Page 49 of Black and White, Twice the Might

“Are you four alright?” Adhan asks them.

They nod, smiling happily. “We’re having so much fun. First, we were captured in willow branches, with murdering scarecrows and the headless horseman. Then we got hit by rock apples, chased by vampires, captured a leprechaun, and now we’re trapped in the Hall of Mirrors.”

“Seriously, this Haunted Farm and fair is fantastic,” another says.

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” Adhan says, smiling at them.

“There is just one teeny tiny thing,” another says, gazing at one of the mirrors, looking a little pale.

“What?” Ernest asks, looking around.

I’m not the only one who gasps when I see the reflection. “Because that’s not at all creepy,” I say.

The mirror shows us, all of us, stood there covered in blood as if we’ve been stabbed, shot or had our throats slit.

“Pretty sure that mirror wasn’t there on the first walk-through,” one of the teenagers says.

Being closest, Ernest puts his hand out to touch the mirror.

“Don’t,” Adhan says, catching his arm. “You touched the zombie and made it real. Maybe don’t touch the mirror, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, let’s not do that,” he says, dropping his arm.

“Let’s try that way,” I say, pointing in the other direction.

We walk past more mirrors, but every now and then they move position, trapping us, before moving again. The images of us are getting more disturbing. The teenagers are staying close to us.

“Why does something about this seem familiar?” Adhan asks.

“I thought the same thing,” Ernest says, then pauses. “Now I remember. Sal had this problem at the abandoned funfair where he found the box. Everything kept moving for him. Remember, that’s why he was missing for three days,” I reply.

“Three days!” one of the teenagers exclaims.

“Oh, hell no!” I say, looking at Sly. We can’t be trapped in here for three days. What about our brothers? They will completely freak out. The only consolation I have is that they are with John, but we need to get out of here.

“Has your magic come back?” Ernest asks us.

“No,” Sly and I say at the same time.

From somewhere, we hear the sound of glass shattering.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say that was a bad sound,” Adhan says, moving to stand in front of the teenagers.

We hear sinister laughter getting closer and then a song. “Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the stream. If you’re stuck inside a mirror, don’t forget to scream.”

What the hell? We’re inside a mirror, how?

“We’re inside a mirror,” Ernest quickly says. “Ebby, Sly, throw your magic out and shatter the mirrors.”

Just as he says this, a clown carrying a red balloon comes into view.

Hell to the no, I’ve seen that film and read the book. I gather my magic.

“Now,” Ernest says.

I throw my magic out, as does Sly with his black magic and Ernest with his light magic.

All the mirrors around us shatter, and we’re suddenly standing on the grass outside the Hall of Mirrors, surrounded by a lot of people.