So one day he went exploring inside the attic, the very place his mother warned him about. You can’t forbid a child from going somewhere without any explanation and expect them to listen! So up he went into the dingy attic where he found a mirror, a beautiful gold-rimmed mirror. His reflection stared back at him in fascination. Except it wasn’t his usual reflection. The eyes weren’t quite as sparkly, and the grin wasn’t quite as sincere. Then suddenly the boy in the mirror talked!
‘My name is Frankie,’ his not-reflection said.
Scared, Jack backed away, ready to run downstairs into the arms of his mother. But then Frankie warned, ‘Don’t tell your mother! If you follow my instructions, you will be greatly rewarded.’
Curiosity now piqued, Jack asked, ‘Rewarded how?’
‘You name it, I can get it for you,’ the not-reflection answered.
So they sealed the deal with a handshake through the mirror.
That night Jack went to bed with his imagination full of gifts he would ask the boy in the mirror for. The next morning Jack couldn’t wait to return to the mirror, but it wasn’t until after dinner when he finally got a chance to slip into the attic. When he arrived, at the foot of the glass was a present wrapped in paper. Excited to find out what was inside, he snuck the gift downstairs into his bedroom and hid it from his mother. After she tucked him in for bed, he pulled out the package and unwrapped it. It was a comic book, a special limited edition that Jack had been asking for two birthdays in a row but never got until now!
After everyone else fell asleep, Jack tiptoed up to the attic and thanked Frankie for the gift. Frankie reminded him that if Jack continued to keep their little secret, he’d send another gift. Jack couldn’t believe how easy it was to get everything he ever wanted without lifting a finger.
As Jack returned to bed, he felt dizzy. ‘It’s probably just because I’m tired,’ he told himself. But the next morning the dizziness persisted.
‘What’s wrong, Jack?’ his mother asked.
‘I’m just feeling dizzy,’ he replied.
‘Maybe you need something to perk you up,’ his mother said. So she gave him a huge cookie to share with his sister. Instead of sharing with his sister, Jack ate every last crumb.
That afternoon Jack returned to the attic, where Frankie greeted him with a sly grin.
‘Are you back for more gifts?’ Frankie asked.
‘I would sure love a new video game,’ Jack replied.
‘How about you give me something in return?’ Frankie suggested.
‘Sure. Like what?’
‘I want your sister’s favorite Barbie doll’s head.’
Jack thought it was an odd request, but that wouldn’t stop him. When his sister was outside playing, he cut off her favorite doll’s head and returned to the attic with it. Upon his arrival, sure enough, there was another wrapped gift in the shape of a video game. Tearing it open, Jack found his absolute favorite game that he had stepped on and broken, which his parents refused to replace.
‘Thank you!’ Jack exclaimed. As he headed downstairs for dinner, the dizziness was more severe this time, nearly sending him tumbling down the stairs. Assuming he was just hungry, he didn’t think much of it.
Not until the next morning, when he was so dizzy he could hardly get out of bed. Feeling sick to his stomach, he had no appetite for breakfast. But the desire for another present sent him crawling up to the attic, where Frankie met him with a wink and a hello.
‘What can I do to get another gift?’ Jack asked.
‘How about your mother’s most prized possession? Surely that will warrant the best gift of all!’
Jack knew exactly what his mother loved most. Her cell phone. That afternoon, while his mother was doing laundry, he snuck her cell phone upstairs and passed it through the mirror. Frankie handed Jack a gift, but this time it wasn’t wrapped. After all, a hoverboard was too big and bulky to wrap!
As Jack stood up on the hoverboard, a wave of dizziness passed over him, sending him crashing through the mirror. Except the glass didn’t break. As he rose to his feet, he realized he was inside the mirror now, and Frankie was on the outside!
Banging on the glass didn’t help. Yelling didn’t help. He was stuck behind the mirror with no way out. As Frankie watched him struggle with an evil glint in his eye, he reached out to Jack.
‘Thank you for saving me!’ Jack said, reaching back. Except Frankie didn’t grab Jack’s hand to pull him out. Instead he grabbed Jack’s neck. And squeezed. And squeezed until the life left the boy.
Never again would Jack disobey his mother, because Jack was dead.
The End … for Jack
Keep Reading …
One dead husband. Three best friends who tell each other everything – apart from the truth …
A gripping psychological crime thriller with a twist – where the deadliest secrets lie closest to home.
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About the Author
Pamela Crane is a USA Today bestselling author of almost a dozen novels. She loves writing about flawed and fascinating heroines. When she’s not cleaning horse stalls or changing diapers, she’s psychoanalyzing others.
You can find out more about her at www.pamelacrane.com
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