Gift Of Time: A Short Story

Time! Ah, that slippery measure of our lives! Which parent would turn down a generous offer of a little more time in their day?

Not Myra. Single mom. Immigrant. Hobbyist painter.

Myra unexpectedly finds the gift of time in an ordinary-looking mirror that cost her ten bucks. She steps into it for a much needed mid-day snooze when her little boy, Arjun, is away at school. She steps out to find that no time has lapsed in the real world in the meantime.

That additional time to rest and recover makes her a much better parent, she finds. And she is grateful for it.

Until Arjun stumbles into the mirror one day, leaving Myra with no choice but to figure out with great urgency what price the mirror will extract from her for its gift of time.

Because sometimes, in life and in magic, there is no such thing as a free gift.