A Winter Wish

Callie Ricci stood in the parlor of the Jacobs House and studied the ornate mirror that was displayed prominently on the interior wall. Garland and a few sprigs of holly berry had been woven along the top of the mirror to highlight the Christmas season. The rest of the Jacobs House had also been decorated and played host to multiple holiday events, thanks to the owner, Margaret Spenser, a descendant of a founding family of Sutton Falls and a member of the historical society.
But Callie was here for the mirror, not a holiday party. For this was no ordinary mirror. Decades ago, it would have resided in the dressing room of the lady of the house for her to review her outfit of the day or evening and decide if she needed to make any changes. The lady could see her entire ensemble, since the mirror was over six feet in height and three feet in width, highly ornate and decorated in the Louis XIV style, with a gilded gold leaf wooden frame. It was exquisite, with elaborate cornices in the upper body featuring chubby cherubs and flowers to enhance the style.
This particular mirror was a historical artifact, going back at least two hundred years, though Callie could only trace it back to the United States and this house to the 1920s, when it had been gifted to Nora Jeanne St. Hillaire Jacobs on her twenty-first birthday. Shortly after receiving the mirror, she met and married the love of her life, Leo Jacobs, and settled right here in this house.
The mirror was also a magical item, if you believed in magic, and Callie did. Every year, on Midwinter Eve, if you looked into the mirror, you would see your true love. Of course, it was never that simple and there had to be rules or some such bullshit because Callie had been looking every year since she turned eighteen and now, twelve years later, she was still waiting to see her true love.
Of course, she’d seen someone. A tall figure, not full formed, just a male shape, with no face. If she watched horror films, she’d swear the figure was from one of those movies, but deep inside, she knew this man. He was her soul mate, and she just needed to find him and her life would be complete. She’d even dated while waiting for this man, dated any number of possibilities, but none were her man. She came close once, but he found someone else while they were dating. She had the worst taste. Every year, the mirror showed the same thing, the same figure, so she clearly hadn’t met him yet.
“Callie? I didn’t know we were meeting today.“
An older woman spoke from the beautiful staircase that was the centerpiece of the Jacobs’ House. It had been crafted from rich, polished oak, meticulously carved and ornately embellished with intricate patterns and motifs, showcasing the skilled handiwork of master craftsmen. Despite the formal style, it wasn’t cold. It exuded both a sense of warmth and sophistication, a cozy style that welcomed visitors to the home.
Margaret Spenser, Nora and Leo’s granddaughter, walked down the steps, dressed impeccably as always in a gray pantsuit, her salt and pepper hair in a chin-length bob and her makeup flawless. She was who Callie aspired to be someday, not the messy ponytail, flustered, chaotic mess she often was.
“I’m sorry, Margaret. I stopped by to drop off the books you requested from the library. I thought I’d save you a trip in the cold.“
Margaret’s blue eyes gleamed as she spied the latest mystery novel she’d been waiting for. “It came in! I’ve been waiting for that book. I know what I’m doing tonight.“ She gave Callie a sly, sideways look. “Are you sure you’re not checking out the mirror a little early this year?“
Callie’s face burned. She could get nothing over on Margaret. Ever since she’d done her high school history project on the mirror, Callie had been obsessed with the mirror and the legend, and she’d become good friends with Margaret, especially now that they both worked together on the Sutton Falls’ Historical Society, Callie from the library perspective and Margaret as one of the town’s founding families.
“It couldn’t hurt. It’s been twelve years. I had hoped something would have changed by now.”
Margaret came down the stairs and stood next to Callie, both women’s reflections in the mirror and nothing else. Callie had occasionally seen glimpses of a shadow in the week leading up to midwinter in previous years, but this year, with midwinter a week away, the mirror only showed her and Margaret. She sighed and turned away.
“Maybe it’s too soon to see anything.”
Callie laid the books on the table and sat on the sofa, trying to hide her disappointment. Every year, she attended the midwinter festivities at the Jacobs House. Every year she watched other girls look in the mirror, gasp, and find their love. While she only had a vague sense of her soulmate.
Margaret sat next to Callie and took her hand. “Callie, you’ll find him. This is your year.”
“Is it, Margaret? Last year, it seemed like he was further away, like he was walking away, not coming toward me. And I still can’t see his face. Doesn’t that mean something?”