The Other Scott
Scott was terrified to go to sleep. When he was a teenager, he would have incredibly vivid nightmares. These weren’t normal nightmares though. They involved his mirror, and would often wake up from them screaming and gasping for air. That was then. Scott was now 35, and the nightmares that plagued his youth returned.
The dreams were almost identical. In them, he would have a reason to get out of bed. Whether it be to go to the bathroom, to get some water, or something else entirely, there was always a reason. Getting out of bed, he would walk past his mirror. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror was always the start of the terror. It always looked like Scott from a distance, but there would be one or two things that didn’t add up. In his dreams this week, the smile was off. And as Scott in his dream state began to realize the reflection wasn’t his and he began to scream, the reflection's smile widened.
It was Wednesday. The past two nights, he awoke in a cold sweat, having to cover his mouth from screaming. He didn’t want to alarm his wife Katie, or their newborn Sophie. He could do this, he could make it through the night. Or at least he kept telling himself that. Nightmares were just that, and they couldn’t hurt you.
It was almost 3 AM, and he hadn’t come close to falling asleep. He heard Katie snoring lightly next to him. That comforted him. He wrapped his arm softly around his wife so he wouldn’t wake her, and felt himself drift off to sleep.
At 4:30, he woke up, feeling thirstier than he had in years. Why was his mouth so dry?
He shuffled out of bed and into his slippers, and slowly made his way for the door. The mirror and his reflection were far from his mind. On top of that, he felt awake. But as he walked past the mirror, his blood ran cold as he saw his old friend.
Staring back at him, certainly looked like Scott. His reflection wore his pajamas and had the same slippers on. But that smile. That damn smile. He must have been still asleep, and he didn’t even notice.
A small, uncomfortable yelp escaped Scott, as his reflection’s eager grin grew from ear to ear. Deep down, he prayed Katie would hear that yelp. She could wake him up, she could end this nightmare.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his wife stir. Katie sat up in bed, and looking over at her husband smiled and said, “Getting some water honey?”.
His reflection began to smile wider, as Scott realized this was not a dream, and he wasn’t sleeping. In the mirror, he caught a glimpse of her reflection as well. Her usual warm smile was replaced with a twisted, sinister smile.
“Hello, old friend”, Scott’s reflection said, smiling ear to ear.