Flora walked through the portal and arrived on another planet called Mirrorland. She was the first goddess from Tropius to ever set foot on this strange world.
Usually, when a god or goddess did something wrong, they were sent to a planet called Sailies, where they would face endless punishment. They would be forced to build castles, tear them down, and build them again, over and over. It made them feel as if they were trapped in time.
But Mirrorland was different.
Everywhere Flora looked, there were mirrors. There were giant mirrors, small mirrors, and tiny mirrors hanging from the trees like fruit.
These mirrors did more than show a person's reflection. They revealed other planets, the people who lived on them, and the stories of their lives. Every mirror held a different story, showing what was happening somewhere else in the universe.
Flora looked around and began to explore.
There were no animals, no demi-gods, and no goddesses anywhere in sight.
Then, in front of her, she saw a beautiful white room with no walls. It was completely open, allowing her to see the trees and all of the mirrors surrounding it.
Inside the room stood a large mirror and a beautiful white chair. Huge windows stretched around the room, giving her a perfect view of the countless magical mirrors.
The mirror in the room seemed different from all the others. It felt as though it was waiting for her.
Flora slowly walked over, sat down in the white chair, and looked into the mirror.
She whispered to herself,
"This place is nothing like home... but these mirrors... I want to watch their stories." Flora sat quietly in front of the great mirror, watching one story after another unfold.
"So many stories..." she whispered. "I don't understand what's happening to these people. Why do their faces keep changing?"
Every mirror showed a different life, but one story caught Flora's attention.
It was about a twelve-year-old girl named Nyla.
Nyla lived in the deepest part of Oaktown, a place filled with gun violence, gangs, drugs, sex trafficking, and murder. It was a neighborhood where danger seemed to exist around every corner.
What fascinated Flora wasn't where Nyla lived—it was the emotions on the little girl's face.
Nyla showed fear, sadness, anger, hope, and loneliness. Flora couldn't understand why one person could have so many different emotions. She watched every expression closely, trying to make sense of them.
Nyla's father was a drug dealer, and her mother was a prostitute. Men were constantly coming and going from their house. Sometimes they came to buy drugs from her father. Other times they came to see her mother.
As Flora continued to watch, she realized Nyla had grown up believing this life was normal.
For the first time since arriving in Mirrorland, Flora couldn't look away from a story.
Something about Nyla made her want to understand what those emotions meant. As time passed in Mirrorland, Flora decided to take a break from watching Nyla's story.
She stood up from the white chair and began walking through Mirrorland once again. Everywhere she looked, there were mirrors—tiny mirrors, giant mirrors, and mirrors of every shape and size. Each one showed a different life, different people, and different emotions.
Flora stopped and quietly watched them.
"So many stories," she whispered. "So many different faces."
Suddenly, a strange sound came from her stomach.
Grrrr...
Flora looked down.
"My stomach is making a sound," she said. "It must be time to eat."
She began searching Mirrorland for food.
After walking for a while, she discovered a beautiful lake shaped like a giant mirror. The crystal-clear water shimmered like glass. Beneath the surface swam colorful fish and magnificent sea creatures unlike anything Flora had ever seen.
"I wonder if I can eat one of them," she said.
Flora stepped into the water and tried to catch a fish with her hands, but they were too quick. Every time she reached for one, it slipped away.
After several attempts, she climbed back onto the shore.
She searched the nearby trees, hoping to find fruit or something else to eat. But every tree held only mirrors. There wasn't a single piece of fruit or anything that looked edible.
Flora sighed and looked around.
"What am I supposed to do?" she asked herself.
She stood there with the same calm, blank expression on her face, unsure of what to do next. For the first time since arriving in Mirrorland, she realized that surviving in this strange world might be much harder than she had expected.Flora stood quietly, staring at the endless forest of mirrors.
"There has to be food somewhere," she whispered.
She continued walking until she heard a beautiful melody drifting through the air.
She looked around, confused.
"Who is singing?"
There was no one there.
As she stepped closer, she realized the sound was coming from a giant silver tree. Instead of leaves, it was covered with tiny mirrors that gently swayed in the breeze. Whenever the wind touched them, they created music.
Flora reached out and touched one of the mirrors.
The singing stopped.
The little mirror suddenly lit up and showed a family sitting together, laughing around a dinner table.
Flora tilted her head.
"They're eating," she said. "Maybe this mirror knows where food is."
The image disappeared, and the mirror became still again.
"I don't understand," Flora whispered. "Why would a mirror show me food but not tell me where to find it?"
She sighed and continued walking deeper into Mirrorland. After walking for what felt like hours, Flora noticed something shining in the distance.
She hurried toward it.
In the middle of a quiet clearing stood a single tree unlike any other.
Its trunk was white like polished marble, and instead of leaves, it grew crystal mirrors. Hanging from its branches were beautiful silver fruits that sparkled like stars.
Flora's eyes widened.
"Food!"
She reached for one of the fruits.
The moment her fingers touched it, the fruit transformed into another mirror.After walking for what felt like hours, Flora noticed something shining in the distance.
She hurried toward it.
In the middle of a quiet clearing stood a single tree unlike any other.
Its trunk was white like polished marble, and instead of leaves, it grew crystal mirrors. Hanging from its branches were beautiful silver fruits that sparkled like stars.
Flora's eyes widened.
"Food!"
She reached for one of the fruits.
The moment her fingers touched it, the fruit transformed into another mirror.
Flora blinked.
"It disappeared."
She reached for another one.
Again, it became a mirror.
Every fruit she touched vanished the same way.
Flora frowned.
"This place keeps tricking me."
Just then, a gentle voice echoed through the forest.
"Mirrorland only gives what is needed, never what is taken."
Flora quickly turned around.
No one was there.
She looked into the nearest mirror, but all she could see was her own reflection staring back at her.
For the first time, Flora wondered if Mirrorland itself was alive... and watching her every move.
She wrapped her arms around herself and looked deeper into the endless forest.
"I have so much to learn," she whispered.
Then, with a determined look, she continued her search for food, unaware that someone else was quietly watching her from behind one of the ancient mirrors.
