Mirrors of Malice

By Victoria Roberts Siczak

A myriad of short stories involving mystery, mystique, malevolence within a mirror vortex. Many traditional cultures believe a mirror can trap a soul. Yet, magicians, voodooists, and spiritualists seek to open portals reaching beyond our dimension. However, once the barriers between worlds are breached, anything might come through from the other side of the reflective spectrum. Gaze into a glass darkly...if you dare. Be ware, you might glimpse a horror staring back at you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victoria Roberts Siczak
• Release date: Jun 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005339203

Victoria Roberts Siczak

Always a storyteller, my family now claims my fabrications are character traits of the weird and unusual! I grew up on the shores of the Oneida River in upstate NY and spent a lot of free time fishing, boating and swimming. I always loved science-fiction and fantasy and read books by authors Jules Verne, Tolkien, Stephen King, etc. My father was an avid reader and always bought a book for Christmas and my birthday. Mystery suspense, paranormal dimensional time travel, mythical creatures and mystical events are thoughts released from my weird little worlds in my mind into books. Presently I am writing a collection of short stories entitled "Murmurs of Madness”,tales which involve visions, voices, and visits from alternate domains and beings.

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Mirrors of Malice

Victoria Roberts Siczak

Copyright © 2020 Victoria Roberts Siczak

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

ISBN: 9798512084755

DEDICATED TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

(Whose names have been changed but nevertheless they provide the intricate traits of some featured characters!)

Twelve short stories pertaining to the mystical, the magical, the maniacal, and the imaginative and emotional myriads of images reflected through mirrors…or through minds!

After all…

CONTENTS

1. EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

2. THE MERMAID MATRIX

3. A SPECULUM OF SPIRITS

4. ALL MANNERS OF MONSTER

5. WITHIN A VORTEX VODUN

6. OF AN ALIEN AMBIENCE

7. BEYOND the ILLUSION

8. MALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

9. A Dream within A DREAM

10. RIVER OF REFLECTION

11. PHANTASMS

12. DON’T GLANCE in THE Rearview

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

1. EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Any behavior that is not the status quo, is interpreted as insanity when it might be enlightenment. Insanity is sort of In the eye of the beholder.

Chuck Palahniuk

It’s your sister’s wedding, Aunt Gracie stated sternly standing outside of the door frame, her silhouette outlined in the light from the hallway. You are going whether you like it or not, since you refused to be in the wedding. However, we will be attending this event to honor Rosalind, as well as the memories of your father and mother!

Regina scowled, although it was too dark in her dimly lit bedroom for Grace to see her expression clearly. She liked it that way. Blinds closed, curtains drawn, only soft flickering illuminating light emanating from the array of candles on the top of her dresser.

The bedroom itself was sparsely furnished. A twin bed, a dresser and closet containing a few skirts, tops, dresses, and shoes, which were as colorless and characterless as the person who wore them. The only possession that decorated the obsidian ambience, was the antique ornate mirror hanging on the wall. It was strangely hewed, and although Grace and Rosalind thought it hideous and creepy, Regina insisted on keeping it. Aunt Gracie had reluctantly relented, seeing the girls each had their own bedroom anyway. After all, the eerie thing had been their mother’s.

Ramona Simons had always been strange and reclusive herself; however, the loss of their parents had been hard, especially on Regina. Seven years had passed since the accident…or unnatural incident as some of the town’s people still referred to the tragic event that had claimed the lives of Ramona and Andrew Simons.

Aunt Gracie warned the girls to pay no mind to the gossip and rumors concerning the accident because there had always been daunting speculations about their mother…and her strange behavior and practices.

Ramona Everson had been the only child of Rochelle and Marcus Everson. After her father, the town’s pharmacist died (cause undetermined) her grief-stricken mother had continued to serve the town’s apothecary needs. She used combinations of traditional pharmaceuticals, folk medicines (the use of natural remedies by non-professional healers) and herbalism (plant extracts including fungi, minerals and sometimes animal blood.)

*Herbalism employed the use of plants for medicinal purposes predated in histories throughout the world. Indigenous peoples were known to have used thousands of various plants for the treatment of numerous diseases and ailments. Herbalists conceded that natural pharmaceuticals were highly effective in many dire situations, such as snake and insect bites, and allergic reactions from contact with poisonous plants. Some herbs taken over time, were believed to aid in resisting disease and providing nutritional and immunological support that modern medicines and supplements lacked.

