Beneath the Calm

"There was a strange sense of calm in the air today, as if the world was holding its breath."

Sunlight poured through the trees, casting a soft, golden glow over the little village of Fairwood. Emma hummed to herself as she walked down the familiar cobbled path, greeting her neighbors and feeling an odd but welcome lightness in her chest. It was as though the world itself was smiling back at her, filling her with a rare sense of peace.

Emma was heading to the annual village fair, a cheerful event with music, games, and laughter that filled the whole town square. She’d been going to the fair since she was a child, and now, as an adult, it felt almost nostalgic—comforting and familiar. Today, everyone was there: friends, family, even distant acquaintances she hadn’t seen in years. They all waved and smiled as she passed by, their faces lit up with joy.

As the day wore on, Emma noticed something peculiar. A man she didn’t recognize was standing at the edge of the fairgrounds, watching her intently. He wore dark clothes that seemed out of place amidst the vibrant colors of the fair. His expression was unreadable, his gaze steady, and every time she turned away, she could feel his eyes following her. But whenever she looked back, he’d be gone, only to reappear somewhere else moments later.

By dusk, Emma’s unease had grown. She told herself it was nothing—maybe just a visitor, or someone who had mistaken her for someone else. But as she left the fair and walked home, she felt a growing sense of dread.

When she reached her house, she was surprised to find the door already unlocked. She pushed it open cautiously, calling out, “Hello?” The house was empty, dark, and still, and a strange chill hung in the air. Then, she heard footsteps behind her.

Turning, she saw the man from the fair standing in her doorway, but now his face was clearer. Something about him felt…familiar. A deep, unsettling familiarity. His face looked like a ghostly version of her own, like a mirror warped in a nightmare. He stepped forward, his voice low and menacing. “You shouldn’t have come back, Emma.”

Her heart raced as fragments of memories—things she had long forgotten or maybe had chosen to forget—flashed before her eyes. Her childhood here, her parents’ strange disappearance, the rumors that the villagers whispered whenever they thought she couldn’t hear them.

“What…what are you?” she stammered, taking a step back.

The man’s expression twisted into a cold smile. “I am the memory you tried to bury. The truth you abandoned here.” His eyes were empty, haunting. "You should never have come back."

The darkness seemed to press in around her, and with horror, she realized that everything she’d experienced that day—the warm greetings, the cheerful faces—had been false. She was alone in the village, a place she had left behind years ago, abandoned after the strange deaths of her family members. Her memories had conjured the fair, the familiar faces, a comforting illusion to lure her back.

"There was a strange sense of calm in the air today, as if the world was holding its breath."