It's flat and blue and slightly too hot outside. The funhouse stands ahead of us, it's doors open, almost invitingly. From behind us is the noise of crowds, of summer carnivals, but no one seems to follow us into the hall of mirrors as we wait for our turn.

He stands there, feet planted on the black rubber mat, no slip grip keeping him in place. He looks anchored to the spot, and he smiles slightly. To the left of him, to the right of him, all around are mirrors that are filled with the deceptive images we've come to know, some fat, some skinny, a few with sour looks on their faces.

He's maybe sixteen. He's got black eyes, and dark hair, and he looks like he wants to know if he can trust you with a secret. His voice is soft, and it takes you a while to realize that he hasn't actually said anything that means anything true.

But follow his gaze long enough, and in a mirror that's all the way in the back, a straight line from where we stand, as if we'll have to exit through it, there's a man. Tallish, slightly worn around the edges and rough looking, as if he's spent too much time working.

His feet in boots, black, dusty with travel from the road. You could once have seen your reflection in them, but that was a long time ago, before the walking. His jeans are almost as worn, though not through. Just as if they've seen a few weeks or months outside. At his belt are a sword that is honestly too big for him and a matte black pistol, both of while seem loved, though they're battered.

Venturing further toward his gaze, we catch his black t-shirt, his sun darkened skin. We start to see what the boy sees in him, a hero, an ideal, a never-to-be-had. But we smile, knowing what the boy does not.

When we finally meet his eyes, there at the end of the hall, we see what we knew we would. A sense of honor, a dash of hard work, a roguish smile that hints at adventure. He has a mouth full of kisses and sweet words, he plays the part of the rake and the knight, though his armor is more than a little dented.

For a moment, our gazes locked with his, we smile, tasting the sweetness of his look, the honesty of his open arms.

A few minutes later we walked back out into the sunlight and blink a few times trying to get acclimated...