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I Picked Up a Cursed Mirror on the Beach… and Was Trapped for 5 Years
Annabelle thought she was just picking up a broken mirror on the beach. But that single moment locked her inside a cyclone barrier for five years, isolated from the world and haunted by her past. When a mysterious agent from the Guild of Curses appears, she embarks on a surreal journey through memories, lost time, and buried emotion.
What she uncovers isn't just magic — it's the truth about her anger, her mother, and the key to her freedom. In this powerful tale of magical realism and emotional transformation, discover how facing the past and embracing forgiveness can finally set you free.
A story of curses, art, and healing you won’t forget.
#CursedMirror #Storytime #EmotionalStory #Forgiveness #FantasyTale
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0:01
the landscape of my life is dictated by
0:03
one sole factor it has been since that
0:06
day many moons ago now when I stepped
0:08
outside of my seaside cottage to find
0:10
the shore covered in fractals of broken
0:12
glass a cracked golden mirror lay amidst
0:15
the crashing tide i foolish as I was
0:19
bent to pick it up I stare at it now its
0:21
ornate frame decorating the space above
0:23
my dresser i throw a hairbrush at the
0:26
mangled surface watching it shutter
0:28
before returning to its original
0:30
distorted reflection even after
0:32
countless attempts of trying to remove
0:34
it it still hasn't relinquished its
0:36
position on my wall i sigh at the sound
0:38
of my kettle shrieking and trudge
0:39
towards my kitchen i pour its contents
0:42
into a teacup flinching when a drop of
0:44
hot water jumps onto my hand and lift my
0:47
gaze out the window into the reality
0:48
outside of my cottage the air
0:50
surrounding my coastal home is warped
0:52
and hazy a swirl of wind that engulfs
0:55
the cottage from all sides a barrier
0:57
that I have learned through unpleasant
1:00
experiences is impenetrable nothing has
1:03
come in or out since the day the cyclone
1:05
formed the storm that created it was the
1:08
last thing I remembered before waking up
1:09
in my newly frozen cage staring at its
1:12
creator mounted on the wall opposite me
1:14
it's safe to say this isn't what I
1:16
signed up for i drop a cube of sugar in
1:18
my tea and then sit down at my kitchen
1:20
table i allow my eyes to skim for the
1:23
thousandth time my artwork plastered on
1:26
the walls my gaze lands on a portrait of
1:28
me and my mother and I quickly look away
1:31
casting aside the sinking feeling in my
1:33
gut i take another sip from my teacup
1:35
and then reach for the journal across
1:37
the table from me day
1:40
1,896 today my tea burned me i'm
1:43
interrupted by a knock at the door i'm
1:46
interrupted by a knock at the door i
1:48
stand up so fast that my chair clatters
1:50
to the floor i rush over to yank open
1:52
the door which swings to reveal a person
1:54
standing in my doorway "hello are you
1:57
Annabelle Gates?" he asks i actually
2:00
stumbled back out of pure shock just the
2:02
sight of another person after so long
2:04
has me grasping for the back of my chair
2:07
which in forgetting it fell over I then
2:09
trip over the stranger looks alarmed
2:12
ma'am are you okay he was wearing a
2:15
jacket with the word collector inscribed
2:16
on the breast pocket and holding a
2:18
notepad what how who are you how did you
2:22
get here i point to the cyclone outside
2:24
of my house he looks behind his shoulder
2:27
as if only now noticing it i'm with the
2:29
guild of curses i believe that for the
2:31
past 5 years you have had in your
2:33
possession a mirror on the cursed items
2:35
register and I am here to collect it he
2:37
stroed past me in a business-like manner
2:40
as if this was nothing out of the
2:41
ordinary "where is it?" he asks i point
2:44
Agape to the door of my room we both
2:47
enter to find the mirror hanging above
2:49
the dresser right where I left it the
2:50
man crosses his arms and surveys it
2:53
excuse me who are you what is the Guild
2:55
of Curses how did this just wind up on
2:57
the beach outside of my house i
2:59
interrogate him my name is Julian and
3:01
I'm employed by the Guild of Curses an
3:03
organization dedicated to protecting and
3:05
preserving cursed items a few years back
3:08
there was a chaotic mixup and it seems
3:11
this mirror somehow ended up in your
3:12
possession we've only tracked it down
3:15
now he scratches the back of his head
3:17
i'm guessing it can't come off i nod he
3:21
sigh i was afraid of that okay I am
3:24
going to have to go back to the guild
3:25
and find its key he turns to leave wait
3:29
i grab his arm what do you mean it's key
3:32
wherever you're going you're taking me
3:34
with you he yanks his elbow free from me
3:37
the key to unlock its curse and no you
3:40
are definitely not coming with me excuse
3:43
me sir but have you ever been trapped in
3:45
a house for 5 years i demand he pauses
3:48
looking uncertain um no well I have and
3:53
you have no idea what it's like not
3:55
seeing your loved ones for so long i
3:58
point to a picture of me and my mom our
4:00
blonde heads tilted towards each other i
4:02
ignore that same uneasy feeling that
4:05
rises in my stomach so if I am able to
4:08
leave then you better believe that I'm
4:10
getting out of here he sigh and pinches
4:12
the bridge of his nose after a moment he
4:15
looks up fine he sigh but you have to do
4:19
exactly what I tell you done i smile a
4:22
minute later we're standing knee deep in
4:25
the ocean outside julian with no warning
4:27
had whipped out some sort of blade that
4:29
cut a path through the cyclone to the
4:31
shore now what i ask him just wait he
