Reflecting by Fiona McKee
“Who’s watching– t-tell me who’s watching me!”
The man grips the arms of his chair tightly, fingernails digging into the wood. He sits hunched in on himself, yet every muscle in his frame is taut, ready to uncoil. His eyes are squeezed tightly shut.
“I assure you, Mr. Brown, you are not being spied upon.”
“Are you– are you sure?”
“Yes, Mr. Brown, I’m certain of it.”
The man’s shirt and pants, once respectable, are creased and speckled with grime. He twists his head around frantically, as though looking for something, yet his eyes remain tightly shut.
“But I see him– whenever I open my eyes–”
“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Brown, but if I may be so forthright, it would be best for you to visit Mrs. Fogg. She’s very good at handling these cases.”
The man looks as though he has been slapped across the face.
“I’m not insane! Just tell me— who’s watching–”
“Clearly we are going nowhere with this, Mr. Brown. Perhaps it would be best if you had some time to reflect.”
“No! Please don’t leave me alone! Just tell me who’s watching–”
As the door clicks shut across the man’s words, he gives a strangled sob. Around him, the room dances, the mirrors across every surface reflecting and refracting a man in a chair sitting, sobbing, receding infinitely into murky nothingness.
Fiona is a college undergraduate studying computer science. In her spare time, she enjoys storytelling through artistic mediums including poetry and fiction. Her work has been published in the Tuscarora Review, where it received Editor’s Choice three times, and in 2022 she was a Silver Key Recipient in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Image by Fiona McKee
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