Page 49 of Souls We Rip

“It can show you anything I want.”

As soon as he spoke, the image changed.

The loving face of my mum cleared up, and in the next moment, it was covered by my father’s remaining hand. Her head jerked as my sister rushed to her side. In the next moment, my father grabbed Angelica and pushed her into the river.

“No!” I shouted. My hands gripped the mirror, shaking it.

My body floated softly onto the bed, its ponevi scratching my skin, tears filling my eyes.

“If you keep defying me like this, peasant,” it whispered in my ear, breaking my skin in goosebumps, “this will be their future.” Its eyes pinned mine through the mirror, its abyss swallowing me in. “You would do well not to offend me.”

My breath caught in my throat, a lump slowly forming. “Goat, I will offend you as much as I can when you think of me as nothing but a stupid peasant. I am so much more,” I spat through my teeth.

Its eyes narrowed behind the skull. My fingers twitched with the urge to take it down and see its true face.

“But you are a peasant. Are you ashamed of it?”

“Never! I would rather pinch my fingers with the needle while making my own clothing or burn my skin in the sun while tending to the crops than be something you are.”

“Hmm...”

The Goat Man tapped once on the mirror’s glass. My family appeared again, this time happier. My mum was cooking, my sister and Gavril were talking to his parents, and my father was nowhere to be seen. They looked more relaxed, not worried at all.

“Is this happening now?” I questioned, my gaze still scrutinising the glass.

Its humming was my answer.

“Did you expect them to feel your loss, didn’t you?” it sighed, warming my earlobe and sending sparks through my body.

I took a deep breath, my eyes darting to my chest. This time, I didn’t cower.

“Yes,” I stated.

The Goat Man took a step back.

“You can go. You saw enough,” he said, his hoof gesturing towards the hallway.

I turned to him. “How would I know that the last picture I’ve seen is the reality and you are not tricking me?”

“As you said earlier, you can take it as you want,” it said, echoing my words.

I nodded and took a step to leave.

“Oh, and woman? I do not think you are stupid,” it mumbled, its skull craned to the ceiling.

I stood with my back to it, sighing once. “Are you sure? Your actions say otherwise. But, if you believe that I am not, show it to me.”

The hallway felt like a breath of fresh air as I stepped into it. The rock floor was still hurting my feet, but in that moment, I felt like I deserved it.

“Get up, Ana!”

I pried my eyes open to the darkness of the cave. The ghost stood in the threshold of my room, lighting a candle.

“The wood arrived, and I need you to help me cut it. So, dress yourself and come!” Andrei urged, pulling a groan out of me. His body bobbed up and down, making the flames follow his movements.

I took one candle of my own and went to the bathroom. Quickly, I washed myself and dressed in clothes that appeared out of nowhere – a long hemp shirt with a leather belt, which men usually wore in our village. Next to them was a pair of tights that would help me move easily.

The sun hasn’t yet crept over the hills, waiting for the darkness to recede. Fresh air filled my lungs as I stepped towards the largest mound of wood I had ever seen. My parents would order two or three carts in the summer, and it should have been enough for the winter.