The Simulacrum

For nearly four hundred years a curse over- shadowed the Bristol women, their lives, and their descendants. It was an under-stated piece of each matron who ruled the family, a silent partner who stood in the darkness, and determined our fates. It was not until the death of my beloved grandmother I fully understood the sway the curse held over my family and the connection it held to the old mirror that donned the foyer for centuries. Nana once said it came from Italy and had been part of our family since the very beginning. The stern warning she gave to me at the age of five still haunts me to this day - she told me, “You must never uncover the mirror, no matter what it may whisper to you, no matter the promises made, or the splendor offered. Promise me Adrianna, you will never uncover the mirror.”