Mirrors Read Online Free PDF

right for the heart of the issue. It’s controversial, but we find it produces wonderful results with the right treatment.”
    She was at a loss.
    “How do you like your treatment so far?”
    “What treatment?”
    He chuckled and she was surprised to find a sliver of comfort in the sound after hours of solitude.
    “What treatment, indeed,” he said. “The first step here is for me to help you see through your illusions, capisce ? You have to see yourself for who you really are before we can begin to break down that false self. The delusional self.”
    “I’m not delusional.”
    “No? Truth is, you’re not seeing what is real even now, as we speak. But I’ll let you discover that on your own. See the illusion. Then break with it. That’s all I’m asking of you, Alice.”
    “I’m not Alice.”
    “Okay, we can start with that. You don’t think you’re Alice. But the fact is, you don’t really know who you are. Are you ugly? Are you pretty? Are you an outcast? You’re broken, Alice. You aren’t whole. Correction is needed. The first step is embracing that. I can fix you.”
    A distant, high-pitched whine sat at the back of her mind.
    He leaned forward on his elbows.
    “You’re living in denial, Alice. You’re so afraid of what you might find if you really get a good look at yourself that you’ve shut your eyes. Permanently. I can help you see the truth. But you have to face the truth, beginning with fundamentals, like how you really look, in the real world.”
    Her heart worked its way through thick beats.
    “You think this”—he motioned to her—“is the real you. It’s not. The real you is actually not quite this pretty. Most therapists feed their patients a load of lies, pump them full of sunshine, which helps in the short term but doesn’t fundamentally change them. I prefer to help the patient see the real truth themselves. I call it ther-I-py . And I let you be the ther-I-pist. It upsets some.”
    He paused.
    “Dive off the deep end with me, Alice. Think of me as the law, again, no pun intended. A measuring stick for what’s good and what’s bad about you. Let me reveal who you really are so we can make the appropriate corrections. What do you say?”
    “You’re saying I’m ugly?”
    “Ugly? That’s a matter of perspective. But your refusal to admit that you’re ugly is triggering denial on a much deeper level. You’re broken. Correction is needed. I can make you whole again.”
    “But you actually think I’m ugly?”
    “Isn’t that what you secretly think every time you look in the mirror? My nose is too big. My cheeks are too fat. I need to lose twenty pounds. No one loves me the way I am. I don’t have any really good friends. No family. Isn’t that why you secretly hate yourself?”
    She felt her fingers trembling on the armrests.
    “The problem, my dear, is that you’re delusional about many things. Drop the illusion and you’ll see who you really are. It might be a bit uncomfortable at first, but it’s the only way to make you whole.”
    “You don’t understand,” she said with a little hesitation. “I don’t even belong here. I may not like some things about me, but I’m not the person you’re talking about.”
    He stared at her for a long moment, then abruptly rose.
    “I’ll make you a deal, Alice. You give it a good thinking tonight, there’s no rush. Look at yourself in the mirror long and hard, and let’s see if you can see through the illusion you’ve created around your cozy little life. Convince me tomorrow that you love everything about yourself, and I’ll consider a different form of therapy. Maybe electric shock treatments. We’ll see.”
    “Shock?”
    “Just a little something to get the juice flowing. No pun intended.” He headed for the door and she pushed herself to her feet. “Your call, Alice. Go deep or keep it shallow, the choice is yours.”
    He unlocked the door, opened it, and turned back.
    “Get some sleep.”
    The door shut