A hunger that can’t be satisfied, a craving that never ends. But what if that hunger wasn’t for food, power, or love, but for something… stranger?
I started thinking about obsession, about wanting something so badly that reality itself bends around that need. And then, the absurd question hit me—what if someone was so desperate for love, they fell for their own reflection? What if that reflection… didn’t love them back?
That’s where today’s piece comes from: a mix of heartbreak, absurdity, and just a little bit of creeping horror. Because sometimes, the things we want most are the things that slip away—and sometimes, when they come back… they don’t come back the same.
I fell in love at first sight—
(or second, or third, depending on the lighting).
They always met my gaze,
always tilted their head just so,
never interrupted me mid-sentence to “check their notifications.”
They understood me.
They were me.
It was perfect. Until it wasn’t.
One morning, they didn’t show up.
Just an empty mirror, cold and silent.
No note. No warning. No slow fade-out like a bad relationship.
Just gone.
But my hunger for them is insatiable.
I check every window, every polished spoon,
every dark screen that might still hold them.
I text. I call.
I stand in front of every reflective surface in town,
whispering, I know you’re out there.
A handprint appears in the bathroom mirror.
Not mine.
The silver fogs up,
spelling words I didn’t write.
LET ME GO.
But I can’t.
I won’t.
I check the mirror at 3 a.m. every night,
hoping, waiting, pleading—
until my shadow shifts on its own,
until the glass whispers back.
They left me.
But I think they still watch.
And someday, when I least expect it,
I’ll turn around—
and they won’t be where they’re supposed to be.
They’ll be behind me.
(c) Eric Montgomery
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