Ramona like her mother, had always provided homemade natural remedies for her family and friends. Her husband Andrew often gave praise for her panaceas medicines for treating colds and flu. He told customers and clientele, that his wife’s remedies were far more effective treating common aliments than anything sold over the counter at drugstores.

The herbal teas Ramona brewed contained mixtures of Peppermint, Yarrow, Elderflower and Chamomile, which helped the body to establish a healthy immune balance. Peppermint was a natural decongestant, while Yarrow reduced fever, and Elderflower and Chamomile were known to lessen the severity of aches and pains.

The townspeople spread talk among themselves that Ramona like her mother Rochelle, practiced some sort of witchcraft. However, it was actually the ancient tradition known as Wicca, which was based on the spiritual and healing effects of nature.

Wiccans believed in the celebration of Life, Nature, Love and Harmony. They considered themselves in tune with the Universe and everything in nature. In actuality, Wicca was more of a science, procuring a healthy lifestyle within a positive mindset and relationship with everything Mother Earth offered. It was speculated throughout the town that the use of dark magic was inducted, although no one dared to voice their thoughts aloud.

Andrew Simons had been a trustworthy lawyer, resolving conflicts, goading insurances into settlements, justifying estate inheritances and supplicating natural remedies that surpassed prescribed medications. It had been extremely difficult for the townsfolk to believe that Andrew had married such a dark, introverted and somewhat plain woman as Ramona, when he could have had any beauty in the town or at the University. It was a mystery, and some speculated that Ramona had cast a love spell over him.

The first daughter born to the Simons, Rosalind, was an angelic cherub with her father’s nature and astonishing attractive features. Dark silky hair, sky blue-eyes, and openly charismatic, she delighted everyone with her outgoing personality, charm, talent, and beauty. Even Andrew’s sister Grace’s stern stance concerning her sister-in-law’s oddities diminished in the joy of her exquisite niece. Twenty months later, a second child arrived. The complete singularity of Ramona, Regina was dark and precarious, the mirrored image of her mother.

The propensities between sisters had not gone unnoticed. There had always been indifferences and contention between them. Andrew always sought to involve Ramona and Regina in the social aspect of their lives, however, they both preferred the solitariness safety of their home.

Secluded in the house, Ramona taught her youngest daughter secrets of how to use nature’s various commodities. Regina embraced the aspects of knowledge while Rosalind obtained the status of a beautiful socialite. She was the most popular, intelligent and by far the prettiest girl in school. By the time she entered high school she had won numerous beauty pageants and talent competitions throughout the region.

Teachers and school administrators could not believe little mousey withdrawn Regina, was the sister of the lovely Rosalind Simons. A grade behind her quaint and lovely sister, Regina barely spoke unless cajoled into answering the teachers’ questions. Although she was an intelligent, above average sixth grader, capable of completing a tenth-grade equivalences in reading, science, and mathematics, her guarded introspective excluded her from making friends or forming student-teacher relationships in school or with anyone else. Then suddenly…tragedy struck!

Rosalind had been a favorite among the judges competing in the Junior Miss State pageant. Winning the title insured a five-thousand-dollar bond for college, plus a thousand-dollar gift certificate for wardrobe and beauty products. It would be a step closer for her to secure entering the Miss America pageant in the future.

Rosalind felt confident she could, should and would win. She possessed the beauty, talent, intelligence and wittiness to cast most all ballots her way. Of course, she didn’t really care if Ramona and Regina were present or not…Daddy and Aunt Gracie would be there as always. Besides, she didn’t want or need people gossiping about her strange mother and sister, therefore putting a damper on such an important event and opportunity.

Nonetheless, Andrew had eventually persuaded his wife and younger daughter to attend the festivities. It was true, they were introverted and although Regina was said to resemble her mother’s uncomeliness, Andrew considered both to be beautiful as nature itself.

