Rahul slowly turned around.
It felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
No one.
The room had fallen silent again. Only the sound of his own breathing filled the air.
"No… this isn't possible…" he whispered to himself.
Yet his eyes were drawn back to the mirror.
This time—
It was empty.
No reflection.
Not Rahul. Not the girl.
Only darkness.
Suddenly—
A cold gust of wind swept through the room.
The door creaked open on its own.
"Creeeak…"
Rahul couldn't stand there any longer. He ran outside.
It felt like if he stayed inside that house for even one more second, he wouldn't survive.
Outside, he stopped, gasping for breath.
A thick fog had settled all around.
Even the moonlight seemed pale and weak.
Everything was unnaturally still.
But then—
He felt it.
A sound hidden within the silence.
He listened carefully.
A whisper.
Many voices… speaking together.
"Come back…"
"Come back…"
"Come back…"
Rahul covered his ears.
"Stop! Stop it!" he shouted.
Suddenly, everything went quiet.
His eyes fell upon a small, broken room beside the house.
He had never entered it as a child.
But today—
He felt an irresistible pull.
Slowly, he walked toward the door.
It was half-open.
He pushed it gently.
Darkness.
He turned on his phone's flashlight.
And then—
He saw them.
Old photographs hanging on the wall.
All of them showed the same girl.
At different ages.
As a child… a little older…
But in every single photo—
Her eyes were scratched out with black ink.
A chill ran down Rahul's spine.
Below one of the pictures, something was written—
"Meena (2005 – 2015)"
Rahul felt dizzy.
"2015… that means… she…"
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
He was just a child.
He had come to this house.
One day, he was playing near the pond.
A girl had approached him—
Meena.
They had laughed, played together.
Then—
Meena had said,
"Come, let's go near the water…"
Rahul had been scared.
He had said, "No… I don't want to go…"
But Meena had grabbed his hand.
"Come on… it'll be fun…"
Rahul had suddenly pulled his hand away and run.
He didn't look back.
He only heard—
A scream.
"Rahul…!"
Back in the present, Rahul dropped to his knees.
"No… no… I didn't leave her… I didn't…"
Tears streamed down his face.
Then—
A cold voice came from behind him.
"You did…"
Rahul slowly turned.
Meena.
Standing right behind him.
This time, dark liquid dripped from the hollow spaces where her eyes should have been.
"You could have saved me…"
she said.
Rahul trembled.
"I was just a child… I was scared…"
She stepped closer.
"I was drowning… I was calling you…"
Suddenly, the sound of water filled the room.
The floor grew wet.
It was as if the room itself was turning into the pond.
"You didn't turn back…"
her voice grew heavier.
"You broke your promise…"
Her face twisted into something terrifying.
"And now—you have to keep it."
Rahul stumbled backward.
"No… no… let me go…"
Meena reached out her hand.
Then—
A thought struck Rahul.
Something his grandfather had once said—
"That mirror doesn't just reflect… it holds."
Rahul's eyes widened.
The mirror!
He ran back toward the main room.
Behind him, Meena's whisper echoed—
"You can't escape…"
As he entered the room, he stood before the mirror.
This time, he could see himself.
And behind him—
Meena.
Slowly coming closer.
Rahul said in a trembling voice,
"If… if this mirror can hold you…"
He raised his hand and struck the mirror hard.
"Break!"
But—
The mirror didn't shatter.
Instead—
A hand emerged from within it.
Black. Cold. Wet.
It grabbed Rahul's hand tightly.
"Now you are mine…"
Meena's voice echoed from all around.
Rahul screamed.
His body began to be pulled into the mirror.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
He looked around one last time.
The house, the walls, the door—
Everything was fading away.
The next morning—
Villagers gathered in front of the house.
The door was open.
Inside—
No one.
Only the mirror hanging on the wall.
And now—
There were two reflections in it.
A girl.
And a boy—
Whose eyes were filled with eternal fear.