Was it curiosity that pulled me forward? The closer I got to the mansion, the more my legs trembled. I stood before the door — a massive wooden structure, nearly ten meters tall. I pounded my fists against it and shouted, “Hey! Is anyone there?” Silence. I knocked again, shouting louder… still nothing.
The door creaked open without a sound, slowly, as if no hand had moved it. I peeked in, but suddenly realized my weight had shifted onto the edge of the door; my support slipped, and I fell inside. Behind me, the sound of the door shutting rang out.
Everything inside was made of mirrors — the ceiling, the walls, even the floor. Everywhere I looked, I saw myself. Reflections within reflections, endless and dizzying.
Panicked, I turned to exit the way I came in, but the door was gone. Wherever I placed my hands, there were only mirrors. The way out had vanished in a maze of reflections.
I called out to the Simorgh. Its cry echoed, but not from nearby — it came from above, atop the dome. I looked up; there was a large window in the ceiling, and the Simorgh was calling out from there. It couldn’t enter. As if this place was not meant for it.
I ran my hands along every wall, hoping to find a crack, a door, something... But the more I searched, the more I lost myself within myself. My reflections had surrounded me.
Alpha
