Light travels at just under 300,000 kilometers per second. We see by direct and by reflected light. If you turn off the light in a windowless room, you will not be able to see. We see an object because the light from the source bounces off the object and is reflected into our eyes. The angle at which a light ray hits a polished reflecting surface determines the angle at which it will leave.
All surfaces reflect to some extent.
Try this out in a dark room with a flashlight and a mirror. You have probably heard of fibre optics. These are fine transparent rods of plastic or glass that can carry telephone messages and other information. In fibre optic applications, the message is transformed into a light ray, which is then shot through one end of a transparent rod of plastic or glass, coming out the other end. This can be done even if the rod is bent into a curve.