The Tale of The Magic Mirror


Once upon a time, there was a land where everyone lived in paradise. A land where only good roamed. A land where wonders were not a rarity. The name of this land was Pandora.

The talk is about an island. If you seek happiness, you would surely find it here. Grassy landscapes everywhere you'd look. A dark blue ocean surrounding the island. Tall jungle trees mapping the terrain. The Mystic Waterfall in the centre of the isle. Fresh air that clears your soul. Undiscovered caverns and treasures … What more do you wish?

It is said, that this land contained creatures of all sizes. From the all-mighty dinosaurs, to the smallest of ants. Every single being lived in harmony with each other. There was no 'mine', only 'ours'. You could see mice sharing their food with foxes, monkeys laughing on the tree tops, children playing in the sun together, blue birds flying over the sunny sky, old-timers relaxing in the shadows of graceful trees.

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But from all the creatures living there, there were two who stood out. A couple of friends, whose lives turned out to be something special.

»Charlie, where are you going? « asked Mother Cheetah.

»I am going to see Pan, mother, « answered her cub.
Mother Cheetah wasn't cleared up yet, so she asked again: »Pan? «

»Yes, Pan. Short for Panther, that is. I met him a few days ago, «

»Well, that sounds nice. I hope you two have a jolly good time together. But please, be home by sundown, I believe I don't have to explain to you why, «

»Yes, mother, you tell me this every time I go out. You have nothing to worry about. After all, I'm still around! « said Charlie confidently.

»All right then, have fun, «

»Thanks! Bye! « he said when he was already on his way.

»G-Goodbye Charlie, b-be careful! « she replied, doubting he would hear her.
Sometime later, Charlie arrived to the place where he and Panther were supposed to meet. Pan was patiently waiting in front of some sort of cave. It was next to the shore. It was a rather rocky area. Just why would they pick a place like that?

»I-I'm … Here …« said Charlie, while he was still catching his breath.

»Wow, that was quite fast! « stated Pan with an amazed look.

»Y-yeah, « he said, » we cheetahs are fast as lightning! «

»Haha, I suppose when you say it. Anyway, I need to show you something. «
Then he tossed a stone to him. But … It didn't seem like an ordinary stone …

»What is that? «

»I-«

»Where did you find it? «

»I was-«

»Wait, when did you-«

»EHEM! « Pan finally got his turn, »I was walking by the shore, when I tripped over some sort of rock. At first I was angry, but then I saw these symbols,« he pointed to them.

»Oh, wow! But have you got the slightest clue what they all mean? «

»Yeah I do! «

»Really?! «

»No … «

»Aww … It would be so awesome if we could figure out the meaning behind them …« said Charlie with his eyes shining widely.

»Indeed. Oh well, what can you do … Wait! I just remembered! Have you ever heard about the hidden riches, which are scattered all across Pandora isle? « asked Pan.

»Who hasn't? « replied Charlie.

»Anyway, my grandfather always told me about his adventures when he was still 'young bones'. He said that he never got to explore this cavern – you know, the one we are standing next to. Apparently, it holds a treasure so unbelievable, that it would change the life of the one who found it … What do you say? Shall we go take a peek? Who knows … Maybe we'll even find the treasure…? « said Pan optimistically.

»Sure! It'll be fun! «
And so, they walked into the mysterious cavern. It was very dark and sinister. Every once in a while, they flinched, thinking that there's something behind them. And even though on inside, they both were terrified, they did now show their fear. Quite a brave act, if you ask me. To go to an unknown place, with nothing else but a companion; this takes a lot of courage.

They were slowly approaching the end of the cave. Actually it was more like a cave system, but it was too dark to recognize anything.

»M-maybe we should go back to the start, I'm p-positive that the dark is a-approaching …« Panther stuttered.

»No way! We had come too far to just quit! Look, there, on the left; I'm pretty sure these are some kind of lights. That must be a sign, « said Charlie, as confident as always.

»Humph … I've got a bad feeling about this, you know …«
Suddenly, they walked into a huge cave/room. Stalactites and stalagmites were to see all around. Bats were flying up and down, probably because they weren't used to visitors. Fireflies were also flying around … And the water, mixed with limestone, was to hear well; water drops sipping down the roof of the cavity, the underground river pouring through the cave. The view of it was mystic, to say at least. But that all wasn't so strange, compared to what happened next.

»Hey Charlie, what's that odd looking thing over there? « wondered Pan.

