Some Mirrors

Writober 2025: Day Four Mirrors>Response Post

🔗Links in the Table of Contents are Jump links to my responses to each of the challenges
🐦‍⬛This is original work created by Maria L. Berg and this post counts as copyright. All rights reserved.

🎃OctPoWriMo 🦇Writober Flash Fiction 👻Halloween Photography Challenge

Today’s Theme: Mirrors

These are my responses to the prompt post for Day 4 of Writober Projections of What We Fear in Ourselves.

OctPoWriMo

Why Can’t You Be More Like

Bathroom Mirror, we need to talk
I mean, what can I say?
You’re useful
do a job
but lately
you’ve been dull
lackluster and foggy
steamed up after showers
right when I need you the most
especially when time is short
So really, have you been useful?
And you’re always so judgy:
always pointing out flaws
and imperfections.
Why can’t you be more friendly?
You could try to be nice
once in a while.

Why can’t you
be more like the mirrors
in the upstairs closet?
They’re fun. They barely
reflect me at all behind
all the shapes and colors
of light they bounce
from reflection to reflection.
I could spend all day with them
dancing and taking pictures.
Why don’t you play well with others?
It’s time to stretch yourself
Show me something new
Put on a fresh face
and reflect on what you’ve done.

Writober Flash Fiction Challenge

The Final Procedure

When Mrs. Shelstein’s plastic surgeon refused to do any more procedures, she swore she would find someone who would. This turned out to be harder than she thought. Finally, someone mentioned a Doctor Franks on the forever young Discord, and he was looking for new patients for his revolutionary new procedure. She couldn’t believe her luck. 

Doctor Franks’s offices were a little different than the other clinic-style surgeries she had been to. She would have described it as science-laboratory chic, if anyone had ever asked her. She was put off by the smell—chemical flower air fresheners trying to hide decaying flesh—but she quickly forgot about it after the doctor sat her down in front of his swirling disc and said, “You are feeling very relaxed.”

When she woke up, a voice echoed in her mind, “You are your ideal young beauty.” She opened her eyes and saw many reflections of herself seated in a chair surrounded by mirrors. He had done it! Doctor Franks had finally accomplished what no other surgeon had, and with no bandages. She went to touch her face, but her hands were thickly wrapped. “What’s this?”

One of the mirrors opened like a door and Dr. Franks walked in, closing it behind him. “That’s so you won’t do any damage while you heal. It’s your hands touching your face that is the real danger, so instead of wrapping your face, making it so you wouldn’t see your new youth and beauty, I chose to wrap your hands. I can see that you are satisfied with our results?”

Mrs. Shelstein admired her reflection in every mirror. “Oh yes, doctor. You are an artist.”

Doctor Franks opened the mirror-door, and motioned for her to get up. “I’m so glad you think so. There is someone I want you to meet. Be careful standing up. Take your time. Good. Good. He’s right through here.”

The widow Shelstein, confident in her beauty, left the mirrors head held high, and still had to raise her chin to look up at the man before her. His dark, deep-set eyes looked as if they held galaxies of stars, and his chest and muscular arms could hold her and never let her go. She heard that echoing voice in her head again, sounding as if it came from an ancient part of herself, it said, “He’s the man of your dreams. The one you’ve always wanted. You’ll be so happy together.”

“Mrs. Shelstein, I want you to meet Theo. He also received my treatment, and I think you will be perfect for each other. Forever.”

Halloween Photography Challenge

For today’s photos, I watched the Monstrum Bloody Mary video and made a cut filter trying to capture Bloody Mary in a mirror. While taking my photos, I realized that she might just be the front woman for a whole hoard of monsters waiting in her world for the passage to open when she’s summoned. I used this cool partial color filter in my camera set to red.