4:35
stares straight ahead i watch in shock
4:37
as a door emerges from the water it's
4:40
decorated in gold flakes and strings of
4:42
pearls that dangle off its edges julian
4:44
turns the handle to reveal nothing but a
4:46
glow on the other side you have to just
4:48
walk straight in no fear and it will
4:50
bring you there he says i watch him step
4:53
through and then reluctantly follow him
4:55
a second later I'm in the largest
4:57
building I have ever seen a glass dome
5:00
encases the large room bustling with
5:02
people and what looks like ivy growing
5:04
from the ceiling to the walls a
5:06
cacophony of sounds ricochets around the
5:09
room giving it a chaotic air what is
5:11
this our headquarters follow me i trip
5:15
after him as he strides to a heavy
5:16
wooden door a little ways away this is
5:19
where the key should be he twists the
5:21
gold knob the room beyond is flooded in
5:23
artwork canvases hanging from the
5:25
ceiling papermâché statues clay
5:28
creations and the odd hand turkey with a
5:31
start I realize I recognize all of them
5:34
this is my artwork I say in awe julian
5:37
looks back at me really i step back to
5:40
take in a painting I made when I was
5:42
what 13 12 yeah I say i'm an artist i
5:48
haven't painted for years though i ran
5:50
out of supplies i reach out and touch
5:52
the painting memories of smeared
5:54
swirling colors crowding my mind it's
5:57
been so long huh he looks around these
6:00
are really good how did they get here i
6:04
ask him i don't really know how to
6:06
explain it but you can find things
6:07
linked to the mirror here were you
6:09
thinking of painting when you found it
6:11
not really well I pause unsure i had a
6:16
massive fight with my mom the night
6:17
before i told her I was quitting college
6:20
to become a full-time painter she was
6:22
mad and said she didn't want her
6:24
daughter to become a failed artist so I
6:26
guess I was thinking about that i
6:28
swallowed after 5 years the anger had
6:30
dulled but I still refused to let myself
6:32
think about how she hadn't believed in
6:34
me then that's how come on we have to
6:37
keep going he motions for me to go with
6:40
him i swerve around stray pieces of
6:42
artwork and follow him to the end of the
6:44
hall which leads to another door the
6:46
next room is a wasteland of broken glass
6:49
but the pieces aren't small they're
6:51
massive around the length of my body and
6:53
very thick light refracts through the
6:55
glass casting beams around the room
6:58
what's this room i turn to Julian h he
7:02
walks towards the center of the floor
7:05
weaving around the pieces of broken
7:07
glass oh it's a clock i join him in the
7:11
center to see that the floor is actually
7:12
the face of a ginormous clock its
7:15
massive hands barely a few centimeters
7:18
off the ground "lost time," Julian
7:20
murmurs the hands don't move the room
7:22
remains completely silent i exhale "i
7:25
don't understand where this is going."
7:27
"Look." Julian points to a single
7:29
painting across the room at the head of
7:31
the 12:00 point i inch towards it
7:33
carefully and then come to a complete
7:36
stop when I take in the scene trapped
7:38
inside the plain wooden frame is a
7:40
watercolor painting a woman stands on
7:42
the beach her head of blonde curls bent
7:45
low as she reaches to pick up something
7:47
the mirror it's me on the base of the
7:50
frame is the title of the piece the
7:52
first key anger if this painting is of
7:55
me does that mean I was the key was I
7:57
anger i hear Julian come up behind me
8:00
annabelle I'm sorry but I think you were
8:02
the one who unlocked the curse some
8:04
cursed items need an activator and in
8:07
this case it seems like it was your
8:09
anger towards your mother that caused it
8:11
i barely register the hand that he
8:13
places on my shoulder i was haunted by
8:16
that night like you are by a childhood
8:18
nightmare the anger and betrayal I had
8:20
felt from thinking that my mother didn't
8:22
believe in me used to be blinding hot
8:25
but by now had dulled years of isolation
8:28
made me realize I was living the exact
8:30
life she hadn't wanted for me being
8:32
trapped unhappy and unable to get out
8:36
she had thought college was my mirror's
8:38
key i thought art was "let's go," I say
8:42
my throat dry julian nods a little
8:44
solemnly and we turn to the next door on
8:46
the opposite side of the room "this
8:48
should be the last one," he says we step
8:51
through supposedly the final wooden door
8:53
where we are met only with darkness "huh
8:56
what's going on?" I swivel my head
8:59
around looking for Julian i don't know i
9:02
hear his voice from somewhere to the
9:04
right of me suddenly a light appears at
9:07
the end of the room i step closer to see
9:09
a glowing script in the process of
9:11
writing itself the last key forgiveness
9:16
forgiveness i was the first key and I
9:19
realize now that I am the last one too
9:21
suddenly the room floods with light i
9:23
blink my eyes against the sudden
9:25
harshness to find myself back in my
9:26
coastal cottage standing in my bedroom
9:28
the mirror its surface smooth and umamed
9:31
is mounted underneath the scrawling
9:33
script how i trail off touch it Julian
9:37
says i walk over to the mirror and place
9:39
the pad of my finger on its surface the
9:41
glass ripples lightly like the waters
9:43
outside my home i look back at Julian
9:46
you have to just walk straight in no
9:48
fear and it will bring you there he
9:50
smiles repeating what he had said to me
9:52
before goodbye Julian thank you goodbye
9:56
Annabelle it's time to go home knowing
9:59
what I have to do I step straight
10:01
through the glass
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