Rahul's eyes slowly opened.
His head felt heavy, as if he had been unconscious for a long time. The room was dark—only faint moonlight seeped through the broken window.
He was lying on the floor.
Suddenly, everything came rushing back.
The mirror.
The girl.
The whisper.
He jolted upright.
His eyes darted forward.
The mirror now lay shattered on the ground—broken into countless pieces. In each fragment, he could see distorted reflections of himself.
But then—
In one piece…
He didn't see his own face.
He saw a girl's eyes.
Rahul blinked and rubbed his eyes.
When he looked again, it was gone.
"Am I losing my mind?" he muttered.
Suddenly, a faint sound came from outside the door.
"Creeeak…"
As if someone was slowly pushing it open.
Rahul's throat went dry.
He stood still, frozen.
The door began to open… inch by inch.
"Is… is anyone there?" he called out, his voice trembling.
No answer.
The door opened fully.
Beyond it—only darkness.
Gathering what little courage he had, Rahul stepped outside.
He felt a strange pull toward the back of the house. As if something was calling him.
He walked slowly.
The grass beneath his feet felt wet—unnaturally so.
Then, in the pale moonlight, he saw it—
The pond.
Dark. Still. Endless.
Even the wind seemed to stop there.
Then—
A ripple disturbed the water.
"Splash… splash…"
Something was moving beneath the surface.
Rahul froze.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
And then—
Slowly, something rose from the water.
A hand.
Pale. Lifeless. Trembling.
Rahul tried to step back—but he couldn't. His feet felt rooted to the ground.
Then the rest of the body emerged.
The girl.
Her wet hair covered her face. He couldn't see her eyes, yet he felt she was staring straight at him.
She slowly stepped out of the pond.
Water dripped from her body.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
The same sound.
Suddenly, a memory struck Rahul like lightning.
He had been here before… as a child.
And near this very pond—
He had met someone.
A girl.
She had asked him, "Will you play with me?"
Her name was…
"Meena…"
Rahul whispered in shock,
"Y-you… Meena?"
The girl stopped.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
Her hair slid aside.
And what Rahul saw—
Stole the breath from his lungs.
She had no eyes.
Only empty, dark hollows.
Yet her lips curved into a strange smile.
"You left me…"
she said softly.
Rahul's voice shook.
"I… I was just a child… I didn't know…"
She stepped closer.
"You promised… you would never leave me alone…"
Her voice suddenly changed—deeper, darker.
"But you did."
The air turned ice-cold.
The trees began to tremble violently.
The pond water churned wildly.
She raised her hand toward him.
"This time… you won't go anywhere."
Rahul screamed and started running.
But no matter how fast he ran—
It felt like something was right behind him.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
He burst into the house and slammed the door shut.
Panting heavily, he leaned against the wall.
And then—
His eyes fell on the broken mirror.
The shards began to shake.
Then slowly—
They started joining together on their own.
"Tick… tick… tick…"
The mirror reformed.
Whole again.
But—
Rahul couldn't see his reflection.
Instead—
He saw the girl.
Standing right behind him.
"I'm right here…"
she whispered.
Rahul slowly turned around—