The Old Camera Had One Last Photo — And It Broke My Heart

When we moved into the old farmhouse, the attic smelled like dust and ghosts. Among the boxes, I found a vintage Polaroid camera. It still had one shot left.

Just for fun, I clicked it. When the photo developed, my knees gave out.

It showed a young girl standing in the very room I was in — same angle, same light — but behind her, a man with hollow eyes stood watching. No one else was in the house. No one living, anyway.

Later, I learned a girl had gone missing here in 1984. Her case was never solved. Her name? Lila. Just like my daughter.