SISSY DARK TALES

Book 1:

THE LIVING MIRROR

© 1984

Part 1

A big blue truck with a trailer to match, drove along the motorway, the sky was black, heavy rain fell down everywhere, traffic was beginning to slow down, as the rain fell so thick and fast, that it made it virtually almost impossible for drivers to see where they were going. Traffic slowly, but gradually came to a halt. Only a few cars took the turn off, that lead to a country side road. But with the rain as bad as it was, any journey across the open country road would be slow, dead slow in fact.

That aside, it would put and place any driver quite far off the destination they are wanting to reach. However, there was no guarantee that there would be a turn off for any driver to get back onto a different part of the motorway that would not be congested with traffic jams, that would be closer to where they need to get to. The driver of this truck stopped to take a look at his route map. “Hmmm, man that would put me at least ten miles out away from my destination.”

Remarked the driver, sat in his cabin, a few more cars decided to risk it and take the turn off point, his truck was parked in the lay-by, not wanting to get stuck in the same traffic jam. Though he knew that he could not stay there indefinitely, or risk being spotted by a police car and being given a caution not to use it, the lay-by’s are for any vehicle that has either ran out of gas or is need of some sort of an emergency.

Dan Brown, the name of the truck driver, had neither ran out of petrol, or had a flat tyre for that matter, nor did he have any kind of an emergency. He was 35 years old and he has been a trucker since the age of 18, when he got his first truck driving job. There was a company name on the side of his truck, with another on the other side in big bright red lettering. Thompsons Electricals LTD. In the back of the truck was various electrical equipment, a few cookers, fridge/freezers and a couple of washer/dryers.

The traffic seemed to be pilling up as Dan contemplated about taking that turn off, the map had shown him where it leads too, it was a 10 mile long winding countryside road with not a turn off to other roads leading to or away from it within that 10 mile radius. There was however a junction to another motorway just at the very far end of that long and winding road. Dan looked at the pile up of traffic. He heaved a heavy sigh. “Dam it, if I join the rest of that traffic, I could be stuck there for goodness knows how long. Damn it, I’ll take that turn off, but it will mean quite a delay with the orders that I am carrying.”

Remarked Dan, quite unhappily. Obviously, all of those different electrical appliances were for different addresses to be delivered to. A few people were not going to be pleased. But Dan’s options were limited, with having such a good long track record for delivering on time, sometimes even arriving ahead of schedule. He knew that he would not risk too much of getting a bad rap for the first time of his entire career, for a few late deliveries. 

Dan began to pull out of the lay-by and take that turn off. He was the very last person to do so. Dan checked his petrol gauge, he would have to find a petrol station, before going too far down that other motorway at the end of the long winding road, with having to travel slower than normal, which he was glad of, it meant that if his luck was to hold out, he could manage without refilling his petrol tank for a good while yet.

The journey was long and lonely, in fact it seem to feel a whole lot longer than it should be. But maybe that was because Dan was driving at lowest fresh-hold speed of his truck. Which was 5 miles an hour, he wanted to increase the trucks speed, but with only the trucks head lights to light the way, there was nothing else that gave any other light. There was no street lamps, obviously, as since this was your typical open country side road, with nothing but open fields with lots of forests on either side for miles on end.

And with the heavy rain fall, it was difficult as it was just simply keeping the truck going in as near as a straight line as possible. The fact that it was a long and winding one, did not help matters either. Fences were dead hard to see, the truck would get stuck in mud if it was to run off into the fields by accident. Dan was beginning to feel tired… “I don’t get it! Why do I feel so darn tired?” He said to himself, he should be used to driving long hours etc. He had eaten well from the last meal he had at a service station, several cups of coffee to help keep him going for a good long while.

“What the….” Dan all of a sudden brought his truck to halt. He looked out the side window of his truck where the passenger seat was. Just in the far off distance were a few lit windows. Dan got out of his truck to get a much closer and better look. He took his flash light with him, it was a big heavy set one that gave off a good strong powerful light. “Well, bless me… what’s that doing here?” Darn remarked to himself, as a gravel path showed up within the beam of his torch light.

“This isn’t on the map.!” He said to himself, he went over to the driver’s seat and took out of the glove compartment, his route map. The map did not show a path of any kind on it, other than the end junction leading out onto another. motorway. “This has to be quite new then!” Dan pointed his torch to where the lit windows had been and sure enough, there was a house that looked to be no more than a few yards away.

Dan’s eyes were starting to feel oddly heavy. “Man, I’m so tired. I don’t think that I can make it through the night.!” Dan seemed to be worried by just how tired he was by now. “I sure hope whoever is the owner of that house is nice and friendly, I am going to need a place to sleep.!” Said Dan uneasily to himself, as he made his way back to his truck. He put it in reverse, so that he could pull of and go down that gravel path, on toward that house.

