Jenna Leigh Design Co.

This story is inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis, particularly The Great Divorce, which I had just read when the idea for this story came to me. The question that sparked the idea was this: “What would it be like if we really knew what people think of us?” This is not a pure allegory, but some aspects of it are. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it makes you think.

Resolution

Lewis’s eyes shone with tears as he finished his story, but he was smiling. We were silent for several moments as I pondered his words.

“You certainly have come a long way,” said I at last, “and have quite a task set before you.”

He nodded.

“How many have you kept from entering the Tower?”

“You are only the third,” he said, “and I have been trying for months.”

“And the other protesters? They all went up the river, and looked into the other mirror?”

“Not all. Some, like you, have never seen into either mirror. They have joined our cause with belief in our experiences alone.”

“Who is the Inventor?”

“Some say he is a great king. Others, a strong warrior; still others, a masterful storyteller. The benefactor said he is all of those things, and more. Even our country used to be under his rule, until the Taskmaster came.”

“But if he loves those who behold him in the mirror, why wouldn’t he save us from the Taskmaster? If he is a strong warrior, why must so many suffer?”

Lewis leaned closer, resting his elbows on his knees, and a heavy sigh escaped him.

“I asked the benefactor the same questions. He said there are many things we cannot yet bear to know. We can only choose to remember that the Inventor has bestowed kindness on us, and hope that he will bestow it again.”

I had many more questions about the Inventor, but my thoughts turned away from him for the time being.

“Who is the Taskmaster?”

Lewis’s face darkened. “He is more the absence of someone than anyone at all. Instead of reflecting the light, he absorbs it into himself, and there it is swallowed into darkness. He is never satisfied—that is why he continues to lure the citizens into the Tower, into the mines.”

“He must be stopped,” I said.

“Yes.”

“How?”

He shrugged. “The benefactor told me to prevent as many as I could from entering the Tower. If there is another way to stop the Taskmaster, I do not know it. And I can only be faithful in what I know.”

“What if the other mirror were brought here for them to see? Surely they would not then choose to look in the one that deforms them.”

“Yet often the heart will not be satisfied until it has tasted what it craves. Many, like myself, must first be bound before they can be truly free.” Lewis looked at his wrists. “Be grateful that you were given the chance to escape the torture of the mines. You did not have to suffer the madness of the mirror to discover that the fulfillment of some desires leads only to a deeper emptiness.”

“I did not deserve to be spared from my own ignorance.”

“No one does. That is why it is a mercy.”

“Thank you, Lewis.” I placed my hand upon his, and he smiled again.

The sun was westering in the sky; above the walls of the park the trees were all aflame with golden light. I knew we could not linger much longer. 

“Lewis, I want to help,” I said quietly.

“It may come at a great cost. The Taskmaster does not like anyone interfering with his schemes.”

“All the more why we must resist him together.”

Lewis nodded. “Alright. I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

“I’ll start at the back of the line.”

We shook hands and parted ways. As I turned toward home, I passed through the middle of the line, which encircled the town square several times before winding off toward the river.

I had not the slightest inclination now to join their company.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 1 Cor. 13:12

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to subscribe to my email list to stay updated whenever I publish a new story or blog post.

P.S. Illustrations for this story are coming soon!