“Mirror, mirror on the
wall, who is the fairest of all?” The Queen stood before the mirror and asked
as usual. The response was also the
usual one: “My Queen, you are the fairest one of all.”
The Queen was never tired
of this exercise which went on ad infinitum, ad nauseam. But the nausea was mine. Only mine. The Queen, like most people,
relished the flattery mistaking it for truth.
“You accuse me wrongly,”
complained the Mirror. No, it was not a complaint really. I took it as a
complaint because I, like most people, judge others according to my own nature.
I have a tendency to complain and so I think others also are like that. But the
Mirror is not like me. It merely makes statements and not opinions stained by
emotions. It tells the truth, in simple words. I don’t tell too many truths,
like most people. But unlike most people, I can’t flatter. When I see something
unfair or unjust I am tempted to point it out though I, like most people,
learnt that it was wise not to tell unpleasant truths. We can’t always go by
the teachings. Our very nature rebels against the teachings. That’s why I pointed
out my nausea to the Mirror. I told her
that I was sick of her flattery of the Queen.
“Of all the people I have
seen,” said the Mirror, “the Queen is the fairest. That’s the truth.”
It’s then I realised that
the Mirror had actually not seen many people.
Who are the people that ever enter the Queen’s chamber? The King. The
maids. And occasionally I, the Queen’s Secretary. People call me all sorts of names. For some, I am the Queen’s Spy. Bootlicker,
for some. Killer, for a few. That’s how the world is: they give you unfair
names. I’m merely a Secret-ary. The treasurer of secrets.
“You haven’t seen Snow
White.” I tried to make a statement like the Mirror.
“Who is Snow White?”
I explained to her who
Snow White was and why the Mirror would never have a chance to meet her.
“I would like to meet her,”
said the Mirror. “Just for a change.” How long will one go on meeting the same
faces? Faces!
As the Secret-ary of the
Queen, I was in a position to take some liberties in the Palace. Without other people’s knowledge, of course.
When other people are left out of certain knowledge, they call you Spy or Bootlicker
or even Killer. But I wanted the Mirror to know at least one truth. If you don’t
meet many people, your truths are highly limited. That’s why I decided to place
Snow White before the Mirror.
“Mirror, mirror on the
wall, who is the fairest of all?” The Queen repeated her flattering exercise as
usual.
"My queen, you are
the fairest here so true. But Snow White who is beyond my purview is a thousand
times more beautiful than you," answered the Mirror.
I saw the Queen turn red.
I saw the Queen go mad. I saw the Queen dwindle in dimensions.
She, the Queen, my Mistress,
picked up the gold flower vase which contained the latest gifts of whitest
lilies from her husband the King and flung it at the Mirror.
The Mirror shattered to
smithereens.
One of my dreams shattered
into smithereens.
I learnt one more lesson.
How expensive is truth!
I learnt another lesson.
How expensive is fairness!
Life is expensive. Is the
Mirror lucky that it is dead?
Am I unlucky that I am
alive? What do these lessons matter if you have to go on learning them
endlessly and pay with the life of your friend in the process?
“I’m sorry.” I whispered
to the fragments of the Mirror as I gathered them and stored them in the heart
of my heart.
Truth is always expensive. Sometimes we pay too dear a price for it....
ReplyDeletePainfully.
DeleteWow sir.. thats a good story. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you here.
DeleteSometimes, the straightforwardness does get shattered and we do lose our dearest friend from time to time. But the innate nature is such that it joins the broken pieces to get broken again. Incorrigible!
ReplyDeleteThat incorrigibility is what the narrator laments at the end:"Am I unlucky that I'm alive?" The brittleness will continue.
DeleteLoved the remaking of the fairy-tale....You managed to change the genre from fairy tale to fictional....to reality.....grim(m) reality.....:)......Truth and mirror had limited scope.....but you my dear secret-ary knew more....knowledge that was forbidden.....knowledge that questioned Truth.....
ReplyDeleteKnowledge that comes from seeing more than what the mirror could... The more one learns from life, the more fragments one gathers.
DeleteLoved reading your story
ReplyDeleteGlad you told me.
DeleteThis must one of your best pieces :)
ReplyDelete☺😊😀
DeleteYou've beautifully portrayed the idea of truth and its bitterness in this piece! Loved this tale!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Darshana
DeleteInteresting story retold with such an embedded meaning.. A Nice Post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, sir. Glad to be endorsed by you.
DeleteHow beautifully you have woven this timeless fairy-tale as seen through the eyes of the Secret-ary! A new perspective to the old tale!
ReplyDeleteI love to take personalised looks at classical and historical episodes.
DeleteThat was a deeper look into the mirror. We'd never given the 'mirror mirror' line so much thought.
ReplyDeleteSo well put together. Such an interesting and thought-provoking post.
Happy to know you liked it.
DeleteBeautifully weaved tale and the analogy holds true for everyone of us. A powerful post.
ReplyDeletehttps://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2016/07/21/writing-wednesdays-beliefs-dreams-and-nurturing-hope/
Nice story.Yeah,sticking on to truth is expensive.and requires lots of courage
ReplyDeleteSo, is it cowardly to not tell the truth? To lie by omission?
ReplyDelete