Written by: Salehani
The shadow that never left
The wind howled like a wolf on a cold night outside the old wooden window, carrying with it mysterious cries as if coming from another world. Sarah, a young woman not yet twenty-five, sat alone in her grandfather's country house, which she had inherited after his death. The house was large, filled with dark rooms and winding corridors she didn’t remember from her few childhood visits.
Sarah began to feel uneasy from the very first night. She heard faint footsteps upstairs, as if someone was wandering through the empty rooms. But she justified it as nothing more than the old wooden house adjusting to the changing weather.
On the third night, Sarah woke up to the sound of a loud scratching at her bedroom door. She looked at the clock—it was three in the morning. Her heart began to race, but she tried to convince herself that it was probably an animal that had sneaked into the house. Grabbing her flashlight, she slowly opened the door, but found nothing.
When she returned to her bed, she noticed something strange—a long shadow stretching from the corner of the room, as if watching her. She tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t sleep. In the morning, she decided to explore the upper floor.
upstairs
Sarah climbed the creaky wooden stairs, each step echoing with sound. The rooms on the upper floor had been closed for years, with dust covering everything. She opened the first door she came across, finding an empty room except for a large mirror covered with a black cloth.
Sarah felt an odd curiosity and uncovered the mirror. Her reflection appeared clearly, but she noticed something strange—a shadow behind her in the mirror that wasn’t there in reality. She quickly turned around, but the room was empty. When she looked back at the mirror, the shadow had vanished.
Sarah began to feel terrified, but she couldn’t stop. She opened another room, and this time she found an old wooden box. When she opened it, she discovered a collection of old photographs of her grandfather and people she didn’t recognize. In one of the photos, there was a tall man dressed in black, but his face was blurred.
The shadow moves
في الليلة التالية، سمعت سارة صوتًا يناديها من الطابق العلوي. كان الصوت خافتًا، لكنه واضح: “سارة… تعالي إلى هنا.” رغم خوفها، شعرت بقوة غريبة تجذبها نحو الصوت. صعدت السلالم مرة أخرى، ووجدت نفسها أمام المرآة.
This time, the shadow was clear in the mirror. It was a tall man in black, just like in the picture. He smiled at her with an evil smile, then slowly started to walk out of the mirror. Sarah tried to escape, but her feet were locked in place.
عندما اقترب الظل منها، شعرت ببرودة قارصة تخترق جسدها. همس في أذنها: “لقد انتظرتك طويلًا.” ثم اختفى فجأة، تاركًا سارة مرتعشة في الظلام.
The shocking truth
في اليوم التالي، قررت سارة البحث في أوراق جدها القديمة. وجدت مذكرات تتحدث عن رجل غامض كان يزور المنزل منذ عقود. كان الرجل يُدعى “السيد أسود”، وكان الناس في القرية يعتقدون أنه شيطان يتجسد في هيئة بشرية. جدها كان قد عقد صفقة معه لضمان ثروة العائلة، لكن الثمن كان روح أحد أحفاده.
أدركت سارة أنها الضحية المختارة. حاولت الهروب من المنزل، لكنها وجدت الأبواب والنوافذ مغلقة بقوة خارقة. في الليل، عاد الظل، وهذه المرة كان يحمل سكينًا كبيرًا. قالت سارة بصوت مرتجف: “ما الذي تريده مني؟” أجاب الظل: “لقد حان وقت الدفع.”