SILVER COIN ENIGMA

“It is midnight, and Jolene is waiting for Oliver in a cabin next to the lake. The air is breezing cold, and the whistling of night birds is creeping her out. She is carrying a stun gun and pepper spray in case any animal or intruder attacks, but the horror is still sitting on her face.

‘This is so stupid. I should not have come. Where the hell is he? Maybe I should leave,’ Jolene murmurs.

She intends to call Oliver for the last time, and then leave if he doesn’t respond. And she hears a car coming. She goes to the back of the cabin and recognises the car. She walks out and rushes towards him in anger.

‘Where the hell have you been? It scared me to death. Is this a place to leave your girlfriend alone? And what happened to your phone?’ she yells.

‘Jolene, I am here now. There is no reason to be afraid anymore,’ he says and kisses her. ‘Better?’

‘Why did you want me here? What is it you want to show me?’

‘Patience, my love. Walk with me and you’ll find out by yourself.’

Then he takes out a small piece of cloth and asks her to blindfold herself. She refuses. It angers Oliver and he exhales.

‘It is a special place I want to show you, but I will not walk unless you put it on. We can just go back from here if that is what you want,’ he sounds desperate.

Jolene didn’t want to disappoint Oliver because the day she met him, her life flipped upside down.

He says, ‘It is something that I’ve been planning for months.’

‘Fine. You better not try to kill me. Everyone knows I am with you,’ she smirks and puts on the blindfold.

Oliver holds her hand and strolls. After a while, he gives her a coin and asks her to keep it safe and not lose it.

‘What is it for?’ she asks.

‘Enough with your questions already. You will find out soon. Now keep quiet and walk. I don’t want to be a wild animal’s dinner,’ he says.

They walk for a while, then he removes the blindfold. He points at an abandoned chapel. Twenty years ago, local people set fire to the chapel in order to build a new one closer to the city. Someone rumoured that evil spirits formed it, but many believe that it was a made-up story to avoid animal attacks. Jolene wonders about the rays of light coming out of the chapel’s window, scattering through the glass and creating a mesmerising ambience outside it.

Jolene seems scared, but Oliver’s unbothered and his brave presence encourages her to fight against fear. Although she grabs Oliver’s arm and says nothing. As they reach the door, he asks her to put the silver coin inside a box that is kept next to it. She does as he says, and the box opens. Oliver takes out a silver masquerade and gives it to her.

‘Happy anniversary,’ he says.

She loves it.

‘I made it for you,’ he says.

‘You never miss surprising me, Oliver.’

‘Come on, put it on.’

And she does.

It has been a year since Jolene has been with Oliver, and often he surprises her in unique ways. He always wears matching clothes without her saying, and it complements them as a couple. People cannot look away when they see them together. Most of Jolene’s friends envy her because they desire the same.

Oliver dives into Jolene’s eyes as if he is searching for something, and it makes her feel things she has never felt about herself.

She feels desired whenever Oliver talks to her. She could not imagine what to expect next, but she feels protected with Oliver.

‘Come on, put it on.’

And she does.

‘Marvellous,’ Oliver whispers in her ear.

Then he pushes the door open and all she can see is a mirror that’s glowing in the middle of the hall.

‘Oh no, I forgot something. Just wait here. Do not go inside until I am back.’ And Oliver ran before Jolene could say anything.

‘Great. Why does he have to do all this? Doesn’t he already know that he has my heart? What am I supposed to do here? Talk to the dead, I guess.’

She waits for a while, but it is getting chilly, and she looks back to find him but sees nothing in the dark. Meanwhile, the glowing mirror tempts her. It is the reason behind the beautiful ambience. She notices that there’s a cemetery next to the chapel. It appears to be gothic, and it doesn’t take long for fear running through her veins again as she walks inside.

As she does, the door closes. She screams out of shock, and the whole chapel echoes. Oliver has put a candle in every corner and its reflection through the mirror lights the entire hall. As she walks towards the mirror, she hears a whisper as Oliver whispered a few moments ago and feels as if someone is walking behind her.

‘It is all your imagination. Oliver will be back soon and everything will be alright,’ she consoles herself.

As she gets closer to the mirror, she realises it feels like silver too, but soon forgets about it when she notices her mirrored image.

‘Oh, you are beautiful and mysterious,’ she says.

She always envied people with less pale skin than hers, and the thought itself tormented her for years until she met Oliver. Oliver gave her the love and support she desired, made her feel beautiful and different.

For once, she forgot about Oliver while beholding herself in the mirror. She walks around to find out what else Oliver had arranged and every time she passes by the mirror, she cannot stop to take a glimpse.

‘So, this is how it feels to be beautiful. Sharon stands no chance in front of you anymore,’ she giggles. ‘I never thought that I’d ever say that.’

Still, there’s no sign of Oliver, and now it worries her. The door seems to be stuck. She looks for another way out, but there is none. She sees a broken window opposite the mirror. Before she goes out, she stops to take one last glimpse at the mirror and she sees Oliver behind her. Before she can turn, he pushes her into the mirror and she falls.

‘Have you lost your mind?’ she screams at him and gets back up.

And the hall smells like ashes. There is no Oliver, or the candles, or any way out, not even the door. It is all gone.

She runs all around in terror; she screams out for help, and there is no echo as well. There is indeed a mirror but not made of silver, but wood. It is all cracked. As she touches her face, the mask feels like wood, and her skin is dry and wrinkled. She looks in the mirror and finds her clothes to be torn and filthy.

As she tries to take off the mask, she fails, and it hurts, and her face bleeds. She runs around to find an escape but finds no way out. The door’s even gone. She collapses on the ground and feels lifeless.

When she feels a soft touch on her shoulder, she turns, and it is an old woman with a silver masquerade on her face. She looks just like her but is old.

‘Don’t be afraid, you will be safe here,’ she whispers in her ear and disappears.

‘Why me? Why me?’ she cries and faints.

When she opens her eyes, she finds herself in her room, and her mother is knocking on her door. She rushes to open the door and hugs her mother.

‘Come for breakfast; it is your favourite,’ her mother says.

She looks in the mirror, and her skin is pale as always. She takes a deep breath of relief.

‘It was just a dream, thank god.’

She gets to the kitchen and finds her father is reading the newspaper as usual, and she smells eggs.

‘I don’t want eggs. You said that you are making my favourite.’

‘It is your favourite.’

‘Never mind. Have you seen my phone?’

‘Your what?’

‘Phone.’

‘What phone?’

Jolene notices the date in the newspaper. It is dated twenty years back from now.

‘They are burning the chapel today,’ her father says.

‘Are you going too?’ her mother asks.

‘Of course I am. Evil spirits have taken over that chapel.’

Jolene checks her pocket and finds the silver coin that Oliver gave her yesterday.”