She never understood how others were able to look in a mirror and see a reflection of themselves. When she first learned people could do this, she was certain they held a special power she did not possess: the ability to see themselves for what they truly are — all their wants and lusts and beliefs, all their evil, and, maybe, rarely, a bit of their goodness. But over time the girl began to understand others simply saw the least bit about themselves. They only saw in mirrors what everyone else already saw, only distorted. Blurred with their misheld beliefs. Smudged by the demons lurking inside each and every one of us.
So much like the mirrors.
Knowing this made the little girl love mirrors so much more, which made her seeing Alex Ramirez for the first time all the more concerning.
She’d been wading along the shore of the centerfield slough searching for tadpoles, studying their movements as they darted in and around reeds and cattails, the ballpark grounds crew walking and riding around her in their machines (and sometimes through her) as they manicured the outfield grass, when she spied Ramirez walking alongside general manager Shoeless near home plate.
Shoeless was yapping, of course, his hands moving spastically about like they always did when he had nothing of value to say. But despite all of Shoeless’ movements, the girl never lost focus on Ramirez. She trudged through the muck of the slough and headed towards the pair. As she did, the ballpark grass and dirt morphed into ancient wetlands around her, only to return to form after she had passed.
“We have some good young hitters down there in Philipsburg,” Shoeless said, pointing a finger at nothing in particular as he spoke to Ramirez. “Acquired every one of them myself. And you know I know talent.”
“What’s it pay?” Ramirez said, stopping to face Shoeless.
As Ramirez turned, the glint of the reflection from his entire being flashed over the girl’s eyes. It seemed to pierce deep inside her, the light and the dark. She’d never seen anyone who was both a man and a mirror. She hadn’t known it was possible.
She circled close behind them, catching glimpses of burning trees and scattering wildlife reflecting off Ramirez’s back.
“Hell if I know. The commissioner sets the monetary pay, but ..,” Shoeless hesitated and glanced around the field to make sure no one was in earshot. He leaned in close and whispered, “I understand you’ve been searching for .. something.”
The words caused the images the girl saw on Ramirez’s body to dance and swirl – tornadoing fire, violent winds, and a smokey darkness creeping out in all directions.
“No!” The little girl screamed, thinking no one could hear or see her.
But Alex “Mirror” Ramirez turned and studied her, his eyes nothing but reflections upon reflections.
Without turning from the girl, he said. “I’ll take the job.”