Drafted on:- 5/12/24 [Thursday]
Published on:- 13/12/24 [Friday]

....

"My shadow knows secrets
I've long buried,
whispering them back in the dead of night."

SHADOW

...

The antique mirror frame was carved with intricate designs of vines and stars, and the glass seemed to shimmer faintly, even in the dim light.

But as she leaned in closer, her reflection began to shift.

"Rose..."

Her heart pounded as a soft, melodic voice whispered her name.

It was a whisper of Mirror and without thinking, her hand reached out and touched the cold surface of the glass. As soon as her fingers made contact, the room around her seemed to blur and fade.

"Rose.."

A whisper came again and She spun around, but the room was empty.

"Who's there?" she questioned and her voice was trembling.

She looked back at the mirror and the mirror rippled like water, and the voice came again, clearer this time.

"Rose! Come closer..."

The air grew heavy and the ground beneath her feet felt unsteady and left her stunned and scared.

Rose stared at the mirror with her wide eyes and was confused and uneasy.

At first, her reflection seemed normal, her 35-year-old self was wearing a simple blouse and jeans. But as she leaned closer, the reflection changed.

It still wore the same clothes, but the face staring back at her wasn't hers now.

It was her face from years ago, when she was just 17.

Rose gasped.

The younger version of her looked so familiar yet so distant. There was a brightness in her eyes, a confidence and fire Rose hadn't felt in years. The sight sent a strange chill through her.

She stepped back and her voice was shaking, "This... this can't be real".

The reflection tilted its head but Rose hadn't moved. Then it spoke. "You don't recognize me, do you?"

Rose froze.

The voice was her own, but softer and lighter. The voice she hadn't heard in a long time.

"I am you. The version you left behind", Rose's younger version of the reflection said.

"I didn't leave you. I just... grew up", Rose whispered as she was trying to steady her breathing.

The younger version smiled, but it wasn't warm. "No, you forgot me. You lost who you were".

"I don't understand what's happening here. I don't know what you are talking about? I'm Rose Blake and I remember everything", Rose said as her body trembled slightly.

"No, Rose.... You are not the same Rose now. You forgot about me. I don't remember who you were and who you are. You are losing your real identity", the whisper came again.

The words struck something deep inside Rose. She wanted to argue, but before she could, the mirror rippled like water.

Suddenly, another image of a bedroom with the same antique mirror appeared in the mirror. But this time, she found something was moving inside mirror image of the mirror.

That something seemed like a shadow, shadow of a man.

Rose choked as there was familiar alarm rang in her brain but still she tried to look at the face of the man who was looking at the mirror inside the mirror.

"Who is he?", she murmured softly while her eyes were fixed on the shifting images in the mirror.

Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. "He seems familiar and unfamiliar at the same time," she thought.

Without blinking, she kept her gaze locked on the shadowy figure of the man. Something about him drew her in, yet the more she looked, the more questions filled her mind.

"Do I know him?", she murmured under her breath as her voice was barely audible.

Suddenly, her green eyes locked with his deep caramel ones through the mirror.

Her breath hitched and caught in her throat. There was something haunting about his gaze, something that sent shivers down her spine.

Fear surged through her as she staggered back in panic, her heart pounding wildly. Without a second thought, she turned around and bolted toward the door, desperate to escape the room.

Suddenly, the images in the mirror changed and her breath caught as she saw a younger version of herself staring back. The reflection didn't just stop there, it reached out, crossing the barrier of the mirror.

Before Rose could react, the younger version grabbed her hand firmly. In that instant, everything around her began to spin.

The room blurred into a whirl of colors and shadows, leaving her disoriented and unable to tell what was real.

When Rose opened her eyes, she was no longer in her room. She stood in a strange place- a wide, open field under a pale and glowing sky.

The air smelled fresh but unfamiliar.

"What happened just now? Where am I?", Rose said loudly as she searched for the manor.

The manor and the mirror were gone, but the voice still echoed in her mind.

"You left me behind... Now it's time to find me again, Rose. Let me see what you can do this time".

Rose looked around as she was unsure if this was a dream or something much stranger.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?", Rose shouted as she was scared and searched for answers while looking around for an escape.

"Rose! I want you to find yourself. I want you to find me that got lost in the ages", the voice came and a fear struck deeply in her heart.

That was why Rose never listened to her grandmother's stories. She didn't like mysteries, thrillers, or suspense, they always made her uncomfortable.

But now, she couldn't even think clearly. She was trapped in an unfamiliar place and was completely lost from the real world and was unsure of what to do.

As she sank deeper into her thoughts, the air around her thickened.

A heavy smog crept in, making it hard to see. Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of her as it was looming through the haze.

Rose was scared and was standing all alone in a place she didn't recognize. She had no idea where she was or how she got there. The quiet around her felt heavy and was making her heart race faster.

Suddenly, everything started to change. The room seemed to move, and her vision became blurry. She tried to grab something to steady herself, but her hands found nothing.

Her body felt weak, and her legs gave way. She collapsed onto the floor as everything around her turned dark.

..

Thank you
ShineeSunshine ♥️