Daniel was very fond of collecting antiques. He often traveled far to search for unique items, and one day, while stepping into a small antique shop hidden in a remote alley, he discovered a large mirror with a wooden frame intricately carved with strange patterns.
The mirror looked very old, its surface slightly foggy yet still capable of reflecting a clear image. When Daniel inquired about it, the shop owner—a frail old man with deep-set eyes—looked at him for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse voice:
"Are you sure? This mirror… once belonged to someone who disappeared many years ago."
Daniel chuckled lightly, ignoring the eerie warning. He purchased the mirror and brought it home, placing it in his bedroom. But ever since that night, strange things began to happen.
At first, Daniel felt uneasy every time he looked into the mirror. His reflection seemed to lag slightly—just a tiny delay, but enough to send chills down his spine. When he raised his hand, the shadow in the mirror also raised its hand, but with a slight delay.
Then came the nightmares. Daniel dreamt of standing before the mirror, but instead of seeing his own reflection, he saw someone else—a distorted face with hollow eyes and an unnaturally wide grin.
One night, Daniel woke up suddenly, feeling as though he was being watched. He turned toward the mirror. In the dim light from a streetlamp filtering into his room, he saw that his reflection was no longer himself.
It was something else. A tall, thin figure with empty black eyes and a twisted smile.
Panic gripped Daniel as he spun around. But behind him—there was nothing.
He turned back to the mirror, and this time, the figure in the reflection had moved closer—so close it seemed only inches away.
Suddenly, the figure in the mirror raised its hand... and knocked on the glass from the inside.
"Tap. Tap. Tap."
Daniel screamed, turned on the light, and covered the mirror with a cloth. His breath came in gasps, his heart racing. But even though the mirror was covered, he could still hear a faint whisper from behind the cloth:
"Don't turn away... I've been waiting too long."
Then, suddenly, the room fell silent. No wind, no whispers—just an eerie stillness.
Daniel slowly lifted his feet, intending to escape from the room. But as soon as his hand touched the doorknob, a voice whispered right behind him:
"Where do you think you're going?"
Daniel froze, his breath caught in his throat. That wasn't his voice.
Slowly, he turned around.
The cloth had slipped from the mirror at some point. And the reflection staring back at him... was no longer himself.
Daniel saw himself in the mirror, but something was horribly wrong. His eyes were completely black, with no whites. His mouth was stretched into a terrifying grin. And then Daniel realized—his reflection no longer mimicked his movements.
It moved on its own.
His heart raced. He stepped back, but in the mirror, "Daniel" continued to stand there, staring at him with hollow black eyes.
Then... it raised its hand and pressed its pale, eerie palm against the glass.
"Now it's my turn."
Before Daniel could react, an invisible force pulled him forward. He screamed, trying to grab onto the edge of the bed, but the pull from the mirror was too strong. In a matter of seconds, he was completely drawn in.
And just like that, the room returned to silence.
The mirror stood there, looking ordinary, as if nothing had happened.
Inside the mirror, Daniel stood frozen in fear. He pounded on the glass, screaming for help, but no one could hear him.
Outside, a doppelgänger—Daniel's evil twin—stretched, took a deep breath, and smiled as if just waking from a deep slumber.
He stepped out of the room, leaving the mirror now reflecting only one trapped and desperate soul.
And with a slow *click*, the door to the room closed tightly.