Finally, Ramona had relented and promised Regina that they would be able to procure a secluded spot in which to watch the competition where no one would see or bother them. Yet even at the tender age of eleven, Regina sensed something was off on the particular day. She had premonitions before that frightened her, but Ramona explained that she like herself and her grandmother, had the gift of intuition. She told her daughter that sometimes fears were high-strung emotional signals brought on by anxiety. It turned out that on this terrible day, Regina’s uneasiness was more than intuition.

*In North America, the Genus Vespa known as yellowjackets, were known to be invasive, predatory, eusocial wasps. They nested underground or in tree cavities as it afforded protection from human encounters. Unfortunately, on the morning of the pageant, Andrew had set up folding chairs for Ramona and Regina away from the grandstands, yet close enough to see the festivities. The large tree provided shade during the warm summer days, and they did not see the wasps nest hidden within the tree trunk.

Ramona along with brewing herbal remedies, also made natural organic shampoos, lotions, soaps, and fragrances, extracted from esters of essential oils and pheromones…a chemical substance produced by animals to attract others of its species. However, it was these pheromones which triggered the wasps attack on Regina and Ramona that fateful day. The toxic venom from the wasp’s stings allotted severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic anaphylaxis that led to cardiac arrest in a matter of minutes. Regina had been the first to be stung. Her mother looked at the swarm gathering around her daughter and quickly chanted: "Protect my loved one from this negative energy. Protect my loved one from all harm…let it be done," before the swarm covered her.

Andrew had been carrying glasses of lemonade when he heard their screams. He ran to his wife and began swatting at the wasps before he was attacked by the thousands of venomous insects as well. The poisons quickly rendered him unconscious. He fell on top of Ramona who had already succumbed from the barbarous stings. Eleven-year-old Regina watched helplessly a few feet away, unharmed from the wrath of the wasps, yet unable to speak or move as she watched the horror of her parent’s deaths unfold before her.

The doctor ruled the Simon’s death a tragic accident. Grace Simons had taken her nieces in, yet rumors were that Ramona Simons had somehow hexed herself and her husband and something had gone terribly wrong. Of course, this was a complete false assumption, as Regina was left unscathed by the poisonous barbs during the horrific event. Some believed Regina, an odd child herself, had something to do with her parent’s death.

Grace Simons being the only living family member, moved into her older brother’s house, giving up her career as a bank manager, her two-bedroom apartment, and her fiancé…to take care of her two orphaned nieces. Rosalind at thirteen was a complete joy and Grace loved her as did everyone who knew her, despite her mother and sister’s nonstandard reputations. Regina was another matter. Dark and suspiciously strange, she was even more seclusive and withdrawn after the incident at the fairgrounds. She rarely left the house only when forcibly mandated to attend school.

Grace tried to love her as she did Rosalind, however her fiancé spooked by Regina’s dark demeanor, refused to take part. Gracie couldn’t abandon the girl and tried to cover up the resentment she felt towards Regina by letting her keep her own peculiar own lifestyle…keeping mainly to herself in the privacy of her bedroom.

When the girls arrived home from school, Regina would run up to her room and close the door, only joining her aunt and sister for dinner. After dishes and other chores were done, she would return to her sanctuary, shutting them out as well as the rest of the world. Neither Grace nor Rosalind bothered to disturb Regina or even enter her bedroom after time. Regina kept it clean, did her homework and only came down have meals and complete her household obligations. Her room remained her haven of solitary existence. But she didn’t mind, in fact she loved being alone…and she had all the company she needed. Magically and mystically, her mother’s image appeared in the mirror kept in her room. Regina couldn’t hear Ramona’s voice; however, her reflected image showed her daughter many things. Some the girl understood…and some she did not!

She realized that through the aberrations of visions her mother showed her in the mirror, the Craft of the Wise was a spiritual system that fostered free thought, free will, and the mystical forces of nature. However, Ramona had warned the girl that abusing these forces could lead to dangerous offsets. The Law of Three…being whatever energy one puts out into the world, positive or negative, could be returned three times fold…for the good or the bad.

Her grandmother Rochelle and her mother Ramona had devoted their lives to giving and helping all who asked, and though their intentions were mainly beneficial…at times they were grossly misunderstood.

Ramona once wished for both of her daughters to continue the practice, although it became clear Rosalind was not interested in Wicca nor in being an outcast and showed no interest towards obtaining it. She had grace, beauty, talent, and charm to get her through life. She knew that people adored her. What more could she want? Certainly not the stigma of being labeled as a witch like her grandmother, mother, and sister!