Much to Dan’s surprise by the time he drove up into the drive way, the house was in fact a quaint looking small cottage with a loft conversion at the top of it. Dan looked at the petrol gauge. “What? That can’t be right… Surely!” The Petrol gauge blinked ‘E.’ For empty. “How can this be? Maybe I had originally read the gauge wrong!” Dan said to himself, as he approached the cottage and rang the doorbell. The front door opened and a frail old looking woman wearing what looked like to be almost old fashioned type clothing, answered.

She had silver spectacles on her face. “Yes… how may I help you?” Dan was glad of the fact that on his uniform attached to it was his ID Badge, so customers knew who he was ands that he was of course from the Thompson Electrical company, as his ID had the company name, logo and telephone number on it. He showed her his ID. “Oh… I don’t seem to recall though ordering any electrical appliances.” She remarked in mild confusion. Dan could perfectly understand why she was confused.

“My apologies Madam, but my truck has unfortunately ran out of petrol and I saw your house, I’m also feeling quite tired and I hope if it would be possible if I could stay the night?” The old woman gave him an odd look, as she looked him over. “Please Madam, I am so, so very tired. I am more than happy to seep on your sofa if you have one, or on the floor. I really don’t mind. I do so apologise for the intrusion.”

“Awe, don’t be silly young man. It is no intrusion at all. You do look  not only terribly tired, but also very, very wet. Why don’t you come in and get warm, I will fix you a nice hot cup of coca.”

“Thank you Madam, much appreciated.”

“Oh, there is no need for you to be so formal my dear. Please call me Miranda.”

“Miranda! Nice name.”

“Why thank you young man.”

“By all means, do call me Dan.”

Miranda had sparse white hair tied in a tight bun, her clothes seemed to look almost Victorian, the skirt of her dress, bustled as she walked. Dan dared not remark on her clothes, it would be extremely rude of him anyway to do so. She lead him into a quaint little living room, that had one sofa, one arm chair and near to the open fire place, a rocking chair. Miranda lead him to it and got him to sit down. But Dan sure was grateful of the warmth, of which the open fire gave.

Her eyes were grey in colour, Dan felt a little awkward in the presence of a woman so old, where he was quite young looking, he looked to be 20, he had youthful looking skin,  he had short black hair, dark black eyes, he was of medium build and height. There had been a knitted shawl that had been hung on the back of the rocking chair and Miranda had put this around him, even though it was of course meant for a woman of her age.

Even though Dan felt only a slight bit of discomfort of having that wrapped around him, he was however, glad of it and not only that. Miranda was so very kind and nice to him, he did not want to do or say anything that would upset her in any way. She had gone off to the kitchen to make him that hot cup of coca, that she had mentioned. The house had the barest essentials, while it did not look particularly, or beautiful that most houses are. It was quaint and held a  kind of beauty of its very own. 

“Now get that down you. Once you have finished with that. I must insist that you take a nice hot bath…”

“What?” Gasped Dan, not quite expecting for Miranda to say that to him. “Oh I couldn’t possibly…” She cast an odd stare at him. “I did say I have to insist. Besides, you need to get out of those wet clothes my dear.” Miranda did have a point there, he was completely soaked to the bone. “As since you insist. Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome. I think I may have something that you can wear at least for tonight until I can wash and dry your clothes in the morning.”

“You are most kind, thank you Miranda.”

“You’re most welcome. You’re lucky that I kept a few things that my grandson once used to have that I had made for him that he once wore, when he used to visit me here.”

“Sounds like you must really miss him?” Remarked Dan, trying to make polite conversation. “Oh I do, dearly so.”

“Where does he live, if you not mind me asking?”

“Oh, he’s no longer in the realm of the living I’m afraid…” Remarked Miranda, quite oddly. “Oh!...” Remarked Dan feeling awkward and slightly bad about himself for asking such a question. “…I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Oh, no need to be my dear. That had been a long, long time ago. Come along now, I will show you to the bathroom.”

Remarked Miranda, as Dan had finally finished off drinking the hot cup of coca, that she had given to him. Dan was only too happy to remove the shawl from around him get up out of the rocking chair and follow her to where the bathroom was, which was right at the back of the house, quite close near by the kitchen area. “There, the bath is already, ready for you my dear, hop in and use the bath products that you see on the shelf.”

Dan gave her an awkward stare. “Oh, silly me. I shall leave you to get your bath, please leave your clothes outside of the bathroom, so that I can take them and put them in the wash basket. There’s a bathrobe on the back of this bathroom door.” Remarked Miranda with a gentle smile. Dan wondered when she had the time to run the bath water for him. It must have been when she had made him that cup of hot coca, he thought to himself.

It did not take him long to have a bath and use the bath products that he did find on a nearby shelf, just within reach bolted somehow onto the bathroom wall. The bath was so relaxing, but he did not take too  long and he was soon dried and he had put the bathrobe on. It was pink. He was not really fond of the colour, but at least it kept him warm. Miranda had taken away his clothes, as he stepped outside to see if maybe there was something for him that he could at least put on his feet.

He realised that he had no underwear on underneath the bathrobe, which made him feel slightly self-conscious. Miranda had soon returned. “I thought that you might need something to put on your feet.” She remarked, it was though she had read his mind, but that was not possible. Dan looked at what she held in her hands though. He did not look at all too happy to see that she was holding a pair of pink fluffy slippers in her hands.

