Inside💀 the Mirror💀

It had already been exactly three in the morning. Long ago, the city had gone to sleep. The curtains let in the moonlight, which cast an enigmatic shadow on the floor. With a pounding heart, Tania abruptly sat up in bed. Someone was calling her—softly, whispering—from inside the mirror.

Tania had recently relocated to a new residence. a quaint two-story building on the city's outskirts. The landlord had stated, "No one has lived here for years," and the rent was surprisingly low. You might be able to bring the house back to life. Tania had not paid much attention to the comment because it had felt odd. She needed her own space because she worked alone and lived alone. An old mirror with a wooden frame caught her eye as soon as she entered. It was tall, fixed against the wall, its edges stained with age. Oddly enough, the mirror couldn’t be moved. Tania had tried, but it felt like it was stuck to the wall and couldn't move. The first couple of nights went by uneventfully. But on the third night, things began to change. When Tania stood in front of the mirror, her reflection seemed to move just a split second too soon. The "Tania" in the mirror immediately lifted her right hand when she raised it. She once even had the sensation that the reflection of herself in the mirror was smiling, even though she had not smiled before. It was dismissed by Tania as mental exhaustion. Stress from work, a new environment—maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. But then one night, she saw something that made her blood run cold. She stood in front of the mirror and saw no reflection. merely darkness. Someone was watching her from within, as a pair of eyes glowed in the gloom. She yelled and retreated. The mirror looked normal when she looked at it once more. She decided she would cover it the next morning.

The following day, Tania draped a sheet over the mirror. But that night, she heard a thud when she awoke. Turning on the light, she saw the sheet crumpled on the floor. The mirror was covered in a misty mist. That night, she noticed some engraving on the wooden frame of the mirror: “Return what was taken, or she will come.”

What is "she"? What was taken? Whose story is this?

Tania decided to investigate. She went to an antique shop after work the following day and showed the owner a picture of the mirror. He froze. After a long pause, he said, “That mirror is known as Maya’s Mirror. It was once owned by a wealthy landlord. His daughter, Maya, committed suicide—and they say her spirit got trapped inside it. The mirror now reflects spirits as well as images. And if you look too long, you might find yourself trapped inside as well." Tania felt a chill run down her spine. Everything made sense now. Maya, attempting to emerge, was the figure in the mirror—not her. She got home quickly and stood in front of the mirror. This time, she wasn’t afraid. She needed the facts. “Do you want to be free?” she whispered.

• After a brief pause, her reflection slowly nodded. The reflection made no sound but moved its lips. Tania remembered the engraving: Return what was taken. But what?

Suddenly she remembered a small wooden box she had found in a corner of the room when she first moved in. Inside was an old locket, which she had casually added to her own necklace, thinking it looked pretty. Could that have belonged to Maya?

Tania removed the locket from her neck and held it up to the mirror. Instantly, the mist inside thickened. The figure in the mirror reached out a hand—as if asking for something.

Tania took a deep breath and gently pressed the locket against the mirror’s surface. A loud, sharp sound rang out. The lights flickered. She saw her when the light in the mirror started to shimmer. Maya. solitary, eyes closed, as if at peace. Then everything returned to normal. Just her own reflection.

It was 3:30 AM. The room reverted to silence. The next morning, Tania stood in front of the mirror again—nothing strange. No mist. No delay. No glowing eyes. The mirror, too, appeared serene, as if it had finally released a heavy burden that it had carried for years. Tania no longer felt the need to remove the mirror. She knew it had once held a story—one that had finally found its end.