Keceke the Formerly Fun Mirror

Kevin’s Krazy Karnival was back in town and once again its name stirred controversy. But one attraction seemed to be a nice distraction: the Hall of Mirrors-Orama.

Stride on through and you’d find yourself on a zany path, surrounded on all sides by mirrors of all different shapes and sizes. Each had its own pattern, and reflected back to each traveler a unique and interesting reflection. People of all ages loved it, and the mirrors loved it, too.

“Wowee!” exclaimed Diho after a wonderfully exhausting day of entertainment. “That sure was fun, wasn’t it, fellahs?”

The other mirrors chirped with enthusiasm, their blissful voices echoing through the empty halls they formed.

“Today there was a small blonde boy who laughed for a whole minute at his reflection in me!” Oot announced gleefully.

“There was a mom who was so amused by me that she took a picture!” Saihu shared. “She even remembered to turn off the flash!”

“I think I was so fun that I almost spooked a kid,” Atfa reminsced happily.

All the mirrors raved of their day’s stories. And when it seemed everyone had spoke, Keceke shared his own thoughts.

“I only had four people like me today,” he said. The other mirrors hushed, respecting the seriousness of Keceke’s comment. Diho grew concerned as Keceke was a mirror he was quite fond of.

“That’s okay, Keceke,” Diho assured. “We’ve all got our own people that think we’re fun. But don’t you worry. We think you’re fun!”

The other mirrors all agreed, but Keceke did not respond.

“Well… Goodnight, everyone!” cried Diho. And the mirrors all wished each other a good night.

It was the next day, and the Hall of Mirrors-Orama was open once again. New faces passed through, and every mirror had its own share of experiences, just as always. But Diho noticed that something had changed.

Everybody seemed to be passing over the area where Keceke was. From Diho’s angle, he could not tell why as he couldn’t really see Keceke. He felt bad for Keceke, knowing how sensitive he was to people liking him. Taking advantage of a temporary lull in travelers, Diho whispered to Keceke.

“How are you feeling, Keceke?”

“I am good,” Keceke replied.

“He changed himself,” stated Ectam, a mirror that was placed right in front of Keceke. Diho was taken aback.

“What?” Diho asked quickly.

“He’s not fun anymore,” Ectam said. “He’s just a regular mirror now. He flattened himself.”

Diho couldn’t believe this, but Ectam was not lying. Overnight, Keceke had adjusted his shape, size, and pattern to be that of an entirely ordinary mirror.

“Keceke!” Diho stammered. “Why would you do that?”

“I am more fun now,” Keceke answered. “More people will now like me.”

“Keceke, listen to me…” started Diho.

“I will listen to you if it will please you,” Keceke responded. Diho was almost frightened by Keceke’s response, and couldn’t quite find his words immediately.

“If you’re just a normal mirror, then you won’t be a fun mirror. Instead of some people liking you, you won’t have any people liking you.”

And just at that moment, a wiry girl was heard rounding the corner and the mirrors were silent. She passed by the mirrors with a sort of vacancy in her stare. It was doubtful she even knew she was looking at fun mirrors. It seemed she would just stroll by every mirror, until she stopped in front of one. It was Keceke.

She stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

“This is the greatest mirror in the entire world,” she claimed in a scattered voice. “This mirror has absolutely no flaws.” And with that, she walked away.

Diho wasn’t happy about the whole interaction.

“Well,” Diho started. “I guess she was an exception. But you have to trust me, Keceke. You have to be your fun self.”

“That girl said I have absolutely no flaws,” Keceke said. “She said I was the greatest mirror in the entire world. Now everybody is going to like me.”

Diho had trouble following Keceke’s warped logic. ”But, Diho…”

“Why don’t you rest on it for now,” Ectam suggested. Diho hesitated, but decided Ectam was probably right. The day came and went, and every mirror enjoyed much of the same while Keceke went the rest of the day unnoticed.

The fair ticked on, and each day would bring new faces—and one familiar face. The wiry girl would return each day, drifting through the hall and routinely stopping in front of Keceke, always with something grand to say.

“I have never seen a mirror as great as this mirror.”
“This mirror is entirely perfect in every way possible.”
“I love this mirror.”

Each night, Diho would be increasingly worried. Each mirror would share its own stories, and at the end of their conversation, Keceke would say the same thing.

“Now I can be fun for everyone.”

Diho was sad. He didn’t understand what had happened to his formerly fun friend. Keceke only seemed concerned with attention now, and for some reason he thought it was worth it because of a girl who only seemed concerned with her own reflection. But maybe, Diho thought, Ectam was wrong about Keceke changing After all, for the entire time Diho had known Keceke, Diho had never been able to see him.

Perhaps Keceke was never fun at all.