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
The following night, Sarah heard a voice calling her from the upper floor. The voice was faint but clear: "Sarah... come here." Despite her fear, she felt a strange force pulling her toward the sound. She climbed the stairs once again and found herself standing in front of the mirror.
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.
As the shadow approached her, she felt an intense cold piercing through her body. It whispered in her ear, "I've been waiting for you for a long time." Then it suddenly vanished, leaving Sarah trembling in the darkness.
The shocking truth
The next day, Sarah decided to search through her grandfather's old papers. She found a journal that spoke of a mysterious man who had been visiting the house for decades. The man was named "Mr. Black," and the people in the village believed he was a demon disguised in human form. Her grandfather had made a deal with him to secure the family's wealth, but the price was the soul of one of his descendants.
Sarah realized she was the chosen victim. She tried to escape the house, but found the doors and windows sealed with a supernatural force. That night, the shadow returned, this time holding a large knife. Trembling, Sarah whispered, "What do you want from me?" The shadow replied, "It's time to pay."
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