Inside the Mirror

Inside the Mirror

“If you comb at night then all the hair will fall in God’s dinner plate.” I had heard this story several times in my childhood. Even at that immature age I could not believe the story.
After growing up little more, I would comb my hair deliberately at night, just for the sake of experiment. I would wrap all the hair in a neat paper packet, put it under my bed. Early morning when Motli, our maid, came to sweep the floor, she would take away the envelope. How can those hairs reach up to God’s place? Then I was so habituated that I could not sleep without combing my hair at night.
One night, I was sitting on a stand opposite the mirror table and combing my hair. I was feeling very sleepy. But, I was thinking about the mirror and the maid sweeper Motli and all that - and I was not absolutely unaware of my own eyes seen in the mirror. Suddenly, my eyes came to me and asked, “If you allow me, I would like to go inside the mirror for some time.” I said, “Please go. If you watch something won’t I too would get to see it?”
Inside the Mirror was a huge room. Walls were full with different mirrors. The ceilings were mirrors and so was the flooring. Even the walls were just like that. Miss Mirror was sitting in a corner of that room. My eyes went to her and bowed. How arrogant was Miss Mirror! She just did not return my bow! My eyes swallowed that insult and set before her. Thinking that one should always strike a conversation, my right eye said, “Your house is very bright, there is so much of glitter!”
Miss Mirror contorted her lips and said, “There was so much of brightness and so much of dazzling in my native land that I don’t like even a little bit here.”
My eyes asked, “Where is your place?”
” I was born in the land of the Sun. I spent my entire childhood there,” Mirror replied with pride.
My left eye asked, “Who else were there? What were you doing there? Tell me something about it.”
Miss Mirror said, “Ask who was not there. Stars, the Sun God, the Moon, we all lived together. Sun God was our King, Moon was our Queen and all the Stars were Princes.”
Eyes asked,” Were you a princess there?”
Miss Mirror became pale and said, “No, I was a sweeper there. My name was Mirror.” My eyes laughed a great deal hearing this. Turning to the right eye the left eye winked and muttered, “My Mother! She is just a sweeper, but how dazzling and spirited she is!”
Miss Mirror continued her story: “Excluding the Moon, I was the only woman in the entire land. Moreover, I was really very beautiful. Therefore I was the favourite of all the princely Stars. One day the Princes were taking a bath in the Milky Way and I was doing my work on the river bank...”
My eyes asked, “What work.”
Feeling really hurt Miss Mirror said, “Why do you want to make me feel ashamed by asking the same thing again and again? Did I not tell you that I worked as a sweeper?”
“Fine, fine... then what?” the eyes asked.
Miss Mirror continued: “After the bath Prince Mars came out. He was looking so attractive that I just kept staring at him. The Prince understood from my face that he looked very handsome. After that incident, every day the Prince came to me after wearing the clothes and I would not say anything. Even then he understood from my expressions how handsome he looked. I really believed that Prince Mars has fallen in love with me. And I started spending my days in absolute happiness.”
“Suddenly one day all the Princes were invited in Heaven to take part in the Bride Picking Ceremony of a Goddess. The Princes began preparing to go there. Prince Mars was also going there. Prince Saturn jokingly taunted Prince Mars, ‘Are you tired of that sweeper that now you want to marry a Goddess?’ Prince Mars answered laughing, ‘Oh my, that Miss Mirror has such a power that just looking at her we can immediately come to know how we look. That’s the reason why I go and stand before her every day. Otherwise, what do I have to do with her?’ Hearing this all the Princes started laughing loudly. Hiding somewhere, I was listening to their conversation and I felt very bad.”
“The next day the Princes adorned the finest clothes and began preparations to go to Heaven. I had hidden my face under the veil and was sweeping the floors. Prince Mars came to me smiling jovially and asked me, ‘What do you think Miss Mirror, are my looks charming enough for any of the Goddesses?’ I turned away my face in anger without replying. Prince came back to me again and said, ‘Don’t say anything, and just take off your veil look at me at least.’ I said angrily, almost shouting, ‘I am not your slave. I am tired of telling you every day how handsome you look.’ No one had ever insulted the Prince like this, so he became furious and cursed me. ‘Go now, you will not be able to stay in the Land of the Sun,’ he said. ‘You will have to live in the Mortal Worlds and the people there will constantly asked you just one question, ‘How do I look’ and you will not have any speech so you will not be able to talk back as you have done today,’ so said the Prince.”
Miss Mirror’s eyes rolled with tears narrating the story so far. Then she said, “From that day onwards I am spending my days in misery and sin on the Earth. I am very tired of my work, but what can I do? If you look around the rooms you will realise how much the people of this earth torment me.”
Then Miss Mirror took both my eyes to see the Palace. A huge mirror was fixed on a wall of a huge room. A most beautiful looking princess was sitting opposite the mirror, on a golden seat. Standing behind her, a maid was combing the Princess’s hair. My eyes understood everything.
In another room a man was shaving his beard sitting opposite a mirror. Miss Mirror said:
“This is what is most insulting. Moreover, this is the morning routine of every day on entire earth. Tell me Miss Mirror, do I look alright? I am sick and tired of listening to this single sentence. I don’t know when my days of misery will end?”
My eyes felt sorry for Miss Mirror, so they asked, “you must be getting some respite at the nights, is it?’
***
“What is this? Just a couple of minutes ago you were combing your hair and now you are dead asleep with your head on the table.”
Elder sister said laughing while entering my room. I woke up with a shock. My eyes fell on the mirror opposite me. My eyes seen inside the mirror met with my own eyes and we two – me and my reflection in the mirror – smiled quietly.


Short Story by Vinodini Nilkanth (1907 - 1987)
Translated from Gujarati by Hemang Tannaa
English version Copyright © Hemang Tannaa