It was my 7 year old nephew/brother, and it seemed he was just having a wander. I looked down at my body. I became, a copy of him, it felt comfy, like my own body. I decided to call out to him, after all, how long will it be until someone else visits? "Ryan! Hey Ryan! Over here!!” He looked at the mirror, seeing me but thinking I was his own reflection, so I started to wave at him. He screamed and nearly fell backwards, it was such a good laugh.
But he was a brave kid for his age, and I still seemed to be getting the thoughts of a 21 year old, so I could tell that he was going to be mister popular in middle school and high school. I was struck with a little bit of jealousy since he would get to experience that and all I have are fake memories. He came up to me and said “he..hello?” I just tried to play it cool and said “hey there” he looked more startled hearing a mirror reflection of himself talking back in his own voce, but I carried on knowing how to manipulate my kid nephew, I mean, my former little brother. "I am a magic mirror and can grant wishes, but I have been stuck in here for so long that my magic won’t be very strong. If I could only be out, I would have all the power I needed to make anyone's wish come true.” Ryan seemed to have calmed down and I had his full attention. “So you’re a magic mirror, and need to be freed so you can give me wishes?”
It was too easy. Well he is a 7 year old, and he had been my brother, so I knew how naïve he was, that he liked helping out strangers, and his favorite movie right now is Aladdin. He smiled, completely taken by the idea of having a genie friend of his own. “I wish you were free!” I smiled hearing this. I could feel a force being released in me, and I knew I could use all sorts of magic. The only requirement of the spell was to get out of this mirror. I felt myself flying out of the mirror, seeing from the corner of my vision, another blur going in. I had a human body again.
"Wow, you just don't get used to that," I muttered starting to gain my brothers memories and mentality. "Uh oh..."
My reflection, no, my little brother, said “WHAT DID YOU DO? IM TRAPPED! HELP, HOW DO I GET OUT!”
I looked at him...myself? And said “Well, sorry I had to trick you, but I had to make you listen. This is very, very important...” he just looked straight at me in shock.
"I am your 12 year old brother, Jake. I found the mirror earlier today and was tricked into becoming an adult after mom was nagging me. Then the person who WAS in the mirror swapped with me when I tried to befriend them... Who you know as your Uncle Jake should be 12, and he's been pretending to be me since morning. The other thing I didn't tell you, is that each wish has a cost that the person granting the wish gets to pick. Think of it like, you got to make a wish for your life and I got to make a wish for your life. For your cost, I picked that any cost you apply to me will also apply to you, once you get out of the mirror."
"Why is this happening?" Ryan asked on the verge of tears. It is a lot to take in.
"Hey, hey, hey, buddy! I'm gonna fix it, I just need your help... and you're going to be out of that place in just a few minutes, I just need you to understand the plan!"
"But I'm just a kid, what can I do?"
"You're not just a kid, you're a genie, at least for right now... so right now, you're the only person in the whole world who can help to make any of this better. You're the most important person on the planet."
"But, what do I need to do?"
I smiled, "That's the easy part. I'm going to make a few wishes, grant them how I mean them and when you're deciding the cost, grant your own wishes, because they will bounce back to you... so some examples of my cost might be, I memorize everything I learn and learn easily, or I'm really good at sports, I can eat all the pizza and ice cream I want and not get fat, or I always look like I got ready and I smell and feel freshly bathed. See? It's easy!"
"You really do sound and act like uncle Jack but you look like me."
"Yeah, we need to hurry because the longer I am you, the more of your thoughts and memories I pick up... First, I told you who I am, but you have no reason to believe me, especially since I already tricked you... Sorry about that. So first, I'm going to wish that you saw and heard everything of relevance that leads up to and including me getting trapped in the mirror as if you were in the room. You won't remember me as your brother but you will see and hear that he is the bad guy... and that mom was totally being annoying so this isn't my fault."
Ryan's eyes were wide and staring into the ceiling, I stared with my breath held waiting for him to do anything. "WHAT A JERK!" he suddenly cried.
"I know! But don't use that language mom would yell at you." I said pulling from memories of being 12 year old Jake, 7 year old Ryan, and 21 year old Jake being around infant Ryan... "But I know how to pay him back... Oh, what did you set as my cost?"
"You don't have to go to bed until AFTER 8:30." Ryan had the most mischievous grin on his face.
"That's genius! I had to wait till I was 10!" I feigned jealousy... "And it was smart to not set it TO 8:30. Cause you would eventually grow up and be an adult man with a bed time. Do you have your next cost ready?"
"um..."
"I'd recommend the always looking good and being clean one... that is really helpful in middle school and I hear high school too."
Ryan nodded that he was ready...
"I wish, that once I switch places with you in the mirror, the person pretending to be your uncle Jake will come up here, sit down, wish me free, and then be silent and still until they are fully trapped in the mirror."
"Okay Ryan, the trap is set! Are you ready? We're gonna get him!" I broke into a smile eager to be myself again. "Ryan, I wish you..."