Self Awareness

SHORT STORY TITLE: Only I Know.

As she entered a sandwich shop, she felt a sense of deja vu, as if she had been here before.

‘That dream, this place. Then this is a duplicate dream! Since I am here, I’ll see what’s special about this place.’

So, she stood in line, observing the details in her surroundings.

“Hi,” said a young lady from behind the counter and caught her attention.

“Hi,” she said back, taking an interest in this friendly young lady.

“Welcome,” the girl greeted with a welcoming smile on her lips and eyes as she picked up a crate below and went to work in the back.
‘I think she was here last time.’

The girl had black hair in a ponytail, was petite, and managed the medium-sized crate, which was interesting to watch. She worked diligently with her co-workers. Watching the young lady work entertained her until it was time to order.

As she walked away from the line with her sandwich, she saw the same mirror hanging on the wall in the same spot.
To her surprise, her reflection was still that man, just as before.

‘Why am I inside this same guy?’
She could describe the appearance of this person, who is completely different in age, race, and gender from her.

Standing in front of this mirror, she remembered the first time she saw her reflection as him. She had frantically examined the reflections and his body, thinking the mirror caused her to be him, when suddenly she heard another man calling from across the room. One of his friends was waving her over to join their table, so she put the mirror back on the wall and went to join the people who knew him.

To do differently this time, she didn’t stand in front of the mirror for as long. Instead, she went to sit next to the same table she had sat at before.

“Why are you sitting at that end?” one of the guys said.
She looked up, and before she could answer, another guy playfully slid into the bench on her right side and merged the tables together.
A few more guys joined their table.

She remembered how overwhelmed she felt inside their friend’s body with them the last time. Now, with them again, she decided to relax and enjoy their company. As his friends started talking and joking like before, she laughed and settled in with them for lunch, knowing it was just a dream hanging out with them inside their friend.

She is awake with a sense of emotion that it’s one of those dreams, and now she is confirmed in another person’s reflection instead of herself. At twenty-seven years old, her logical mind still cannot fully accept this, leaving her to wonder how often coincidences can happen.

She goes to put on music to start her day.
Standing in front of her bathroom vanity mirror, she is delighted to see herself. Looking at her reflection, she realized, “I am fine with me.”
This realization brings her comfort and a closer friendship with herself.