»Huh? What do you mean? « asked Charlie.
Suddenly, a mirror shaped object was lifted out of the water. For a while, it was just there, in thin air, almost invisible, but then … It magically took Pan's odd looking stone, which he has been carrying around in his bag, made from tree branches and wines. Incredibly, it fused with the stone, and then it burst in several different colours. At first, it shined in a blue light, then green, after that in yellow, and so on ... When it stabilized, it took form of a vertical rectangle. If you'd look closely enough, you would see the faces of Earthlings. Like Charlie and Pan, they could very well see through the other side.

»Oh my! W-what was that?! « panicked Charlie.

»The better question is, what IS that, « wondered Pan.
But at that moment, they heard a growl-like sound. Later, more of these growls joined. Turns out, Charlie and Pan were not alone.

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Mother Cheetah was worried sick about her cub:

"Where could he be? I told him to be home by sunset. Oh my, I hope nothing bad happened to him…
M-maybe I'm over exaggerating …«
But Mother Cheetah's concern was in place. Although everything in Pandora was peaceful and happy during the day, it wasn’t at night. Every evening, when darkness fell, scary demons rose from hell. They spread chaos and nightmares to everyone who dared to come in their way. Really, it was not clever to be around at that time. However, it seemed the boys have done just that.

»Ugh! I knew this would happen! I g-guess this is the end … Well, it was nice meeting you, Charlie…«
It really looked like everything was lost, but suddenly, a white beam of light came out of the mirror-like object. Then, several screams were too hear. After that, the monsters were gone … Every single one of them was gone.

Pan and Charlie were still shivering.

»A-are we d-dead yet? « asked Panther.

»N-no, I-I think that thing saved our lives! « said Charlie, filled with hope again.
They both turned round. The rectangular thing was still there, like nothing ever happened. The people inside were stunned, maybe a bit shocked. But they also showed signs of relieve.

»I think it’s friendly, Panther. Let’s try to communicate with it! «

»Oh! I have an idea! Me – Pan, « he pointed to himself. »He – Charlie, « he pointed to the cheetah. »We – Friends,« he pointed to both of them. »Do you, « he pointed to the mirror, »want to be our friend? «
Silence.

»I think the furless monkeys in it are trying to tell us something … I believe they DO want to be our friends! « said Pan.

»Great! We could go on adventures together, a-and play …« suggested Charlie.
Panther interrupted him: »That all sounds nice Charlie, but first we need to find a way out of this cavern, «

The people inside the mirror were trying to tell them something. It would be assumed, that they knew the way out. Charlie and Pan noticed that, and when they did, the humans inside started to glow; then, the boys’ paw-prints were to see glowing light blue. Yay! They could now finally return home!

Pan and Charlie – together with the magical mirror – came out of the cavern by sunrise. They were a bit tired, but glad to be back again. And of course, the first question to be asked was: Who will keep the strange object?

»I say, I should keep it. After all, it was me who lead us to it, « suggested Charlie.

»Not fair! It was MY stone who fused with it, and it was ME, who decided we should visit the cavern anyway! Plus, what would your family say to that? « fought Pan.

»MY family?! What about YOUR family?! « Charlie kept on trying.
Nothing was to hear from Panther. Charlie’s last words did a huge impact on him.

»You do have a family, don’t you? Pan? «
He only lowered his head slightly.

»O-oh, I didn’t-«

»…I-it’s okay, «
You could see sadness in both of their eyes, but also compassion.

»Hey, why don’t we leave it here for now, and we’ll return after we get some rest, shall we? «
Pan nodded.

And so they left. They returned the next day. And the day after. And so on … Together with the people ‘inside the mirror’ they played, they laughed, they cried, they fought. A cheetah, a panther and a magic mirror. What a weird bunch! But still; somehow, they all felt it needed to be like that.

Then, things, as they knew them, started to fall apart.

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It was an ordinary day. Charlie and Pan were playing in the sun and sharing their joy with children in the other dimension.

They played Hide and go Seek: »1, 2, 3, 4 … 10! Ready or not, here I come! «

Or had fun with Memory Leaves – each with a symbol matching another leaf.
They were in the middle of Bat Call (which was basically Marco Polo), when suddenly, a gang of Harpies began attacking them. The magic mirror noticed that, and could help at just the right moment. But, wait a second … Demons? During the day? What is going on?!

They decided to go ask Father Tortoise for advice. He was known to be the wisest creature in Pandora isle. Animals from all around the island were coming to see his opinion on certain topics.

