Bluebeard had come home earlier than expected. He had been on a two week trip to Wales and left the whole house, not just any house, but the biggest mansion in England, with his wife, Violet. All 100 keys were with Violet, even the key to the closet at the bottom of the house which is forbidden to any living object except Bluebeard.
Bluebeard had run into his house in a rush to see his wife. The quickest way to get to the dining room where Violet might be was to go through the ballroom to the second set of stairs that went up to the second floor.
Bluebeard went to the ballroom door, slammed his huge hands on the handle to open it and realized that it was locked. Confused, he went through the hundred keys. At last he found the right key. Again he slammed his huge hands on the handle and opened the door and a gust of bitter wind thrashed into Bluebeard’s face. The room was grubby as though it had not been entered for a hundred years or more. Seven mirrors adorned the grubby walls. Glistening from the slightly exposed windows were rays of fluorescent light which reflected off the dusty mirrors.
Bluebeard’s eyes went straight to the mirrors. From the side of his eyes, he had caught a movement in the first mirror. He saw a woman and recognized his first wife, lovely Sarah in stylish silver. She seemed to be dancing. She stretched her arms out as though inviting him to join her. Bluebeard shook his head as though to clear his eyes and then saw a movement in the second mirror.
Another woman beckoned to him. She was his second wife, glorious Gala in a golden gown. He turned away but only to see a third woman in the third mirror. It was his third wife, Roxanne in ruby red. He ran across the vast marble floor, stumbling in his haste to get across the great room with its unlit chandeliers. He had to pass four more mirrors. In the next mirror, his fourth wife was dancing, Emily in exotic emerald green, and she too called to him as he passed. In the fifth he saw his fifth wife, Suzanna in stunning sapphire blue that he remembered well and in the sixth mirror his sixth wife also beckoned to him, passionate Persia in pretty pearl. Fearfully he ran to the door, fumbling for the right key, the seventh mirror was the last and in it he only saw himself.
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