In The Shadows, alias The story of the handmaid

Sounds of hooves and water's splashing under the horses... Horses hooves gurgled on the wet path, cobble stones sometimes threw the carriage. Despite the circumstances and the cascading rain, my ears touched my mouth, namely I was offered a job finally. As I reckoned young with my own 20 years, it was really a success. My mother died last year, I didn't know my father and I didn't have siblings, so I must have feed myself, and it needed a job. We kept towards the Toppinen-family's mansion which was built in Helsinki. The carriage did one jump again, but I wasn't disturbed about it. I was a bit nervous, though. I rumpled the edge of my skirt. I hope, they will receive me aright... During this, the carter braked a big, and he must have been down from the driver's seat, judging from the water splash. And I wasn't wrong.  After a few seconds,  the carriage's door opened and the soaking wet carter appeared there.
- We have arrived, Miss Amur. They are already waiting for you!
I swallowed . After he had helped me out from the carriage, I immediately noticed the middle-aged woman, and next to her, the tubby, large-moustached, grizzling Paavo Toppinen standing in the door of the mansion. But it revealed, I have no reason for worrying, namely Mr. Toppinen widely smiled under his jumbled, mousegrey moustache.
- Miss Amur! We were already waiting for you! How was your travel?
- Good, thanks! - I smiled back - But please call me Mara!
- Okay. Come in - he said and pre-let me. I went in obediently the enormous house.  A throng of maids received me. I bowed in front of  all of them, as my mother taught me at the time. Mr. Toppinen shepherded  me into a smaller room.
- This will be your residence  - he smiled - And now, it's time to lay down and sleep. You'll get your task tomorrow. Good night!
- Good night, Mr. Toppinen!
Mr. Toppinen flashed his cheat-yellow teeth onto me again, and closed the door. And I got off my heavy tire skirt, and my head-gear, and started to wash myself. At this time, a quite strange thing happened to me. When I washed my face, I noticed a bunch of my-age, weird-looking young people. I looked behind my back, but nobody was there. I didn't  attach special significances to the thing.

*

I had been working slowly for a week in the Toppinen-mansion. Things went pretty well, I knew everybody, I made friendships with everybody. I was worried about only one thing. Of course, the mirror was this. I saw those young people every evening... I was starting to fear, but at least, those horrible visions didn't onset me at daytime... But this already had happened, too... We received guests in the Toppinen-mansion.  An other, noble Finnish family. I was just slicing the fish, when I beheld them only. I didn't care, because they didn't harmed me. But when I would bring the boil to the table, instead of those dancing youngies, I noticed an other person, too. A boy... His whole clothing was black, his face was a little bit pallid, his hair was also black, and stood up as spikes in the lane of the sky, and crow feathers sticked out of that. His eyes were beautiful green and glimmered cheerfully. He stood calmly in the middle of the rampaging crowd. And in the other moment, he just smiled me. I was scared about this, that I dropped the bowl, which one, given that was made of silver, amidds a large rattling, landed on the land, and the food scattered on that.  Everyone watched me. Garnished with intense blushings, I picked up the scattered food, and as fast as I could, left the dining room. I closed the door of my room behind me pantingly. My back snuggled to the polished wood. I felt, that two warm teardrops pulled down from my face. I slowly slipped down the door, and sitting on the threshold, sinking into myself, I started sobbing.
- WHY ME??? -shouted a voice in my head - WHY ALWAYS ME??? IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT I'M ORPHAN, I'M EVEN HALLUCINATING??? But the most terrible is that damn face was cute... If I could see no longer,  even I couldn't forget those delicate littleboy-features... The sharp contrast between the colour of his skin and clothes... Those wonderful green eyes and pale pink lips... FINALY GET REAL, MARA AMUR!!! YOU CANNOT BE IN LOVE WITH A STUPID FICTION!!! Why not? I will be the mad handmaid, who sees people in the mirror, moreover, being in love with one of them... hahaha...
Door slamming was heard from outside. The guests went away... Lamps was blowed out and everybody fell asleep. I mean, instead of me. I woked up from the threshold, and dragged myself  to the mirror. The young people appeared in that again and that fanciful boy, too. I looked into his eyes for a long, long time, till he didn't disappear in the left half of the mirror. I took a huge breath, lit a lantern and followed him. I found him in the mirror of the vestibule. I must have smiled. He raised his two hands in braist height to the sky and moved his lips, saying something.  He took very huge breaths, so I supposed that he was singing. One of his hands was pretty near to the mirror... Falteringly I touched there... At this time, something fantastic happened. I felt his hand... I felt his tender, warm hand, I enjoyed his touch... In this moment, he encompassed his fingers around my tiny, white hands and pulled me into the mirror... The world darkened in front of me... I woke up on that something was shaking me.
- Hey, man, wake up now! Lest say that you overslept the concert!
- What-what??? Where?
- The concert! - ahead me, the black dressed, blonde haired girl crinkled her eyebrow - How you are called, and what's this stupid dress on you?
- My name is Mara Amur. And, I don't understand, what you mean by "stupid dress".
- Ahh... nevermind... All of your clothes are like this?
- Well, yes...
- You can not stay in this. My name is Dana Lewinsky. Come on, we're going to take some normal clothes!
- Ehm, okay!
She grabbed my arm and haled me through a crowded hall, sounding by a fanciful music. I looked up where I supposed the music's source from. And I noticed HIM... He stood in the middle of a circular stage with a weird, longish object in his hands, which one amplified his voice; and sang. On a beautiful, velvety high voice, and a fanciful melody which I hand't heard ever... "I've been watching, I've been waiting, In the shadows, All my life"...