The Lagging Reflection

It started subtly. Just a flicker of movement where there should be none.

You brush your teeth and for a heartbeat your reflection is still holding the brush.

A half second lag. A glitch in the glass that follows you from

room to room. Every mirror in the house begins to betray the laws of physics.

You stop checking. You cover the glass. But you can't cover them all.

One night you finally find the courage to look directly at it. You stop breathing.

You stand perfectly still. In the mirror your double does not stop.

It does not mimic you. It simply stares back. And then,