I lay in my bed staring into the darkness. There was no moon tonight so even the open window provided no light. It did however, allow a slight breeze to ruffle the curtains as it entered the room. The cool night air blew gently across the bed and cooled my sweaty body, hot from wrestling with the sheets. I began to plan my day as I lay there enjoying the cool, fresh air.

Suddenly, a strange feeling come over me. A strange but not unknown feeling. It felt like someone had been in my room while I was sleeping, again. I sat up and looked around the room. These "visits" had started four weeks ago. The same time I had started leaving my window open at night for the cool air. Someone must be sneaking in my room at night thru the window. They always went for the things I had on the vanity. They didn't take anything, they just pushed stuff around. I got up and walked over to the vanity. Sure enough, all my things were jumbled and pushed to the side. It looked like someone had been sitting on the vanity.

Suddenly, the cool night air felt chilling and dangerous. Someone was coming into my room at night, but why? Well, I knew how to stop it. That night, when I went to bed, I shut my bedroom window and pushed the latch down hard. Then I went through every other room in the house and locked every window. Nobody was coming into my room or entire house through the windows anymore.

That night I went to bed feeling safe and secure with all the windows locked . I snuggled into my big fluffy feather mattress. I fell asleep easily and slept deeply, without any dreams. However, I woke suddenly at two am. Something had awakened me. I lay very still, listening. There it was, a slight tapping, a knocking at the window. There it was again. Haha I had done it. I kept my intruder out. But now they had the nerve to knock on the window? Unbelievable! I threw back the covers and marched up to the window. I was sure the knocking had come from the window.

I approached the window slowly and I could see there was no one outside. No one was tapping on the window. As I walked past the vanity, which is right by the window, some movement in the corner of my eye, caught my attention. I suddenly realized the tapping was coming from the mirror!

I walked slowly to stand in front of the mirror and I could see a young woman sitting at her reflection of the vanity. She tilted her chin up and looked me right in the eye. She tapped on the mirror and motioned for me to sit down at my vanity. Now that I thought about it, I had purchased this antique vanity exactly four weeks ago, right before the nightly visits had started.

I looked at the young woman and she mouthed “Help!” I shrugged my shoulders and raised my hands to indicate I didn't know what to do. She immediately began to write something on a piece of paper. She wrote for a few minutes and then held the paper up to the mirror. The words were backwards so it took me a little bit to decipher them. it didn't make much sense to me. It seemed to be a poem. I slowly read the backwards words out loud …

“By mirrored light and thread of fate,

Let paths diverge and relocate.

With name and trace, I cast this plea—

Let me be them, and them be me.

Bound by thread and mirrored face,

We now shall trade in time and space.”

As I read the last words I felt a tingling begin in my feet. I wondered what this poem meant as the tingling moved up my legs. I had to sit down because my feet refused to carry me away from this nightmare. As soon as I sat down I knew I was in trouble. I couldn't more and I couldn't believe it. I realized with horror that I was now the one stuck in the mirror. The instant I realized my fate 1 saw a hig, devilish grin spread across the young woman's face, I reached out and tapped on my side of the mirror. She threw her head back and laughed wildly, Then she ran out of the room leaving me trapped in the mirror.