This Way to Rehab

Mirrors never lie. No matter how hard we try to erase the truth, its reflection waits to be found. No illusion will tell you that you are the fairest of all in the land. Flaws are the cracks within the glass. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and what the eye beholds is less than perfection. But we still hide, trying to live up to what we are, but what is deadlier than a mirror is a dark mirror. Our worst enemy awaits us on the other side.

The interrogation room awaited the shadow. He stood for a long moment before the dark mirror. Inside were three occupants, whose fate rested in his hands. Death could easily solve their dilemma with a flick of his wrist, but then his reflection wavered, shimmering in the glass. He would hear them out. He would allow them to plead their case, but in the end, their lives now fell to him.

A brilliant light showered the room. Pinpoints of darkness threatened to consume it but failed, forced back into the darkest of corners. The moon slipped away from the barred window and dove into the nearest black cloud. A hum of fluorescent lights was supposed to be comforting, but death stood waiting to take those seated at the short, metal table. No more time was left for debate, but he promised to give them their moment. But he would weigh each word with heavy consequence.

Seated before the shadow were three fairy-tale creatures. The first was a dwarf arrested for being a pothead. The second was an angry, alcoholic fairy. The last was a witch busted for steroid use that increased her power, making her the most deadliest creature in all the land except when she crashed. Evidence was secretly gathered, intel was given by those of the land, and when the cases were solid, the warrants went out. The verdict was death, but the shadow would be the judge of that. If he deemed it so, they would die, or if moved to mercy, they would be condemned to rehab, never to return here again.

"I have three apples," the shadow began. He placed three fat, juicy red apples on the table. "One holds the key to freedom. Another will stricken you with being both deaf and blind. The last will take your life..." He snapped his fingers sharply. "Which apple do you take?"

"You said you would hear us out." A snarl crossed the fairy's lips. "Not play games with us. You can take those apples, and shove them up your ass." The shadow leaned back in his seat. "If I had my powers, I would..."

"You don't," the shadow simply said. "You three know what this place is. What are the chances of you walking out of here?"

"Please. Please, I won't use again." The witch leaned forward. "If you let me go, I will forever be at your mercy. Please. I just wanted to be stronger than my sisters."

"You should have thought of that before you used." He turned toward the dwarf. His reflection failed to hold its weight against those large, glassy eyes, sliding away. "Still stoned, I see." The dwarf giggled in response. "No use in saving you." He threw an apple into his hands. "Do you feel lucky?"

"You're pretty." The dwarf tried to touch the fairy's wings, but she slapped his hand away. "I believe in fairies. I believe in fairies."

"Just take a bite out of the damn apple," she snapped at him.

"Only if you kiss me." She quickly kissed his forehead. "A real kiss." He licked his lips. "Otherwise, I'll pull your wings." With a loud groan, she kissed him hard on his lips, and he pulled her closer. But she wriggled free. "Delicious." He devoured the apple.

A white cloud wrapped around him, and he disappeared. The apple core struck the cold, cement floor. A smell of smoke filled their nostrils, almost as sweet as weed, but then it slipped away through the barred window. He was free, allowed to return, and the two occupants left were now filled with terror. One of them would die, and the other would forever suffer.

"That's bullshit." The fairy jumped to her feet. The witch broke into tears. "You crying? You'll melt, stupid." She smacked the witch across the face. "And you? You said you would hear us out. What kind of crap is this?" An apple landed in her hands. "You can take this apple, and shove it up your ass!" She tried to throw it back at him, but it was stuck to her hand. "I'm not biting this. You can't make me, so screw you."

"I can make you, so sit down." He gestured toward her chair. "Sit down!" His voice grew stronger, and the fairy nearly collapsed into her seat. "I said that I would hear you out, but you have to be sober. The dwarf wasn't, but it was fool's luck that saved him. And that apple spared his life, but he didn't return home."

"Where did he go," the witch asked.

"He went this way to rehab." The shadow stared at the apple in the fairy's hand. "I do believe in fairies, so one question. Answer right, and you can go home. Answer wrong, and you will bite that apple. Do you understand?" The fairy slowly nodded, and her grip tightened over the fruit. "Why do you drink?"

"I like it."

"Not good enough."

"Wait." The apple was lifted to her lips. "Wait." It paused before her teeth. "I'm angry. I hate being a fairy. Everybody wants their damn wish. What about my wishes? What about what I want?"

"Which is what? What do you want?"

"I don't know," the fairy cried. "I don't want this. Please, I'm sorry about before. I'll be a good fairy. I'll make dreams come true." Her tone gave her away. It was a lie, and so she bit the apple.

The fairy exploded into a bright, yellow light. She bounced off the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. She flew through the shadow, and the witch ducked for cover. With a hollow scream, she disappeared through the barred window, and the last apple landed in the witch's hands.

"Last fairy-tale creature standing." The shadow's eyes shimmered with darkness. "All three of you knew the rules. You are what you are. None of you could accept that. One wanted to escape. The other wanted to drown in misery. You? You were greedy. You wanted more than you could handle, so tell me, witch. What would you do, if you lived tomorrow? Answer right, and you will. Answer wrong..." He gestured toward the apple.

"If I lived tomorrow..." The witch stared hard at her apple. "I would kill you." Her eyes met his. "I am better than this. I am better than you. I know what you are. I know why you were chosen to be our judge, jury, and executioner. You belong in rehab not me. You are the darkest part of who and what we are. You are the nightmare within the glass, the truth that none of us want to ever see."

"And the truth will set you free." The apple dropped from her hands. "Go home, witch."

She wasted no time. The door flew open, and she grabbed the nearest broom. She didn't even look back, and he didn't care. Instead, he held her apple in his hands like buried treasure, and he took a deep bite, savoring its bitter flavor. And the shadow fell to the floor, consumed by light, and only his haunting existence shivered through the dark mirror.