"Ty Drago - Bitter Reflections" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drago Ty)

Benedict pulled away, breaking Loretta's grip. His reflection however, did not retreat, but
came forward, hands outstretched. As Loretta stared, astonished, the figure emerged from
the glass, charging his counterpart. She spun toward Benedict who, screaming wildly,
suddenly pulled a small revolver from the pocket of his robe.

"No!" she cried.
Benedict fired repeatedly, the shells passing through the apparition's body and shattering
the window pane behind him. Loretta recoiled as wind-driven rain buffeted the room,
sending the drapes into a wild dance. She stumbled backward and slipped on the wet floor,
her hand grabbing at the drapes for support. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a
glimpse of the two Lawrence Benedicts rolling on the floor like battling animals. Then the
drape she clutched at tore away from its rod and dropped over her like a shroud.

She screamed, struggling wildly. She heard a pounding on the bedroom door. And when
she finally freed herself, she saw Dickerson standing in the doorway; a tall, thin silhouette
against the lights in the hall.
"Master Lawrence, sir," the old servant asked worriedly. "Are you all right?"

Loretta turned.

Lawrence Benedict was rising to his feet. He seemed different somehow, healthier,
stronger. He still wore his robe and slippers, and a red swelling on his chin marked the
beginnings of bruise, but a new light was shining in his eyes, and on his face was a look of
profound relief. He returned Loretta's stare with a pleasant smile, and then regarded
Dickerson and said: "Yes... Dickerson... hello. No, I'm fine. Just a broken window."

The servant looked about the room, obviously confused and dismayed. Then he nodded and
left, shutting the door behind him.

Benedict turned and approached Loretta, who stared up at him, speechless. "A good man,"
he said, motioning to the chamber door. "I never really knew him, but he obviously cared
more about me than I deserved."

"Mr. Benedict..."
He nodded, and smiled again. It was a cheerful smile, and for the first time Loretta noticed
how attractive a man he was. "In the flesh."
"N...No..," Loretta stammered, retreating a step. "You came out... out of the mirror. You've...
stolen his soul."

"I AM his soul..." Benedict replied calmly. "....captured into the mirror when I was seventeen
years old."
Loretta put a hand on the back of one of the chairs to steady herself. Her head was spinning,
and she couldn't convince herself it was from the fall she'd taken. "Wha... what?"

Benedict smiled patiently. "All through my childhood, Doctor, I was fascinated by mirrors. It
began at an early age. I would gaze at my... reflection, enthralled by the "falseness" of it. A
mirror, you see, seemed to show only the physical image and over the years I became
intrigued with seeing... deeper than that. I liked to stare at the light in my eyes, trying to see
past the limits of the glass, trying to see 'inside' myself."