“Oh, I’m so sorry about the foot wear. But these are the only things that I have that are just about your foot size.” Dan said nothing as she gave him the slippers for him to put on. He put them on, but somewhat reluctantly. “Come, I will you show you to your room.”

“My room!” Replied Dan in shock. “I mean to the guest room that I have.”

“Oh, please…. You have been much too kind to me already. Sleeping on the sofa will do me fine.”

“You are a guest here my dear, therefore, I insist that you sleep in the guest bedroom.” Replied Miranda, polite, but firmly. Not wanting to cause her any upset etc. Dan nodded his head and let Miranda take  his hand and lead him to the guest bedroom, which was the loft conversion that he had seen.

But as soon as Dan had entered into the bedroom, he completely froze where he stood. “The room was pink, filled with the most girlish of decorations that he had ever seen. It looked almost like a baby girl’s bedroom, he was half almost expecting to see an adult sized cot. To his relief, there was a pink bed, with a princess print duvet, it looked like a little girls bed in every sense of the word, but was the full length and width of an adults single bed.

“Well… just don’t stand there like a statue…” Remarked Miranda when she noticed that Dan  had stood firmly still where he was. “Go sit down on the bed, while I get you some night clothes that you can wear for the night.” She tugged him by his hand and yanked him over toward the bed. Dan sat down on it, feeling most uncomfortable among all of the girlishness that was around him.

“Yes, this will do. Sorry again about the colour and all. But this is the only thing that I could find in your size.” Replied Miranda as she held out before Dan something that looked to be a one piece and pink. Dan gave a look of shock and horror, as to what he saw. The garment was not only pink, Miranda had turned it around for him, so that he could get a good look at. “Is… is… that.. what I think it is?” Remarked Dan in shocked alarm.

“Of course it is my dear. Sorry to say that there is no nappies available, to go with it, so when you need to pee and poop, you will just simply have to use the potty.” Replied Miranda in a happy tone of voice. At the end of the bed was an adult sized potty and yes, it was pink too. Surely she really was not expecting Dan to actually use it? “Don’t you have anything else that I can wear?” Replied Dan, then he quickly added. “No offence meant.”

“None taken, but as I said dear. That is the only thing that I have in your size. Besides, my grandson loved wearing this.”

Dan looked utterly and completely shocked… “What? But… But… that’s a Onesie…” Remarked Dan. “Yes I know, isn’t it pretty?” Remarked Miranda with a huge smile on her face. If it had been plain white, made of cotton, he may have not minded, it practically almost looked like big child’s version of a leotard.

As it had big puffy sleeves, like that of little girls dress, there was a mass of ribbons on it, but worst of all right across the romp of the Onesie, was a mass row of ruffled frills.

(Frilly Pink Onesie)

“I damn well won’t wear that thing!” Dan suddenly blurted out. “I beg your pardon!” Shot back Miranda in shear anger. A sudden wave of dread and fear came over Dan.”

“You will do as you are told in my house hold. And you shall put this on, or I shall put it on for you.” Dan had never before in all of his life looked so shocked in his entire life. “I… I don’t know how… To put it on…” He replied with a little bit of a whimper.

‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ A part of Dan’s mind screamed. But Dan was feeling really very odd, the gaze of the pretty frilly pink Onesie had held him captivated, somehow. “Awe, don’t worry sweetie.” Replied Miranda, oddly in a soft cooing tone of voice. “I shall help put this on you, remove your bathrobe please.” Dan simply obeyed, he had somehow already untied and dropped the bathrobe to the carpeted floor of the bedroom. He did not feel odd or freaked out being seen by a woman at least 50 or so, looking at his naked body.

She was old enough to actually be his grandmother, most likely. Miranda had popped open the little studs at the bottom part of the Onesie, and slipped it over Dan’s head, akin to putting a dress on him. She lead Dan to the bed and got him to lie down, so that she could fasten the snappers on the Onesie. It felt oddly cool against his skin with one last final snap, the Onesie was secured onto Dan’s body. “Come my dear, see how pretty you look.”

Replied Miranda as she took hold of Dan’s hand, she pulled him up, off, of the bed and lead him to the far end of the bedroom. “Just stand exactly right where you are.” Said Miranda, as she then stepped in front of him. Dan simply obeyed her. Just then, suddenly her body began to ripple like quick silver, until a solid gold frame now stood before Dan, within  the gold frame was crystal cut glass, that cast the most perfect reflection ever seen.

“Now walks toward me, my dear.” Came a bone chilling female disembodied voice, that seem to come right from out of the mirror itself. Dan obeyed, as he slowly stepped forward, but as he did so, there was an odd crinkling sound, with each step that he took. It seemed as though that the Onesie was plastic lined, for some strange odd reason. But none of that mattered to Dan as he walked toward the mirror, he seem to seep right into the glass of the mirror, until he completely vanished…

TO BE CONTINUED…