Ralph and the Pixie

Chapter 26

Reflections

Child: “Mother, I can’t see!”

Mother: “Open your eyes, silly!”

It took a long time and a great deal of patience to wait until the surface of the water became absolutely still, but when it finally did, the reflected sky and white cloud opened before them, as in a dream. Though the sun was mirrored brightly on its surface, so too were the stars of the night sky. Deborah gasped in wonder.

‘Sh-h-h,’ whispered Éha, ‘you’ll break your concentration.’

Though what they watched was mere reflection, it appeared more real and of greater depth than their surroundings. Deborah felt that were she to plunge bodily into that illusory reflected sky, she might fall forever . . . into some sort of magically transformed world or version of herself . . . and freedom!

‘Now, make the sky go dark,’ said Éha.

Deborah brought her concentration up to a higher pitch, staring harder into the image. Her peripheral vision began to darken, as though the sun were being eclipsed.

And the image began to darken as well, the pale blue sky fading gradually to velvet black. The reflected sun had disappeared, replaced by a thin silver sliver of new moon, and the stars of the night sky had become very bright, and seemed larger, even nearer.