I've found her! By God, I’ve found her!
Aunt Abigail was admitted to the Silverado retirement community under the assumed name of “Jane Doe.” Apparently she was found wandering the streets babbling incoherently about one week after the date of her final letter. Without identification, and seemingly out of her mind, she was admitted to the Silverado on the city’s dime.
I must admit that I barely recognized her. She seems to have aged at least ten years since our last visit, her face had thinned out, her skin hung loosely from her enfeebled frame. But most troubling was the vacant look in her eyes. Gone was that spark of wit and her zest for life, replaced with confusion, paranoia, and panic. She did not seem to notice me at first, such was the decline of her mental state. But after several minutes of reminiscing, her brow seemed to focus in recognition.
She cried out hysterically, but I could not understand her. If she was speaking, it certainly wasn’t English, or any other language I could readily identify either. Inspiration struck and I handed her a piece of paper from the pad on the desk nearby, along with a marker. Frantically she scribbled a cryptic message I am still yet to decipher, “IS THAT ME IN THE MIRROR?”
Her gaze remained affixed to the full-length mirror on the side-wall, her reflection glaring back at her. In the dimly light room, I could almost swear that I noticed a sly grin from her reflection. Thinking my Aunt was playing a trick on me this entire time, I immediately turned to face her, but was greeted with the same confused, hysterical woman as before. Had it been my imagination?
I know the only way to uncover what had happened to Aunt Abby is to track down the man she met in Café Brazil those many weeks ago. By all accounts, he was the last person to see my Aunt lucid. Perhaps this connects to his case, or perhaps she has been the victim of foul play. Regardless, I can’t drop it as her letter suggested. I have to know the truth.
The sad decline of a person due to dementia can be rapid, but not in the space of a week. Something else is going on here, James. Maybe Cafe Brazil employees remember the man. Ask about a security camera, too. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather be lucky than dead, he said.
ReplyDeleteThey say mirrors are portals to another dimension. Is it truly a reflection of you or is someone who looks like you looking at the mirror doing the same actions at the same time? Sometimes the actions differ slightly...
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