Wednesday Writing — Atonement TN: Artifact Notes, the Mirror of Truth

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, August 10, 2023

CGI by Teagan

Welcome, all.  Thanks for opening this door to “Atonement, TN” in the middle of the week.  If you opened the door to Annie’s Antiques and Consignment Shop, you’d hear the old-fashioned tinkle of a little bell attached to the door.  It wouldn’t be unusual for you to smell home-baked cookies. Often Annie has a tray of delicious cookies by the cash register.

If you hadn’t already figured this out, Atonement, Tennessee is a very small, very strange town.  Most of the townsfolk are ordinary, working-class people.  However, many are drawn there to atone for past transgressions — humans and supernatural beings alike.

But first, for those who have not read the novels or the blog serial, a little explanation is in order.

While in the outside world, they might number only one in a billion, a few are pulled there because they can actually see the supernatural.  Those people may become protectors of the town, or caretakers of the magical artifacts stored there.

The artifacts are perhaps the greatest magic of the town.  Wirt (Salty) Riley, Pepper’s late uncle, gathered many such objects during his travels as a merchant marine.  Although the vast majority of them are in the safekeeping of twin sisters, Annie and Adelle Metatron.

Public domain

Annie keeps detailed information on artifacts, hidden in plain sight at her antique store.  This feature focuses on one such item.

Artifact Notes: The Mirror of Truth and Justice Most Poetic

Image collage by Teagan

Annie carefully cleaned the antique mirror.  The top part of the frame was worked with the image of a sword that stretched across its width, and served to connect the designs at either corner.  On the frame’s right corner was a woman with arms raised.  She was blindfolded.  On the left corner was a pair of scales.

“Lady Justice and the scales of truth and fairness,” Annie murmured.

The lower center of the frame was engraved.  The engraved text seemed clear, but she wanted to make sure she didn’t miss so much as a syllable.  The writing was so elaborate that it was almost impossible to decipher.

“See in your reflection, truth and justice most poetic,” it read.

PNGTree

A chill went down Annie’s spine as she read the words.  Then a wave of nausea assailed her.  Most people wouldn’t have a strong physical reaction to a mystically infused object.  Although Annie looked like an ordinary woman, Annie Metatron wasn’t most people.  Just as the Mirror of Truth wasn’t just any mystical antique.

“Lady Justice,” she murmured with a shudder for blind justice.

Annie made a point of not looking directly into the mirror before covering it.  Doing so could lead to irresistible, delicious temptation.  It could also pull one into peril.  Either way, the thing was dangerous.

Her thoughts rushed as she tried to consider the best way to store the mirror.  However, Annie’s burden was that of non-interference.  She reminded herself that she was a record-keeper, nothing more.

Providing a normal life for her sons depended on her complete abstinence from intervention.  No one could know what she sensed.  Certainly no one could know the things to which she bore witness over her lifetime in Atonement, Tennessee.

The shop bell rang.  The moment she saw Lacey Hampton walk into her store, Annie knew any decision about the Mirror of Truth was already out of her hands.

The decision had been made by those with greater knowledge than she.

Lexica

And hopefully greater wisdom, Annie thought.

Once outside of the protections that had been put on Annie’s shop, the mirror might have a mind of its own.  The thing, true to the inscription on the overly ornate frame, had a way of exacting poetic justice.

Lacey is a good woman.  I hope that she at least doesn’t intend to keep the mirror herself, Annie thought.  Ahh!  Lacey means to give it to her husband.  Why the woman can’t see what a philandering jerk she married is beyond me.  That’s a man who deserves the mirror’s antics.

Suddenly, Annie shuddered.  What if the mirror fell into the hands of someone who knew how to awaken its powers?

The Mirror of Truth would let you know if someone was hiding something, provided you could get them to look into it in an unguarded moment.  Well, in one way or another at least…  Although it can be cryptic and even mischievous, it wasn’t altogether malevolent.

It might also show things about you, things you hid from yourself, or unknowable things.  Once, if briefly, Ralda Lawton had seen the reflection of her ancestress, rather than her own.

“Yes, it’s too dangerous to be out in the world,” Annie muttered when Lacey left.  “And yet it has to be.”

The end.

♦ ♦ ♦

You can read my urban fantasy serial, “Atonement in Zugzwang” here each weekend.  Thanks for opening this door.  Friendly comments are invited.

♦ ♦ ♦

The Atonement Series

Atonement kindle covers Cat eyes shelf 2023

Atonement, Tennessee

Full series of e-books with one click:  relinks.me/B087JV25JT

Kindle:  rxe.me/HGSVA8A

Paperback: relinks.me/1481826948

Also in Spanish, translated by Olga Núñez Miret! The title for the Spanish-speaking market is Expiación y Magia

Atonement in Bloom

Kindle:  rxe.me/5RRBLH

Paperback:  relinks.me/1726882128

The Glowing Pigs, Snort Stories of Atonement, Tennessee

Kindle   rxe.me/LTBDNH

Paperback   relinks.me/1725891972

♦ ♦ ♦

 

 

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

 

…

 

41 thoughts on “Wednesday Writing — Atonement TN: Artifact Notes, the Mirror of Truth”

  2. I love the story of the mirror, Teagan. The last line of this post is ominous, but that only means that there’s more for you to work with, and I know from experience that that’s a good thing.

    Like

    Reply
  3. Pingback: Enjoy This Wonderful Post from Robbie Cheadle! – charles french words reading and writing
  8. Pingback: Roberta Writes – Thursday Doors and Sunday Stills medley #newbook #childrensfiction #doors

  9. You always say something for a reason – this episode has me very curious as to what purpose this mirror will have on the town and the people in it. Dum-dum-dum, the suspense continues!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. I remembered the mirror from the novels. Thanks for this wonderful post and for the memories. And also, it works as a great introduction for people who don’t much about Atonement. Big hugs!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Pingback: The Mirror of Truth… | Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.