Silent Twin

I threw myself on the bed and decided to make an early night of it. Working double and triple shifts all these weeks was starting to wear on my body. I didn’t fight it and gave in to sleep…….. I pulled into a driveway in a black pick-up. The driveway was not mine, the neighborhood either. The driveway was at a slight incline, cracked and led to a one car garage. The garage door was white, well dirty white and not completely attached, it hung crooked. The house it was attached to was small and brown; the paint chipping off from every angle of the outside I could see. It was a one-story house with a big window facing the same direction as the street. The window was cracked and had a long piece of silver duct tape holding it together. The front door was wide open, or was it missing….I couldn’t tell at first. I walked to the front door but stopped before entering. I couldn’t move; something wasn’t right. I turned to look at the rest of the neighborhood and it was as run-down as this house. Most of the lawns were cluttered with cars, motorcycles, bicycles, toys, trash, etc. Next thing I knew, I was in the living room. I turned to the hallway that was to the right of the living room. At the end of the hallway was a bedroom that I walked into. There was a full-length mirror on the inside of the door. I looked at the mirror, nothing too scary, just me looking back. I closed the closet door and turned around but then a noise caught my attention. I did a half turn and realized the closet door came open again and I found myself looking into the mirror. It was me but not me this time. The image had my black hair in a military cut; the same jaw line that always made me think of box corners; blue eyes; slightly dark complexion and my height of 6’2”. I turned my head to the right and of course, the image in the mirror turned his. I drew my right hand up to the mirror and pointed my index finger on the glass. The image copied my movement but I knew something was different. It hit me, the face. I hadn’t shaved in a couple days and the image was clean shaven! I stood there shaking and looking into the mirror. Then the “image” stepped out of the mirror toward me! I wanted to jump out of my skin but luckily my skin stayed put and I froze. It, he, the image, whatever it was held up an envelope that read “Return to Sender” and placed it in my trembling hand! I woke with a violent jerk, shaking and sweat pouring down my face; I could taste the salt. I pulled my hand out from under the comforter and discovered an envelope that read ‘Return to Sender’ in my hand!