The mirror beyond the fog - by Rahima Suleiman

Title: The Mirror Beyond the Fog --- There once lived a young woman named Lira in a quiet seaside town where the mist never seemed to lift. Every morning, the ocean greeted her with a soft, gray curtain, as though the world beyond her small cottage did not exist. The townsfolk were kind, but not curious. They lived simple lives, doing what had always been done—fishing, mending nets, baking bread—and expected little more. Lira, however, carried a storm within her. She didn’t know exactly why or how it began, only that it hummed like a restless song in her chest. From a young age, she had asked questions no one else wanted to answer. Why are we here? Why do I feel like I’m meant for something more? Why does the world outside the fog call to me, even when I’ve never seen it? But every time she spoke those thoughts aloud, people would smile gently and say, “Lira, you think too much. Just be grateful and stay safe.” So she stopped asking. She wore silence like a scarf and folded her thoughts like old letters in a drawer. But the questions never left. One day, while walking by the shore, Lira found a strange object half-buried in the sand. It was a mirror—cracked around the edges, but still able to reflect. When she held it up, the fog swirled strangely in its glass. She saw not her own face, but blurred scenes—glimpses of forests, mountains, stars, and people dancing under skies without clouds. It frightened her, and fascinated her. She kept the mirror hidden beneath her bed. That night, she dreamed of the mirror glowing with a soft golden light, and a voice whispering, “You are more than what you’ve been told.” The next day, Lira could not sit still. She tried to help her mother bake, but the dough fell through her fingers. She tried to read by the fire, but the words blurred on the page. Finally, she took the mirror and walked deep into the fog, further than she had ever gone. Hours passed. The sea was no longer in sight. The fog pressed in, cold and heavy. Doubts crept into her mind like vines: What if I get lost? What if I’m chasing nothing? What if they were right about me? She sank to her knees, exhausted. “I don’t know who I am,” she whispered. The mirror pulsed softly in her hands. And then she saw it—not just a reflection, but a vision. She saw herself standing tall in a meadow of sunlight, surrounded by people who listened when she spoke, who leaned in when she laughed. She saw herself painting, creating, exploring—eyes bright, heart open. She gasped. That can’t be me, she thought. But the mirror didn’t lie. It was showing her not a fantasy, but a possibility. A version of herself untouched by fear, unshaped by others' doubts. She realized then that all her life, she had measured her worth by what others had told her she could be. She had waited for permission to believe in herself. But the mirror—this strange, magical mirror—was showing her what had always been hidden beneath the fog: her true self. A self full of light. A self full of strength. A self who mattered—not because of what she did for others, or how well she fit in, but because she was. Slowly, Lira stood. She did not know where the path led, or how far she had to go. But now she had a compass. Herself. --- Lira returned to the village, but she was changed. She began to speak more freely. She painted what she had seen in the mirror—landscapes of places no one in town had ever known. Some laughed, some dismissed her, but others began to listen. Children gathered to hear her stories. Elders began to ask questions they had long forgotten. A few even followed her into the fog. And every night, Lira looked into the mirror and saw herself more clearly—not perfect, not without fear—but growing, becoming. Whole. --- Moral:You do not need permission to value yourself.You are not defined by how others see you, but by how deeply you are willing to see yourself.Even in the fog, even in the silence—your worth is waiting to be recognized.By you. And that is where everything begins.

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