Stage Eight : Reflection
Reflection - Kev and Brill encounter a mysterious roadside tavern. Within, Kev is tempted by the version of himself he always thought he wanted to be.
Checkout the journey so far…
The forest thinned, its branches peeling away like reluctant fingers. Kev stumbled forward, his boots thick with mud, his head full of splinters. Brill padded beside him, unusually quiet. The road meandered on twisting through the low hills like a ribbon left out in the wind. Kev and Brill walked quietly now. The day’s cheer had worn thin, replaced by a curious stillness as the sun began to set and the night closed in. What few trees were left seemed to lean in a little too far, as if they wanted to hear what secrets they could find.
Then suddenly, a feeling of warmth. A flicker of firelight ahead. Chimney smoke curled into the dusk, and music, soft and slow, carried on the wind.
“A tavern?” Kev blinked. “Out here?”
The sign creaked as it swung: The Mirror and Flame. A carved symbol beneath, half of it a candle, the other half a looking glass cracked down the middle.
Brill’s ears flattened. “Something’s wrong here. This place wasn’t on the map.”
Kev rubbed his aching shoulders. “Neither were those hills that kept trying to rearrange themselves. I’m going in. I need a chair. A mug of tea and a cheese toastie.”
The tavern door sighed open. Inside, the warmth was immediate and indulgent.
Behind the bar stood a woman, radiant in red silks, her hair a gleaming tangle of stars and shadow. Her eyes shimmered with depthless knowing. She smiled, and Kev felt something loosen inside.
“You’ve come far,” she said. “Sit. Rest. You must be tired of being… mildly helpful.”
Kev’s breath caught.
“It’s her,” he whispered. “The goddess.”
Brill growled, a soft, unsure rumble. “Kev. Look closer.”
But Kev had already stepped forward. “Have we met?”
She poured tea into a delicate cup. “Of course. I see who you could be.”
Brill stayed by the door, tense. Kev sat, the cup in his hands pulsed with warmth, like a heartbeat, like it was calling to him.
The woman smiled. “You’ve done well,” she purred. “The world notices, it whispers your name. But whispers are not enough. Look.” The woman gestured.
A large ornate mirror dominated the far wall, and as Kev looked, the surface shimmered and shifted.
Kev saw himself crowned in golden laurel, crowds cheering, dragons fleeing, a statue carved in his honour.
“You were born to be more than a footnote,” she said. “Embrace what you are. Be the hero they need.”
Brill tensed. “She’s not what she seems.”
Kev hesitated. The vision deepened.
In it stood Kev… but not quite. Taller. Straighter. Cloaked in deep crimson, sword gleaming like lightning, eyes burning with conviction.
Kevanous.
The name landed with weight.
“Is that… me?”
“I could be you,” the reflection said. “I am your potential. Your purpose. Stop apologising for your strength. Stop being mild. They don’t need mild. They need a storm. Embrace the power waiting inside you.”
The woman smiled knowingly.
Kev leaned forward. The mirror Kev, Kevanous, smiled.
“This is the future you deserve,” she said. “No more bumbling. No more biscuit-based delays. Real change. Real respect.”
Brill growled. “Kev. Let’s go.”
Kev turned, startled. “What? Why?”
Brill’s eyes were fierce. “Because mirrors lie. And tea shouldn’t whisper your name.”
Kev looked down. The cup trembled in his hand. A flicker of flame danced in the reflection.
He set it down.
“I… We… have to. Thank you,” Kev said. “But I think it’s time we left.”
The woman nodded. “Don’t be surprised when the world only listens to Kevanous.”
Outside, the night air felt colder. And as they walked on the tavern vanished behind them as if it had never been there.
Kev didn’t speak. Brill didn’t press.
“Could that be me?” Kev finally asked. “I could fix everything.”
Brill stopped for a moment and looked at Kev. “But what would be left of you?”
Far away, in an office that smelled of damp parchment and smugness, the Bureaucrat of Chaos stamped a form with practiced flair. The ink shimmered red. A memo dispatched to the Winds of Destiny:
“Hero Application: Status escalated. Candidate showing promise.”
🛠 Story-Craft Note: Woman as Temptress
This stage echoes the classic Temptation or “Woman as Temptress” motif. Not necessarily romantic, but symbolising distraction, seduction, and the promise of shortcuts. Kev’s confrontation with his reflection and the emergence of Kevanous marks a pivotal temptation: glory over humility. The Bureaucrat of Chaos subtly escalates the stakes, while Brill acts as Kev’s tether to his true self.
Takeaway for storytellers:
This is stage marks the start of a greater level of inner conflict. In the Hero’s Journey, this temptation stands as the first real test of loyalty, to the quest, to the self, and to truth.
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I love the loyalty of Brill! He is Kev’s hero, his conscience, his anchor.
Your writing creates such pictures, such a solid unreality, I feel I’m one of the characters, standing off to the side, unnecessary, but seeing the story through the eyes of one who is there.
I’d love to see this in a bound book, both the story, and your comments about the form.
I feel privileged to read this, and also that I can make comments.
Keep on keeping on!