Mirrors of the Heart - BW Starmer a.k.a. Stormynite (unputdownable books .TXT) 📗

/> "I love you, Tiff. Always remember that, no matter what..." He sat her down on the floor then squatted down to eye level with her. "...and I'm not nuts." He motioned at the mirror. "The lady in the mirror is real. I know it even if she doesn't…and her name is Winter."
---6 months later:
Winter returned home from the airport and rushed to the bedroom. She loved the new job and the travel, but when she was gone there was no Jason. When she ran into the room and eagerly searched the mirror, she realized what had happened. "When did I decide you were real?" She stared at the mirror in awe.
Quietly she sat down and began to analyze her feeling. Every night she would sit in front of the mirror and touch it. If Jason was home, the mirror would respond. They'd talked for hours on end without the mirror fading away. Somewhere along the line, he became her best friend and she cared very much for him. When he was gone on a shoot, she missed him horribly. Now that she'd taken a new job, she wondered if he missed her as well. She was being stupid. This was just a very vivid fantasy her mind had created no matter what her great-grandmother's diary stated. If Jason was an actor, why hadn't she seen him? Winter jumped up off the floor and grabbed the newspaper she'd brought in with the mail.
Quickly she scanned the movies and picked out the title of the picture Jason said he was working on several months ago. "Of course, Winter, if you're going to fantasize do it in the current time…none of that old west crap for you." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
Winter sat quietly through the previews and waited for the credits to start. It wasn't the usual picture she'd go and see, but the title matched what the man in the mirror claimed to be his picture. She watched closely and saw his name scroll up as producer. It wasn't possible, was it? Winter sat in awe. Winter watched closely, and there he was. His blond hair was slicked back while the uniform he wore designated his rank. He was the commander of the colony in the future.
He wasn't supposed to have been in the movie to begin with, but the actor who was to play the commander was killed two days before shooting. So Jason filled in with the part, as well as produced the film. Winter sat through the credits and watched Jason Silverwood scroll across the screen as the character of commander, then again as producer. He was real.
Winter returned home and waited in front of the mirror for hours, but no Jason. He must be out of town. Finally, she picked up the phone and dialed the airlines. It took some doing, but through the film commission and the local chamber of commerce, she found out where they were shooting. Winter blended in with the crowd as the cameras rolled then she saw him. His blond hair blowing in the wind, made him more handsome than ever. He yelled action and the actors moved into place and the cameras rolled.
Winter watched for most of the afternoon. The whole crew worked hard to get it to perfection. Jason was everywhere, giving support, direction, criticism and laughter. It was apparent the crew liked working with him. So Winter just watched Jason's body language and could tell he was happy. The lead actress walked off the set and laid a kiss on Jason's lips possessively. She couldn't have been over thirty with a body to die for. Her short blonde hair barely moved in the wind while her blue eyes sparkled in the bright sunlight. She was beautiful. Winter's heart stopped beating. He placed an arm around her waist and held her by his side as he gave direction to several other members of the cast.
"Miss, can I help you?" The voice of one of the boom operators echoed through her muddled brain.
“No, I'm fine. Am I in the way?" Winter asked softly. "I just never realized how much work went into making the scene right." Lyle had watched her in the crowd most of the afternoon. Her dark glistening hair caught the sunlight and made her face come alive with something he couldn't quite descibe. She wasn't like most of the actresses he dealt with. This woman was different. There was nothing gorgeous about her, but she was pretty and there was a reason for her being here.
"Lyle!" Jason's voice boomed across the open space and he turned his attention back to business.
"No, you're fine. Gotta go...boss is a slavedriver." He smiled not really meaning the words.
Winter laughed took one last look at Jason and sighed. "Good luck, Jason." She pushed the sadness and hurt behind her and walked away.
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Winter unpacked her overnight bag. Periodically she glanced at the mirror, but she wouldn't touch it...not now.... Her great-grandmother had been right. It was a life that could never be. Somewhere along the line she'd fallen in love with the man in the mirror and he had a piece of her heart. It should have never happened. She was smarter than that.
Well, at least Jason had found someone that cared for him. Maybe that was enough for him right now. He seemed happy, and she was beautiful just like Jason.
"Guess you're left alone again, Winter, old girl!" She tossed her dirty laundry in the hamper. "Yep, it's pretty bad, when you're talking to yourself on a regular basis." Winter eyed the computer setting in the corner and decided maybe she'd slip into a chat room tonight and just visit with a few strangers. What had happened to her? She turned and stared at the mirror and knew the answer. The tears began slowly then finally flooded her lovely face until she gave into the desolation.
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Jason walked into his apartment shortly after midnight. It had been a long week with no Winter. Why hadn't he heard from her? He walked over to the mirror and touched it reverently. He felt a small shock run through his fingers as the mirror began to cloud.
"Winter?" He whispered. When he touched it before, she would disappear. He heard the weeping distinctly as the mist curled and fogged the clear glass then finally the shape of a woman on a bed crying came into view. She reminded him of that fateful night several months ago when a voice of understanding and friendship reached out to him.
"Winter?" He whispered and waited. Bright green eyes filled with tears greeted his.
"Jason?" Winter rose from the bed and walked to the mirror. She couldn't see him now behind the mist, but she could hear his voice. "Jason, is that you?" She reached to touch the mirror.
"Don't touch it, Winter or you'll fade away. You look just like you sound. Jason stared at the woman in the glass. She was tall, well proportioned with fine lines around her eyes. She had the look of her late thirties, but Jason knew better. She backed away from the glass.
"I guess I'm not the movie starlet type and I'm not going to give your leading lady a run for her money." She blushed then sat on the corner of her bed. "So this is what it feels like to be on the other end and not see who you're talking too." She hesitated, then pushed and errant hair out of her face. "So how is the movie going?" She tried to act calm.
"You are beautiful, Winter, just like your voice and you put any of my leading ladies to shame. Beauty is the whole package inside and out. Why would you worry about how you look to me and why were you crying?" Something was wrong.
"Thanks for being sweet, but I gave up the thirty year, old short-haired blonde look a long time ago." Winter stood and twisted her face a bit at the thought. "Matter of a fact, I never did blonde when I was thirty or forty for that matter." It was her nature to make light of her faults and tonight would be no different.
Jason was delighted to see her humor return. She was alive and real just as he'd imagined. "Tell me where you are, Winter. I want to see you."
"I don't think that's possible, Jason. The fact that I can't see you anymore tells me I messed up." She buried her face in her hands and the tears started anew.
"You didn't mess anything up." He tried desperately to calm her and reached into the mirror. She felt him instantly and gasped.
"Oh, Jason! I'm so sorry. I missed you so much when I was gone. I had to prove to myself you were real so I went to the movies and saw you on screen then hopped a jet to LA. I watched you film all afternoon. You were wonderful and now I can't see you anymore." Tears streamed slowly down her cheeks when she walked back to the mirror. "But I'm glad you've found someone. Everything will work out for you." She smiled and wiped an errant tear.
"You saw Michelle kiss me, didn't you?" He knew the answer before he asked. "She's a tart and sleeps with anyone willing. She means nothing to me, Winter. Tell me where you are. I want to see you. You saw me, now I want to see you in person." Genuine sincerity was etched into his voice.
"No, Jason, we are from two different worlds and this was never meant to be. The mirror is just as my great-grandmother said…a dream, a fantasy of what can never be. I'd rather you remember me like this, than as I really am...a middle-aged divorced working woman. As much as I love the differences between your life and mine, I'm smart enough to know that I'd never fit into your life. You will find someone to share your passion for