The Future's Bright

by Russell Ruffino

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My head began to spin, I tried to look away but I couldn’t move, I couldn’t even move my eyes. The tips of my fingers and toes began to vibrate, almost like pins and needles. I tried to close my eyes but ended up squinting, throwing the pictures in the mirror into sharper focus.

I saw a kitchen, it was empty but a hob was turned on. As I watched a tea towel left lazily on the cooker caught fire. A gust of wind came from somewhere and blew an ember across the room.

My head was pounding, I couldn’t lift my hand to check but I think my nose was bleeding. The scene changed, smoke was pouring out of a door no one was looking at.

Then fire on a dance floor, people screaming, alarms were ringing, they rang too late. I saw a figure I recognised burst from the toilets and try and dodge the fire, a ceiling beam fell, the figure fell, and didn’t get up.

Finally the mirror released me, I wiped the blood off my face and heard a fire alarm begin to sound. I thought about running and I thought about dying.

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Comments

Average Reader Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5

  1. The Future's Bright

    Ana Cristina's Buddy Icon Ana Cristina

    Posted 3 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Pardon my ignorance, but what’s a hob?
    This series has me wondering what’s going to happen next. I look forward to the next sequel.

  2. The Future's Bright

    JMSquire's Buddy Icon JMSquire

    Posted 3 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Really wild things going on, I like it. The way it’s written really gets the intensity of the situation across, I can’t wait for more.

  3. The Future's Bright

    John Perkins' Buddy Icon John Perkins

    Posted 3 months ago

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Agreed. What the heck is a hob?
    Also, pretty cool. Did he see himself in the mirror dying or his buddy? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Or read the last line I guess, but that’s no fun.

  4. The Future's Bright

    THX 0477's Buddy Icon THX 0477

    Posted 3 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    The latter seems to be his fate. Very exciting stuff here. Great job on the quick transition in a limited space from the premonition to the reality.

  5. The Future's Bright

    thebetweenspace's Buddy Icon thebetweenspace

    Posted 3 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great setup, wondering if fate is sealed or if there’s a chance it can be overcome. In other words, is this mirror a truthful mirror or not?

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