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Written by The New England Scriber

I grew up in a neighborhood that was richly ‘old country’ in its ways. It was always curious to me how oddly yet seamlessly the past worked side by side with the modern society that was emerging.

Most neighborhoods had their own unique brands of superstitious ways regarding healing, protection and ‘getting things done’ most of which would be laughed at in today’s society. Having seen firsthand that more often than not these things worked beyond a doubt, generally for good, there were times when situations happened that would have been best left alone.

In my mother’s group of lady friends there was the mirror. The origin of the mirror was unknown and was in the possession of the mother of one of the gals – a very pleasant and happy going Italian woman. It was never divulged how it worked and the woman had never used it herself but she was aware that it worked. She kept it wrapped in a white cloth in a special drawer. It was believed that if you wished for what you wanted via the mirror you would get it and this turned out to be true. What was not realized until hindsight set in in every case was that the prize did not come without consequences.

There was nothing special about the mirror. It was a plain glass, rectangular in shape about 4 inches by 8 inches. Its only unique feature was a crack that ran across the middle. What would be known later was that the old superstition about seven years bad luck regarding a broken mirror did not apply here. The mirror had a seemingly vicious nature that moved much more quickly.

The first person to use the mirror was the woman’s daughter who back in those days was considered to be verging on old maid-dom. Of course she wished for a husband and sure enough she was happily married within one year. They were not married very long until he was killed in a car accident. She did remarry several years later but without any help from the mirror which she had handed on to another friend in the group. This person was a gorgeous single woman who could have snatched any man on the planet but she was not interested in marriage per se. She was interested in money. She had a good job working in securities and banking and was making a good living but it was not enough. She wished upon the mirror and about six months later she was actually married to a much older gentleman who was quite wealthy. She was given everything she wanted and when he passed which was six months later she inherited a fortune. Unfortunately for her and unknown to her, her husband had run up great debt and owed taxes. In the end she was left with nothing and was in worse shape than before she married because her reputation was ruined and she could not get hired in her former capacity. She was forced to live with relatives and work a store job until she was able to get on her feet which took several years.

Another woman in the group wished for a husband and ended up with several none lasting more than two years.

A stable and married woman of the group used the mirror to get a house. She worked for several years part-time to make extra cash that could supplement her husband’s wages and with some help from the mirror they were able to get a house sooner than expected. Within a year, her husband nearly died of a heart attack and there was an odd sense of depression that hung over the house like a black cloud. Finances were tough for many years. She was the last person to have possession of the mirror. She revoked use of it and would not pass it on to anyone else. The mirror was wrapped in a cloth and kept out of sight … and of mind.

Published with permission