Mirror Mirror on the Wall

"Mirror Mirror on the Wall" was the ninth story from the book More & More Tales to Give You Goosebumps.

Plot
Twelve-year-old Bonnie Sue Bowers is obsessed with her looks. She spends hours in front of the mirror, fixing her hair, trying on clothes, making sure she looks nothing short of perfect. One day, when Bonnie Sue is preparing for a trip to the mall, her brother, Ricky, comes in, soaked in mud. As he tries to ruin Bonnie Sue's clothes, she swears she sees her reflection standing perfectly still. She brushes this off, until again, her reflection seems to come to life, sticking its tongue out at her as she looks in the mirror. Things soon go from strange to dangerous, as she feels her reflection reach out from the mirror and pinch her.

Eventually, the reflection even begins speaking to her in an evil, mocking tone. Bonnie Sue's reflection breaks free of the mirror and attacks her, saying that soon, she will be the one stuck inside the mirror, while the reflection will be free to replace her. Bonnie Sue fights off her evil duplicate until she accidentally breaks the mirror in her room. Bonnie Sue is at first relieved, as her reflection is nowhere to be found. However, her relief is short lived. From the shattered pieces of the mirror comes dozens of Bonnie Sues, all of whom attack Bonnie. She screams out, alerting her mother and Ricky, who both come flying in and see all of Bonnie Sue's duplicates. To prove she's the real Bonnie Sue, she holds up a pocket mirror to the others, showing they have no reflection. The small mirror proves just enough to suck her reflections back from where they come.

However, days after, Bonnie's reflection attacks once again, pulling her into the mirror for real. She then reveals that she's been a reflection ever since, and is waiting for her chance to get out. Since that point, her reflection has begun dressing messily, as has she. Ending her story, she warns the reader to "Stay away from mirrors, if I were you."

Trivia

 * The title of this story is a reference to a line used in select adaptions of Snow White.
 * The concept of an evil reflection replacing someone was used previously in Let's Get Invisible!, the sixth book in the original Goosebumps series.
 * This is one of the few stories where the parent actually witnesses the paranormal events.

References in other Goosebumps media

 * In Goosebumps: The Game, the player can encounter an evil mirror reflection in the attic of their home. The method to defeat it is very similar to what is done in the story, requiring the player to use a hand mirror in order to destroy the reflection.