The next morning.
Ahaan stood in front of the mirror, brushing his teeth. Just another school day… or so he thought.
He spat into the sink, looked up—
And froze.
The mirror showed nothing behind him.
He turned around.
The light was bright. The sun was shining through the window.
But something was missing.
His shadow.
There was no shadow under his feet.
No shape on the floor.
Just empty light.
At first, he thought it was a trick.
Maybe the sun was in a weird position?
Maybe his eyes were tired?
But as he walked to school, the truth became clear.
Every wall he passed…
Every tree…
Every corner…
No shadow.
He watched as other kids walked. Their shadows stretched behind them. Some long, some short.
But him?
Nothing.
Not even a flicker.
When he reached school, strange things started happening.
Doors closed by themselves.
Lights flickered when he walked in.
One of his classmates dropped a pencil — and it rolled all the way across the room to Ahaan's feet… and stopped.
"Dude…" his friend Murad said, "…are you okay? You look… different."
Ahaan didn't know what to say.
Even the teacher paused when she saw him. She blinked, frowned, and then just… skipped over his name during roll call.
As if he wasn't there.
By lunchtime, it got worse.
When Ahaan opened his backpack, he found the book glowing again.
A new case had appeared:
CASE FOURTEEN:
The Shadow That Walked Away
A shadow is a part of you.
When it leaves, it takes something with it.
And sometimes… it learns to live without you.
At the bottom, blood-red words appeared:
"It is now free. And it is angry."
Ahaan slammed the book shut.
He looked down at the ground one more time.
Still no shadow.
But then he noticed something else.
At the far end of the schoolyard, near the big tree, he saw a figure standing still.
It had his shape.
Same height.
Same messy hair.
Same clothes.
But the face… was blurred. Like a smudge on glass.
And its feet weren't touching the ground.
Just floating, quietly.
Watching him.
His missing shadow had become a real thing.
Ahaan ran.
Through the corridor.
Past the lockers.
He didn't look back.
But every time he turned a corner… there it was.
Standing.
Waiting.
Smiling.
Its face still had no eyes. No mouth.
But it smiled somehow.
Like it was enjoying the chase.
He finally locked himself inside the bathroom stall.
His hands were shaking.
He opened the book again.
More writing had appeared:
It was never just your shadow.
It remembered your fears.
Your lies.
Your secrets.
And below that:
You once wished to be someone else.
Now your shadow will take your place.
Ahaan felt cold all over.
He remembered now — a time when he was angry at his parents for disappearing. A time he said to himself:
"I wish I was someone else. Anyone but me."
He didn't mean it.
But the shadow did.
It had waited.
And now, it was coming to be him.
The lights in the bathroom went out.
He heard footsteps.
Soft.
Slow.
Closer.
And then…
A whisper, right beside his ear:
"You gave me your name.
I'm here to return the favor."
Ahaan burst out of the stall, heart pounding.
But no one was there.
Just his reflection in the mirror.
Except the reflection—
Wasn't doing what he was doing.
It stood still.
Smiling.
And its shadow was back.
Ahaan's reflection leaned closer.
"You're the shadow now," it said in his voice. "Go hide in the dark, where you belong."
"No!" Ahaan shouted.
He slammed his hand into the mirror — and instead of glass, it rippled like water.
Suddenly, he was falling—
Through a mirror.
Through cold.
Through whispers.
Through a thousand versions of himself, each with their own shadow… until he hit the ground.
Hard.
He opened his eyes.
He was standing in a black room.
No floor.
No ceiling.
Only darkness.
Only echoes.
And in the middle — a door.
Ahaan walked toward it.
He opened the door — and saw his school.
But different.
Twisted.
Upside down.
A hallway of shadows.
Every shadow moved, but the people didn't.
As if the shadows were alive, but the bodies were just puppets.
Then he saw his own shadow.
Walking into his classroom.
Sitting at his desk.
Talking to his friends.
Wearing his face.
And everyone believed it.
Everyone saw it as Ahaan.
If he didn't stop it soon… he'd be forgotten.
Forever.
The book floated in front of him, glowing again.
One final message:
You must make it remember you.
Shadows only fear the truth.
Show it what it can never be — your heart.
Ahaan closed his eyes.
He remembered everything:
His parents' smiles.
His tears.
His fear.
His bravery.
He opened his eyes — and shouted:
"I AM AHAAN!
YOU'RE JUST THE PART OF ME THAT HIDES!"
The fake Ahaan in the classroom stopped.
Its face cracked.
It screamed without a mouth.
The shadow melted…
And returned to his feet.
The lights flickered back to normal.
The classroom went quiet.
And Ahaan looked down.
His shadow was back.
But it was shaking.
Just like him.
Then.....