“Hmmm, this one looks lovely. It reminds me of one my grandma owned”, Karen said to her husband Jake.

“Honestly, if you want my opinion, it looks shitty” Jake replied, turning away to look around. He was tired and it showed. It was well over two hours already. He would rather be doing anything else than looking at old, ugly junk.

Karen had been so excited to go. She found out about this flea market from a co-worker. The Brass Armadillo it was called.

“It is right off the highway, you can’t miss it.” Lilith had informed her with so much enthusiasm, it was infectious. Karen immediately added it to hers and Jake’s shared iPhone calendar. She loved thrifting, and any new thrifting locale sent waves of elation through her. She had harbored fantasies of starting an antique business since she was a college student.

She was standing in front of the floor length mirror, looking at all the intricate embellishments. The frame was gold with details of flowers, birds and butterflies all around it. Karen was still taken by its beauty despite all the scratches and scrapes around the frame as well as the glass. The glass was not clear. It looked like someone had painted over it, then someone else tried to scrap the paint off, unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, Karen was captivated by it. The mirror called out to her, she felt its pull.

“I’m getting it” she announced to Jake’s back. He was preoccupied with his phone and only grunted. This was typical Jake, who gave his opinion and moved on to something more interesting.

Her hair was blue, and when the sunlight caught it just right, it looked iridescent. The mirror observed her, this whimsical looking human. Her lips formed a perfect heart as she stared at the mirror in admiration. The mirror wanted to go home with this creature. She was exquisite. It wouldn’t mind staring at her all the time.

When they took it to their home, they hung it up in their bedroom, right outside the door of the closet. Everyday, the human named Karen would look into it, check for final touches just before heading out for the day. These were usually brief encounters but it cherished them.

Slowly, the mirror picked up on subtle changes in Karen’s appearance. Her face became fuller, her stomach rounder. In time, it found out Karen was heavy with a child. It’s favorite time of this period was when Karen stood in front of it, examining her naked body. The mirror was fascinated. It had never been owned by a pregnant woman before. It was intrigued by the magnificence of her beauty as the child within her grew. The fullness of her breasts, hips, stomach; the luminescence of her skin; and the radiance of her hair; all brought so much joy to the mirror. It felt honored to be part of this experience with Karen.

The mirror knew when the baby arrived because Karen was gone for a few days, and when she came back and stood in front of it, she held a tiny being in her arms. She looked at the mirror briefly, then turned her attention back to the little human.

Slowly, the mirror started noticing slight changes in Karen’s demeanor. The light faded out of her eyes. After she stopped putting any effort into her look, she did not feel inclined to look at the mirror.

The mirror felt lonely, sad, and helpless. It did not know how to call Karen’s attention back to it. It missed her face, her smile, her eyes.

It took this rejection personally, too personally, unaware of the toll postpartum depression had on human women after they brought life into the world.