REFLECTION

REFLECTION

Have you ever wondered who is behind your mirror?

Narrator:

Everything is dark around Mathew. Something is moving in the shadow. He approaches, inevitably attracted. Now he can see it…it's him, him in a     mirror, always the same mirror. His reflection looks amazingly strong, powerful. Suddenly the one in the mirror bursts out laughing and reaches out towards Mathew. At this very moment, Mathew realizes how weak, fragile he is. He screams and…wakes up in his bed, feverish and sweaty.

Mathew:
Always the same dream since the accident when I lost my memory ten years ago. I don't have any memory of my childhood anymore. The frightening way I woke up almost made me forget the life I'm leading, an animal life, forced to hide all day long and to make my way in the shadow.

Narrator:
Let me explain you everything. He has to bear the entire world's injustice like a burden. Two years ago, he was unfairly accused of the murder of James Connor, a doctor. One day he was working, he received a call from his mother; she was yelling and crying:

Mother:

Run away! The police is looking for you! You are accused of the murder of a doctor, I know you are dazed and scared, but now just go, I will answer all your questions later.

Mathew:
Since that very moment, I'm on the run, thinking all the time about what could have caused my situation. Still don't know why…I’ve been unable to join my mum for two years to get to know the truth. And now at last after all this time she calls me and I will understand…

Mother:
My son, it's you? Oh! You cannot imagine how I missed you! Where are you? How are you doing? What will you do? 

Mathew:
Mum, you have to answer my questions first of all! I need to understand what is happening to me.

Mother:

 I will tell you everything you want to know but trust me, I had no choice, we were poor and he was the unique solution to save our family…

Mathew:
He? Who is he? Who are you talking about?

Mother:
Your brother…he is the real murderer…and he is…you.

Mathew:
What? Me! What do you mean? Is it a joke?

Mother:

He is not you, he is the PERECT you. Your clone, your half, the other part of you, he is behind the mirror.

 Narrator:

 The mirror which has appeared every night in his dreams for 10 years. The mirror…!

Matthew:
Tell me everything.

Mother:
You were one year old, you were weak and sick and we were poor. There was no hope for us to fight against misery with a son like you. We needed him, trust me. He was supposed to be your perfect side. You without any defect or weakness, the only one that could rise our family up…your clone. You were really close, the two parts of one soul, even if he was considered like a robot. But one day…he was just gone.

Mathew:
You lied to me. I don't have any memory of my childhood because of this accident which stole a part of my life.

Mother:
I didn't tell you anything because I thought it would be your chance to start a new life, to offer a better future to our family. But when I heard about this murder, I knew it couldn't be you, I knew it was him.

Mathew:
What can I do?

Mother:
You have to find him to prove your innocence. Don't trust anyone. 

Narrator:
He focused on his brother's life, trying to solve this question without answers, to find the reason why his clone had committed this murder. It became more the research of his past than the research of his innocence, a research of the truth. Every second, he was trying to catch a part of his past, in order to have a clue about his brother. But one night every piece of the puzzle took its right place in his mind: At the beginning, it was almost the same dream. But when he arrived in front of the mirror, there wasn't his brother, he saw two children playing together…perfectly similar. The children climbed up a tree, and entered a little hut. Suddenly he felt something beside him: his brother, now he could remember his name: Mike.

Mathew:

The last piece of the puzzle.  I remember now: it was our hiding, where we used to spend all our free time without anything that could disturb us.
I have to go there. The police is tracking me, I don’t have much time left. But I am sure now that this is where I spent the main part of my childhood. I don’t know why, but I am sure that if I go there, I will find him.

Narrator:

And there he was.

Mike:
I was waiting for you, you're late, as usual. I knew you would come. This is the only place where I ever felt like a normal child, a human.

Mathew:
I wanted to know…

Mike:
…The truth? Don't blame me, just try to understand me before…You were the only one who considered me as a human being. For the others, for the parents, I was just a machine made up to be perfectly perfect. I was not allowed to any defect, any mistake. It was too much pressure for me…
I totally flipped out. Everyone has a dark side and for me, they tried to deny it. At last, it exploded, all the darkness that had been kept into me for years and years took over my willing, and that’s why they are here.

Mathew:

They?

Narrator:
At the same moment, they heard the police cars around them. Mike walked toward the door.

Mike:

I've never wanted to hurt you. I was just waiting for you and now, I will assume the consequences of my acts.

Narrator:
He was already forgiven for Mathew. He didn’t only find out the truth, he also recovered a part of him.

                              Sarah BENJELLOUN TOUIMI, Ana ISABELLA & Chayanne LAGDIR