ooh don’t give me that look” the image chided
her “Only one of the security men escaped. You
would have been proud of me, I made your stiff
necked mother cry like an uncouth woman, so
much for decorum” she reached out to the stuck
girl “ I can’t wait to see what you’ll come up
with, when your face is plastered all over the
television and papers and people are asking you
why you did it” She sighed “ Time to face the
music Abi”. The image touched the mirror and
they switched places again, with Abidemi on the
outside this time, the blood from the formerly
white garment clung to her skin.
The image winked at her just as the sound of
sirens filled the air.
The characters: Ufuoma...hey...hey..listen up
Me: Go away, I'm busy with things that can pay
me
The characters: We would pay you someday
Me: Yeah, until that day comes, shush...I'm busy
The characters: But we're interesting, tell our
stories please..
Me: Go the f.ck away NOW
The characters: But...
Me: I said bye bye
Some days later
Me: Hello guys, I was wondering if you could tell
me about that interesting stuff that happened to
you again
*Nothing*
Me: Hello ? I'm free now... Come out..come
out wherever you are
*Deafening silence*
Me: I actually want to write now, come out..
*Nothing*
Me: goes back to doing other things...an
important deadline looms
One character: So beads of sweat gathered
around my temples as I struggled to get my
heartbeat back to normal...
Me: hold up, what story are you telling?
One character: That one I was telling you before
you fell asleep
Me: I wasn't listening. I needed that sleep
One character: You never listen to us, me
especially
Me: Oh, sod off. You always pick the worst time
to visit
One character: You are so annoying, we would
deal with you.
Me: (feigning fear) Oooooohhhhh, I'm so scared.
Suddenly the others all barge into my room and
lift me.
Me: Hey, put me down this instant. I am your
maker
Them: (scoffs) Some maker you are. What is a
maker without its creations?
Poseidon's sister: You told Posei's tale. I've told
you mine and you're yet to tell mine. I'm
definitely more interesting than her
Me: Well...I need to do a little research in order
to write you. You are quite more complex than
she is
Poseidon's sister: Please don't patronize me.
You haven't even given me a name.
Me: How do you like Athena?
Poseidon's sister: (hisses) Definitely a boring
name
Me: Hey, it's not boring....plus plagiarists are a
problem
Poseidon's sister: Well screw em
Me: Nah, they're the ones screwing writers over.
Can you put me down now?
Them: No way. You have to learn a lesson
Me: Huh?
Them: Maybe some time in the block would
make you take us more seriously
Me: Hey (shaking head from side to side). What
block? Guys? C'mon
Them: The writer's block
Me: Please No...No...please
Them: (proceed to carry me there)
I'm still there at the moment....soon be out
though.