The sisters grew further apart through the years. Rosalind was busy with beauty contests, obtaining scholarships, and presently being nominated as the youngest contestant to represent the state for the Miss America pageant. Aunt Gracie was right by her side through it all, living her cast-off life through that of her amazing niece.

Regina was left alone with her own oddities for company…and the mystic mirror. She didn’t care. She loved having her mother’s image appear to her through a magical glass portal. Ramona was showing her how to harness and redirect the powers of natural energy and its sources.

Regina soon attained these skills, and the knowledge for the use of athames…ceremonial talismans, herbs, crystals, and candles through her mother’s guidance. Ramona made it known that these attributes provided interaction with the spirit world and contact with Divination as presented in nature.

As long as Aunt Gracie and Rosalind left her alone, Regina was eventually able to develop the gift of seeing, not only for what the future may hold, but seeing the intricate lifeforce of light and dark auras within certain individuals.

The reflected soul represented the Divine in worldly form. Often her mother’s image would appear as a solitary eye. This Regina learned, was the All-Seeing Eye of Maat…the Goddess known to see a person’s true nature. She was therefore related as the goddess of law, morality, and justice.

*Ancient Egyptians believed Maat held the universe together and maintained the world beneath. The word Maa meant, "To see." Regina saw this reflected through the mirror. Visions from the psychic realm contained past, present, and future realizations. The Eye was the symbol of divine guidance, watchfulness of the universe, and a sign of spiritual illumination and revelation.

Ramona was able to convey this in images to her daughter. Even though Regina was shunned, an outcast, and labeled as a witch, her mother wanted her to continue the craft of Wicca.

~~~~

Rosalind accompanied by Aunt Gracie, was presently away, involved in various competitions. Regina had declined to go, electing to stay home and maintain their residence.

Now seventeen years of age, she refused to go anywhere, homeschooling herself along with taking care of the house and garden. Gracie couldn’t deny her requests as she more than exceeded in academics and keeping the house clean and the garden flourishing. She knew she needn’t worry about Regina allowing anyone to come into the house. So, she reluctantly gave her consent…as long as no problems arose.

Nonetheless…they did.

Regina was able to glimpse a dimensional realm through images cast through the mirror. Her mother showed her how to see from the periphery of her eye. Ramona revealed the location of the Third Eye, which was connected to the pineal gland and allowed the transiency to see auras.

To open the Third Eye, her mother indicated, was to attain a passageway directly into the spirit world. The front part of the pineal gland contained the structure and the components of the vestigial eye.

Once attained, the Eye was able to penetrate dimensions of space and time. It also allowed the practitioner to look inside the body and soul. The four powers of the vestigial eye Ramona reflected were, Flesh Vision, Divine Vision, Wisdom Vision and Law Vision. These levels were pure manifestations of the universal and natural laws.

*The aura, a vibration of the energy field surrounding matter, consisted of levels of electromagnetic radiation. The higher frequencies related to conscious activity, emotions, thoughts, creativity and intention. Unless they were altered by conscious human intent, they maintained an intricate part of the magic of nature.

Psychic intervention, spirit intrusions, and negative vibrations were known to impact auras, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Dark energy resonated openings in chakras and portals, creating passages into the physical world. Enmeshed in energy fields, they could cause emotional and physical trauma once invoked.

This was another reason why Regina remained a recluse. She started to see these dark and malignant auras in people. Ramona taught her that a black aura emitted negative energy, indicating hatred, negativity, depression, jealousy, and selfishness.

The darkness emanated when energies became imbalanced. This made black auras powerful and sometimes inescapable from the forces that drove them. Nonetheless, as an Energy Healer, Ramona passed this knowledge to her daughter as her mother Rochelle had passed it on to her.

She began by showing Regina how to channel positive energy sources by writing in the mirror a charm. She depicted that the words must be repeated three times. Divine Light of the Highest Order under the Protection of Archangel Michael. I invite my spirit guides and guardian angels into this energy field.

After chanting this spell, Regina suddenly felt herself being elevated in both body and spirit as beautiful white ethereal entities soared around