John Pettigrew's Mirror

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Then, looking in the mirror once more, he chanced to see his own face reflected. Hastily he tucked the mirror in his pocket, for he was almost ashamed to look at the glory and brightness of the kindly one who gazed back at him.

As he made his way homeward he passed by a group of elderly men who had come to watch the tide for a while, as was their custom of an evening. They appeared a sad and motley group, and John wondered what the mirror would make of them.

He took the mirror from his pocket and slanted it towards them... and there they were, Lords of the Earth. Strong and straight, handsome and brave, and dressed fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.

John thought to himself that all the folk in the town would appreciate a glimpse into such a mirror as this. So, as soon as he got home he hung the mirror from a nail by his front door.

Soon a crowd gathered around the door - all jostling for a glimpse at themselves as they had never seen themselves before. No-one knew quite what to make of what they saw there. But you may be sure that each went away awestruck, holding their heads high, and smiling shyly to themselves.

At dawn the next day a thief crept up to steal the mirror for the precious stones, but when he reached to take it from the nail he saw the face of the angel which was reflected back at him and he crept away chastened.

Very soon everyone in the town had been to see how they appeared in John's mirror, and before long there was not an evil or selfish or angry person left in the town - for they remembered how they looked in the special mirror and they acted accordingly.

If anyone for one moment forgot himself and acted foolishly he was told to take a look in John Pettigrew's mirror. There was only one person in the whole town who was not happy with this state of things, and that was Sarah.

Sarah so liked grumbling and complaining, scolding and finding fault that now, when all was harmonious in the town, she felt like a pricked bubble. For she could not now enjoy the satisfaction of imagining herself to be better than everyone else in the town.

Sarah did not like the mirror at all, for it seemed to her that the mirror had robbed her of her only pleasure in life. She would not look in it. Indeed, every time she passed John's door she closed her eyes so that she should not see herself in the mirror.

This unhappy feeling grew and grew until Sarah could contain herself no longer.

___

So one morning she rose at daybreak and ran to John Pettigrew's house. Closing her eyes she took the mirror down from the nail and tucked it under her shawl. Then she went down to the shore and stood upon a rock so that she could hurl the mirror back into the depths from whence it had come.

The wind was blowing so hard that when she raised her arm to throw the mirror she almost lost her balance, and as she hurled the mirror she caught just one fleeting glimpse of herself reflected in it. It lasted only a moment, but in that one glimpse she saw a person wo could certainly do no such evil thing.

But it was too late, for there was the mirror, spinning out across the water where she had hurled it. Sarah began to weep bitterly and she cried out "Give it back, give it back!"

As she cried out the smooth, glistening head of the old seal appeared amid the waves. The seal caught the mirror and sent it spinning back across the water to where Sarah stood upon the rock.

Sarah reached out to catch the mirror, but she could not see clearly for the tears streaming from her eyes and so the mirror slipped from her grasp. As it dashed against the rock it shattered into a thousand pieces.

As she scrambled blindly from the rock, Sarah was wailing so loudly that soon almost all the townsfolk had rushed to the shore. Some tried to gather up the slivers of mirror. Others scolded Sarah, and as they did so she quite forgot the face that she had seen reflected in the mirror, and began to try to justify her wicked actions.

Soon the seashore was echoing with angry voices and hot words such had not been heard since before John had received the mirror from the seal.

Very soon almost everyone had returned to their old ways, as if there had never been such a special mirror to show them their true selves.

___

But those who had gathered the slivers of broken mirror from among the pebbles and seaweed had been the sensible ones. For in the fragments could still be seen the image of their glory reflected.

Each cherished their piece of mirror and peeped into it from time to time, to remind themselves of how they could be.

So, when next a bright reflection catches your eye just think of what you may see within.
 

The End