Looking into his reflection of her, there was always great beauty. One that made the very eyes of Aphrodite weep. In pride or jealousy, one may never know. Whenever she smiled at the man in the mirror, the man would smile back. 

  As time passed, so did the decision of fate. Who now pierced her with her javelin. Taking back the small and prized amount of sunlight that was left in her life. Along with her promise, now shattered about the dirt. She stood there, heart pierced, but she dares not remove it. The pain is enough alone to be lethal. She goes to the man in the mirror to see a friendly face. Traveling wearily, she looks and finds none. She smiles at the man in the mirror, but he does not reciprocate. His welcoming smile was replaced by an icy, disappointed glare. A glare that follows like the Mona Lisa's mystery.

He shows her imagery, horrible and hypnotizing, she dares not look away. Imagery shown of her naked, undressed from his coat of flattery and lies. Filled with happiness, heart and comfort, but lacking prophets who bear false tongues. Fear wrapped itself along her spine as her mind absorbed details of the picture being painted. The one that she had been blind to from her ego and self focus. 

It was not pride or jealousy that had made Aphrodite weep. The truth had been revealed. The goddess had weeped in horror. For what the man revealed was neither man nor woman. Human or animal. All that stared back at her were piles of flesh on bone like twigs, moments away from snapping in half. 

Her eyes darted around in terror once pryed away from the mesmerizing mutant that stood before her. She panicked looking for the man in the mirror, pleading for the end of this torturous nightmare. But along with her sense of contentment, the man had gone. Leaving behind only his lingering glare. 

Turning back to her horror, she saw for the first time, the skeleton the stared back. He had no eyes, but he stared. He had no lips, but he smiled at the massive pile of flesh and breaking twigs. He had no voice, but he whispered in small fragments, what she must do. 

Time passes and the clocks ticks away as she forgets about the man in the mirror, but not his ever disappointed glare. She looks now only for the skeleton that stared back. Everytime she was greeted by him, the twigs were relieved of a little more flesh from the massive pile it had to uphold. Then she would smile, and the skeleton that stared back would smile too. Moving a little more closer to the flesh and twigs after each encounter.

The clock continued to tick after many suns and moons. When she passed by the center of her new found addiction, she noticed that the twigs no longer struggled. The flesh had become, one might dare to say, beautiful. She smiled at the skeleton that stared back. He gave her a smile that told her to continue. This wasn't the same smile as before. She had trusted the past smile. But she did trust him. He was there whereas the man in the mirror had abandoned her. So she nodded in agreement. 

Days turn into night as the clock continued with its restless ticking. Getting louder every day. The massive pile of flesh had been transformed into a small pile of twigs lightly dipped in flesh, looking less beautiful and more concerning. He stared at her, now right in front of her, but she didn't smile back. His stare sent a chill through her bones and his smile no longer comforted, but terrified her. 

The skeleton that stared back leaned in close and whispered softly. Her eyes went wide in terror. Before she could react she felt her body hit the floor with a soft thud. She looked back towards the mirror and gave one final horsed scream before the ticking ceased. 

She was found in front of the mirror by people who she didn't know still cared. Through their tears they exclaimed how she did not appear human anymore. But rather a skeleton that stared back.