The mantle mirror tells a thousand tales -- tales of life from amniotic visions long since forgotten to "the now," and even to "the later."  Every day it tells of a hundred fresh happenstances, sometimes more fresh than the day they were born.

When the sun shines upon its face, it sings of triumph, jubilation, and ecstasy.  When the moon shines upon its face, it whispers of mystique, romance, and ecstasy.  When it is dark and cold, and nothing shines upon its face, it cries of sorrow, agony, and ecstasy.  When I gaze into its face, it speaks of every emotion in the Universe with the unbridled force and authority of a tidal wave.  Floods wash over me and overpower me.

It speaks of eyes that glisten like stars in a cool and cloudless sky.  Lamps that refuse to yield their youth and windows that invite their subjects to see their golden soul, they never cease to sparkle.

It speaks of a mouth that beams smiles that pierce the darkness.  He speaks words of love more true than anyone has ever known.  He speaks words of fire, of fantasy, and of reckless truth without the slightest of forethought.  He kisses with everything the heart can possibly say, and tells the words that the heart commands.

The mirror speaks of wrinkles that deepen with each new day.  They absorb the shock of being "human" like lashes and scars from the master's whip.  They surround the eyes and pay for their sparkle.  They surround the mouth and pay for his smile.  They map the course of the secret path back to zero, but as long as the eyes shine their soft, blinding light and the mouth beams his warm, gleaming smile; the secret path remains the mystery.  But when the smile fades and the eyes grow weary, the wrinkles tell from whence they came and lead those who dare down the dark path to the pits of their birth.

Take heed!  Do not approach this path in pity or mindless curiosity, but with love in your heart and reverence in your mind; for this path is that of a great warrior and king, and only the truest of heart can travel this path and find the truth they seek.

What a great sage this mirror is!  It remembers every shout of victory, every tear of joy, every Yule with lonely stocking, every painful cry, every shameful surrender, every death, every resurrection, and every age:  and if your face will join mine in the mirror over the fire this night, the mirror will tell you that I love you, that I have always loved you, and that every story from now until the end of time is yearning for you to join it.