A Stranger in the Mirror By Sidney Sheldon

Jill looked down into the water and saw something floating there. It was a face. Toby’s face, smiling at her, the drowned blue eyes looking up at her. The icy breeze began to blow, gently pushing her closer to the rail.

“I had to do it, Toby,” she whispered. “You see that, don’t you?”

The head in the water was nodding, bobbing, inviting her to come and join it. The wind grew colder and Jill’s body began trembling. Don’t be afraid, the voice told her. The water is deep and warm…. You’ll be here with me…. Forever. Come, Jill.

She closed her eyes a moment, but when she opened them, the smiling face was still there, keeping pace with the ship, the mutilated limbs dangling in the water. Come to me, the voice said.

She leaned over to explain to Toby, so that he would leave her in peace, and the icy wind pushed against her, and suddenly she was floating in the soft velvet night air, pirouetting in space. Toby’s face was coming closer, coming to meet her, and she felt the paralyzed arms go around her body, holding her. And they were together, forever and ever.

Then there was only the soft night wind and the timeless sea.

And the stars above, where it had all been written.

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

 

I wish to express my appreciation for their generous assistance to the following motion picture and television producers:

Seymour Berns

Larry Gelbart

Bert Granet

Harvey Orkin

Marty Rackin

David Swift

Robert Weitman

 

And my deep gratitude for sharing with me their memories and experiences goes to:

Marty Allen

Milton Berle

Red Buttons

George Burns

Jack Carter

Buddy Hackett

Groucho Marx

Jan Murray

THE AUTHOR

 

 

Books by Sidney Sheldon

 

*A Stranger in the Mirror

*Bloodline

*A Rage of Angels

*Master of the Game

The Other Side of Midnight

*The Naked Face