The rosy hue fades from a bright blushing dawn, and you cannot save what is already gone.
The game is over.
As I sit in the darkness of my room, the controller in my hands, I think about the past few hours. Everything about this quest, everything that led up to this ending, it all seems so pointless now. Maybe I should feel proud or happy that I finished this game. Maybe I should feel like bragging to someone. But it isn’t really that cool, and besides, I’m too tired to find someone to boast to. Instead, all I feel is emptiness.
My thumb moves on the controller and I pilot my character to the man standing next to her. He gives me his thanks and congratulates me on completing my quest. It is a scripted affair, a speech of gratitude written into the code of the game for all players who make it this far. I’m not special, and I feel no sense of accomplishment as I listen to his spiel.
The game is over.
I have reached the end. There are no more puzzles to solve, no more adventures to go on, no more people to save. I have finished it. And yet, as I stare at the screen in front of me, I feel as if I have accomplished nothing. The characters stare at me, their blank eyes seeing nothing. They speak, but understand nothing. They feel nothing. They are nothing. And suddenly, they are gone.
The blackness stares at me, and I stare back at it. I am afraid. But there is nowhere for me to go. There is nothing that I can do. So I go to it, and it takes me away.
“You are unhappy.”
My mouth is cold and filled with ash. I take a step but know I’ll crash. Wind and water, sky turns red. Rain falls crimson on my head.
Inside the mirror resides my perfect copy. Whatever I do, she reflects back at me in perfect imitation. I look up. She does, too. I stand by the door. She does, too. I sit down. She does not.
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“What are you afraid of?” Mirror Me asks. “There is nothing to fear. There is nothing at all.” With that said, my perfect reflection turns around and glides out the door in her reflected world. I stand up and walk to the surface, hesitating a moment before I step through to fill her side. The world around me breaks.
Mirror mirror in my hand. Mirror please help me understand. I’m looking for a new direction. But all I see is my reflection.
Mirror mirror face of glass. Show me what will come to pass. The rain is cold, the birds don’t peep. My friend’s unreachable, lost to sleep.
Mirror mirror in my hand. Mirror please help me understand. I’m looking for a new direction. But all I see is my shattered self.
Farewell my dear, so hold me near, my weary, distant friend. Play the music filled with rapture ‘till the cold and laughing end.
Stand with me for a moment.
I think you’ll understand.
We’ll paint a pretty picture
And you’ll take me by the hand.
We’ll dance all through the garden,
With life and love not coy.
The world is full of magic.
The world is filled with joy.
Stand with me for a moment.
I think you’ll understand.
We’ll paint a pretty picture
And you’ll take me by the hand.
We’ll dance all through the garden,
With life and love not coy.
The world is full of magic.
But I can’t feel the joy.
Stand with me for a moment.
Though you don't understand.
We’ll paint a pretty picture
Oh please take me by the hand.
We’ll dance all through the garden,
With life and love not coy.
The world is full of magic.
But I am hopelessly unhappy.
Stand with me for a moment.
You’ve long since stopped understanding.
We’ll paint a pretty picture
Please don’t touch me. You’re hurting me.
We’ll dance all through the garden.
The life is wilting, the love is gone.
The world is full of magic.
And so much wretched misery.
Stand with me for a moment.
Go away go away go away go away go away.
The tears come, the tears come, the tears come like a flood.
I’m fighting and I’m crying and I’m drowning in the mud.
There’s no solace in our garden.
Now even the sky is weeping.
Why can nobody hear me?
And now I see the end.
I’m gone now.
I guess I feel happier now that it’s over.
They say that when you’re truly feeling down, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe I’ve finally found it.
It doesn’t matter now.
I’m too tired to keep playing this game.
Goodbye.
If you bow, I’ll curtsey back. Won’t you share one final dance with me?
The world starts off empty. Slowly, softly at first, the music is born. It soars through the blackness in crescendos and decrescendos and sharps and flats, melody and harmony. It spills into the world, filling it with light and color and lovely, endless joy. Isn’t it a beautiful thought that everything came from such wonderful sounds? The music wraps around me and sweeps me off of the earth. I know not where it will take me, but my heart and spirit are filled with joy. The rain is gone, and
I
am
free.
