The Curious Case of the Cursed Looking Glass by Constance Barker

Author:Constance Barker [Barker, Constance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Constance Barker
Published: 2017-12-20T06:00:00+00:00

I COULD SEE CLARENCE struggling to catch his breath. The bits and pieces of information, the reason for this entire trip and my insistence on getting the artifact were beginning to come together for him in a clearer picture. He’d understand just what sort of dreams and visions I’d been having.

Now, I’m sure, he was asking himself the same question I was: Wouldn’t looking in the mirror just make things worse?

The best answer I could give myself was, maybe. I’d only had fleeting, tantalizing glimpses in my dreams. It was an imperfect way to see, and didn’t let me understand or analyze them at all. I was sure that looking in the mirror would give me a closer, clearer, and better look at what I was seeing. Only then could I tell if there were actually other, parallel, or perhaps tangential, realities in play.

What I’d do with that information was unclear. I hoped seeing clearly would provide some insight there as well.

“If you are serious,” Ralf paused, “if you really think you need to touch the mirror, I suppose I can give you some time with the original. Assuming you are willing to risk going insane, of course.”

“I’d be happy to sign a liability waiver.” I told him.

Clarence looked at me, horrified.

“I was joking,” Ralf said.

“Oh. Then can we go see it now?”

“The problem is that it isn’t stored here. It isn’t in this building.”

“Where is it?” Clarence asked, sounding like he was hoping Ralf would say it was somewhere in the frozen tundra of Siberia. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“For the last ten years or so it’s been locked up in a storage room at Cambridge University. I can arrange for someone to give you access.”

“You tucked it away and no one cared nor noticed?”

“Before you? No. Although Dr. Dee, and Kelly and their mirror are well known among spiritualists, in terms of antiquities that mirror is a rather obscure piece. It’s only real historical significance is that it was brought back from Mexico.”

“Mexico?” Clarence asked.

Ralf drew back, looking alarmed. “Yes. By Cortes. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”

Clarence waved a hand. “Yes, of course I did. I’ve been fixated on its modern relevance to magic, is all. But everyone knows that such mirrors were used by Aztec priests to conjure visions and make prophesies.”

“Yes, they are reputedly tied in with Tezcatlipoca, the god of obsidian and sorcery.”

“And his name means 'Smoking Mirror’, I believe,” Clarence put in.

Ralf relaxed. “Exactly. Anyway, that is the real importance of the mirror—it’s a sample of the various items used in Aztec rituals. For me, or any historian, the shenanigans it was involved in here in England are inconsequential.”

The dismissive way he said ‘shenanigans’ told me he’d already forgotten the scary and strange visions that had caused him to put the mirror out of sight. Given that he was going to have someone else get it out of storage, I wondered how long Ralf might’ve spent mirror gazing himself. “So when can we see it?” I asked.

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