The Uninvited Houseguests
Ethan was so excited when his 13th birthday came around. For his big present, Ethan’s parents gave him a very old mirror that had belonged to their family for many generations. The mirror had an intricate wooden frame with beautiful flowery designs carved all over the edges. When Ethan’s dad took off the protective cloth covering, a huge oval mirror was revealed underneath, with a golden border glistening in the sunlight.
“This is so cool!” Ethan exclaimed.
Gently rubbing his hands along the carved patterns on the frame. His mom smiled and explained that great-great-grandfathers and uncles had all owned and cherished this antique mirror before him. Now it finally belonged to Ethan.
Ethan’s dad hung the tall mirror up on his bedroom wall opposite the bed. That first night, Ethan stayed up late just gazing at his new prized possession. He loved the way the mirror made his room look bigger, reflecting his walls covered with skateboarding posters and shelves overflowing with sports trophies and action figures. As he got ready for bed, Ethan kept glancing over at his reflection looking so grown-up and proud.
Over the next couple of weeks, the novelty of the hand-me-down mirror wore off a little and Ethan went about his usual routine without really paying much attention to it. But then strange things started happening that made…
