Sweating and panting, I ran down the dark, eerie alleyway and reached a rundown warehouse. Pitch blackness surrounded me, my heart beating unsteadily, pumped with adrenaline as I came to a stop. My nausea and anxiety were slowly wearing down; though, I was far, far away from letting go of the fear.
It was ominous and frankly could have had the worst kind of dangers, booby traps, thugs, wild animals. However, I was possibly miles away from home and it was more dangerous to travel home than stay here at this point.
I entered the building, a quick decision as I was now not only exhausted, but I was soaking wet from the rain that had decided to add a cherry on top to my torment. The sweat and water mixed together dripping down from me from everywhere.
Inside, it was almost as dark as the inky haze of the outside, but I could still make out the jaggedly outlines of various sized objects across the ground. Fortunately, I had my phone that I could use as a flashlight.
There was not much on the floor I was on, except about four pieces of furniture covered by a dusty, ancient cloth in each of the corners and a round table with 7 chairs around it smack in the middle… it almost seemed as if a séance had taken place, but they had up and left right after it had finished but were cautious to cover whatever objects were at the corners. I was curious, what was so immaculate that they had to cover them? The detective in me sprung to action and wanted to investigate. So, I did.
I went to the corner nearest to the door, and the object was easier to decipher. I noticed that the silhouette of the object resembled a floor length mirror which was propped against the wall of the warehouse. Uncovering it released a cloud of dust, cobwebs, and insects, all of it covering me and the floor surrounding. The cloth revealed a mirror as predicted, but not the type I was thinking of. I had expected the fancy studio mirrors with the classy knobs on top, but what was revealed was the complete opposite of the one I had imagined. It was antique, probably dating back to a century old. A fleur-de-lis design adorned the top of the mirror, the carving fading into the serrated surface of the rusting brass.
I moved down to the sides that framed the mirror, noticing odd shapes and figures which would have once been intricate etchings in the metal, I was unable to decode the inscriptions. As I further moved my flashlight along the side, I noticed a certain pattern from what I was able to tell and wondered if it was the same on the other edge. Alas it was not, it was a pattern nonetheless but seemed different to the one I saw. I could have been completely wrong due to the faded marks, which is why I started to inspect the bottom instead.
I gasped and immediately backed away…. those were devil horns! Call me dramatic and superstitious, but I was terrified. The way the tendrils wrapped around the horns, encasing it, binding it to the mirror had given the most powerful aura which shook me to my core. It was also the most distinct carving on the frames as if it had been done just a few days ago….
Now, the initial fear once again had risen to the surface, the same rush of adrenaline also emerging alongside. Both pushed all rational, logical thinking to the very farthest of my mind. I knew I had to get out of there, and fast.
My knees week and my heart beating erratically, I swiftly turned towards the door ready to break into a run… and I knocked over the mirror that I had been inspecting earlier.
WHAM!
Now, it was on the ground frame down, on the dusty, iridescent floor while, oddly enough only one piece of glass broke off and skidded right next to my feet and reflected a vast spectrum of colours on my face, blinding me.
I picked the shard of the glass up and inspected it. Everything was regular about it, no strange carvings, or textures, just ordinary… or so I thought.
To my astonishment, as I was delicately going to place the glass next to the mirror, the shard reflected an eye… literally just for a split second, and just by that moment, I remembered why I had knocked the mirror over in fervour – with this realization, my eyes widened and in almost a reflex like action I dashed out of the warehouse like a deer in the headlights, screaming my lungs out for no one to hear.
I knew I was in trouble; my fear had led me to once again be in an unsheltered state, with a dead phone and no mode of transportation (like my initial problem too for which I had seeked shelter at the warehouse). The only rational thought as of now was to walk till the dawn broke and then find a way to return home.
It was and idiotic decision, but it would have been more if I had stayed, so I set out into the dark once again, unbeknownst to me that a lurking figure stood close, observing each step, waiting for my next foolish decision…
Kashvi Kathuria 