Morning light spilled across the bedroom floor. Sara stood before the tall mirror and raised one hand. In the glass, the reflected girl raised hers too. Sara froze as her ribbon gave a tiny swish.
She whispered, “You copied me!” The room answered with a faint tick from the wall clock. Sara leaned toward the glass, narrowing her eyes. The reflected girl leaned closer at exactly the same time.
Sara waved both hands. Then she spun once and hopped beside her bed. The girl in the mirror matched every move, while the floorboards creaked beneath Sara’s socks. “There must be one move you cannot steal,” Sara thought.
She tried a slow wave, a crooked bow, and a solemn nod. Each movement appeared in the mirror before Sara had finished it. Her eyebrows climbed higher. “Not even a tiny trick?” she wondered, studying every inch of the shining glass.
Sara lifted her schoolbag from the chair. Its straps dangled like loose vines. She held it high, watching the mirror carefully. The reflected girl lifted the matching bag at the very same height.
Suddenly, Sara let go. Her schoolbag dropped with a soft thump. In the mirror, the reflected bag crashed down with a tremendous BANG! Sara jumped backward, then laughed so hard she had to point at the glass.
“Now you surprise me!” Sara declared. She crouched beside the bag and inspected the mirror’s floor. Nothing was dented. Nothing was broken. Still, that enormous BANG echoed in her thoughts like a drumbeat.
Sara slowly stepped away from the mirror and turned toward the door. For one breath, the girl in the glass stayed still. Then the reflection smiled and gave a small wave. Sara stopped, watching closely.