And so, Pan and Charlie went off to see the old tortoise (with the magic mirror, of course). He lived in a den near the Eastern Terminal Water Source. After a long walk through the jungle, they finally arrived.

»Hello? Is this Father Tortoise’s home? « Charlie asked.

»Why yes, indeed it is, « said the tortoise himself. »What is the matter that you have come to visit me? «
The boys told him the story. Father Tortoise was a bit sceptical, so they showed him the magic mirror (which was floating in front of the den).

»And you think the sudden appearance of demons during the sunshine period has something to do with this enchanted mirror? Possibly. I have seen stranger things in my life… «

»Can we do anything to stop these ugly monsters from taking over Pandora? « asked Pan.
Father Tortoise checked one book after another, until …

»Oh, yes, here it says something: ‘To prevent the collapse of time and space and/or both universes, you need to close down the window, before it becomes a real portal. If the process is already taking over, you need to create a paradox, which automatically disables the growing of the potential black hole. But if this is not stopped, the consequences are demonic.’ «

»The who in the what now? « wondered Charlie.

»It means, that we need another mirror! « answered Pan.

»That would be correct, yes. You need to get there right away, or it will be too late, « added Father Tortoise.

»Then why are we still here? Let us go to … uhh … Where exactly should we get a mirror? «

»It is said that Symodus, a centaur, living in the north of the island, makes the most precious mirrors in all of Pandora. Though he only gives them to the ones, who are worthy of his trust. When, I mean IF you get the mirror, bring it back to me. Then we’ll talk. «

»All right, let’s go to Symodus and find a mirror, Charlie! «
They left. This time, without the magic mirror. They took the path through the jungle again. On their way they saw the Mystic Waterfall, a charming place called Unicorn Bay, The Savannah, Sicily’s golden apple orchard, Crystal Crossing … They also helped many of the creatures, in need of help. For example, when they came across a group of Sun Storks. The storks were terrified of the zombie – like creatures who tried to eat them. So Pan and Charlie protected them. In return, they gave them the sun amulet; it tells you, whether you are lying or telling the truth. Anyway; at the end of their journey, they finally got to Symodus’s home. The giraffes told them where to find it, way back at The Savannah.

Exhausted, they saw Symodus doing his usual. It seemed like hard work, but centaurs are very strong and patient, so he probably didn’t mind the hot sparks flying around and the heavy instruments he was using.

Centaurs are half men half horse. And the only time Pan and Charlie saw creatures similar to them, was in the magic mirror. Therefore, they thought that the window was already opened (which it thankfully wasn’t) and some of the beings living on the other side got to Pandora. Long story short, after getting all the complications behind them and telling him their story, Symodus didn’t believe them. So they used the sun amulet to prove that they were telling the truth. At the end, Symodus finally decided to cooperate.
While making the mirror, Pan got to think …

»Hey, Charlie… Remember how we met? I was being viciously attacked by a group of vultures. I stole their food because I was starving. You could’ve just let me die, but you didn’t. You stood up to them and let them mock you… And all that just because some animal you never even knew … Well, I was thinking, and the magic mirror did the same thing to us. We can’t just let it be closed forever! That would be rude. After all, the hairless monkeys living in there saved our lives. «

»I know, Pan. But we have no choice. If we don’t destroy that thing, it will destroy us. «

»Yes, yes, I get it. But I guess I’m going to miss playing and going on adventures with it …«

»Me too …«
A while later, Symodus finished the mirror. The boys took it back to Father Tortoise. The magic mirror was covered in a cloth, which Pan and Charlie now lifted. It seemed that before they did so, the people ‘living inside’ were terrified. The children were happy to see Pan and Charlie again, but the adults could judge by their sad faces that there isn’t going to be any good news. Opposite to the magic mirror, there was a regular mirror, covered with a cloth, like the magic mirror was at first.

»Hello my friends, « started Panther. »We had lots of great times together, but now it’s time to say good-bye.«

»Thank you for everything you did for us. We shall never forget you, « added the cheetah.
Father Tortoise lifted up the cloth. The magic mirror broke. The world was safe again! All the demons threatening the inhabitants of Pandora isle vanished for good. Everyone was happy except the two heroes. Knowing, that they will never see their friends again, made then sad. But thinking on the bright side, they will go on adventures together, they will make more friends, and they will surely have great times with each other.







The end!






Or maybe not …?