Light And Shadow

Since their marriage, Vinay had noticed some unusual behaviors in Trina. Although he didn't say anything, he was sometimes annoyed by Trina's strange actions.

At first, he didn't pay much attention to it, but lately, he couldn't get the matter out of his head. Whenever he tried to talk to Trina about it, she would avoid the conversation, making it difficult for him to openly discuss the issue with her.

Their marriage was arranged by their families, a true arranged marriage. Before the wedding, they had only spoken on the phone a couple of times and had never met in person. In fact, Trina had informed him that meeting before the wedding was prohibited by her family, and she wasn't inclined to secretly meet her future husband. Vinay didn't question this further.

Before the wedding, Trina had only one request: that the mirrors be removed from their bedroom and bathroom. This request puzzled Vinay. Trina explained that she was afraid of mirrors. Thinking that it might be a phobia, Vinay arranged for the mirrors to be removed.

The wedding proceeded as planned, following all traditions. In the first couple of days after the wedding, Vinay found Trina to be a simple yet lively girl. She quickly took a significant place in Vinay's heart, but he couldn't come to terms with some of her behaviors.

For instance, Trina never wanted to take pictures of herself, and even if she did, she didn't want to see them. One day, everyone was excitedly looking at their wedding album, but Trina turned away and refused to look at it. Vinay showed her a picture, saying, Look how beautiful you look in this photo!

No, you all look at it. I don't like it, she replied.

These are such good pictures, they'll become memories later. Why are you saying this? Vinay asked.

If you cherish memories in your heart, you don't need pictures. Besides, I didn't want to take pictures during the wedding, but I was forced to, Trina answered angrily.

Vinay didn't push the matter further but was secretly annoyed.

The following Saturday evening, Vinay took Trina out to a restaurant. Thinking that she might be in a bad mood for leaving her home, he hoped this would cheer her up. But things took a different turn.

Vinay lovingly suggested taking a selfie with his new wife, but Trina flatly refused. Vinay got annoyed and said, I am your husband! Why are you so against taking a selfie with me?

I've told you before, I don't like taking pictures.

Vinay gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said softly, Alright, I'm here. Let's take one selfie. If you don't like it, we'll delete it.

As Vinay took out his phone to turn on the camera, Trina suddenly pushed his hand away and stood up, her face filled with fear.

Trina's sudden reaction drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant, making Vinay and Trina the center of attention. All eyes were on Vinay, who turned red with anger and embarrassment. It felt as though everyone was judging him for treating Trina poorly.

Vinay couldn't stay there any longer. He grabbed Trina's hand and pulled her out of the restaurant.

That night, he didn't speak to her. Before falling asleep, he noticed that Trina was crying. Despite feeling bad, he didn't know what to say at that moment. Both of them spent the night awake, feeling upset. In the morning, Trina sat next to Vinay and said, I know I made a big mistake. Your anger is justified.

Vinay didn't respond. Trina continued, I'm really scared of taking selfies! In selfies, you see your reflection just like in a mirror. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have acted that way.

Tears streaming down her face, Trina cried. Vinay pulled her close, stroked her hair, and said, Let's forget about it! There's no point in holding on to it.

But in his mind, Vinay resolved never to ask Trina to take a selfie again.

For a few days, everything went smoothly. One day, Vinay's aunt, uncle, and cousin Rini came to visit. Initially, it was decided that Vinay, his father, and uncle would sleep in the small two-bedroom downstairs, while Vinay's mother, aunt, Rini, and Trina would sleep in the larger room.

However, Vinay's aunt objected, saying, It would be a sin to separate the newlyweds because of us. She suggested that the three of them could manage in the small room upstairs.

But considering that guests are like gods, Vinay's family couldn't let them sleep in such a small space. So it was decided that Vinay and Trina would sleep in the upstairs room, while the others would stick to the original plan.

That night, Trina went upstairs alone to prepare the bed. Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from the room.

It was Trina's scream. Everyone rushed upstairs to find her sitting on the floor, covering her face with her hands, trembling with fear.

Everyone helped Trina calm down by giving her some water. She explained that she didn't know there was a mirror in this room. It was her first time entering this room after the wedding, and upon seeing the mirror on the wall, she got extremely scared!

At first, no one in the house understood what she was saying, but Vinay managed the situation calmly. He explained to everyone that Trina was afraid of mirrors, that it was her phobia. Though it seemed strange, everyone accepted it and went downstairs to sleep.

Vinay then removed the wall mirror, carefully placing it inside the divan bed in that room. He reassured Trina and brought her back to the room.

That night, Vinay suddenly heard someone sobbing and calling his name in a distressed voice. The sound was coming from near the bed. He was startled, thinking it was Trina crying. Turning around, he saw that Trina was sleeping peacefully. He must have misheard. He went back to sleep.

The next day, after returning from work, Vinay asked Trina to make some tea and sat in their room. After a while, Trina brought him the tea and sat beside him. While sipping the tea, Vinay noticed Trina looking at him strangely, with her head tilted.

- What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?

- Do you love me?

- What kind of question is that? Vinay laughed a little, placing his hand on Trina's shoulder and pulling her closer. Of course, I love you, Trina. You're my only wife. Who else would I love?

After saying this, Vinay suddenly felt something strange. Trina pushed him away and, in a low voice, said, Don't mention that name! I'll make you forget that name! She then turned to look at Vinay, her eyes blazing with anger. Then she got up and left the room.

Vinay was stunned by this bizarre incident. Though Trina's behavior sometimes seemed strange to him, she had never acted this odd.

A few days later, Vinay suddenly saw Trina sitting at the dressing table in the big room, combing her hair in front of the mirror. It would have been a normal sight for an ordinary girl, but Trina usually went mad with fear at the sight of mirrors! Most of the mirrors in the house had been removed for her.

Even the dressing table in this big room had been turned around so that Trina wouldn't have to face the mirror upon entering. Trina didn't dress up because she would have to look in the mirror. She even tied her hair without looking into a mirror. What happened today?

Vinay approached her and said, What's the matter? Not afraid of the mirror today?

Trina looked at him strangely and replied, No! I'm not afraid of such things.

But you told me you were scared of mirrors! That's why you didn't want to take selfies either.

Trina laughed oddly and said, I've changed, see? Tell me, isn't this new wife better than the old one?

Vinay found Trina's laugh very unsettling and didn't reply. He quietly left. Lately, Trina's behavior was getting stranger and stranger. She seemed like she was losing her mind. Vinay's parents also noticed Trina's erratic behavior. She would get angry when someone called her by name, bang her head against the wall, not do any work properly, and laugh like a madwoman. Vinay thought maybe seeing the mirror that day had affected her deeply. People sometimes act weirdly when they're extremely scared. Vinay decided to take Trina to a counselor someday to help her.

One day, Vinay's parents went to visit a relative, and Trina went to take a bath. Vinay went upstairs to get a file for work. After searching the cupboard and not finding the file, he remembered he had left it in the divan. As he opened the divan to get the file, he heard a strange noise, Thok... Thok... Thok.

The maid had mentioned hearing such noises from the divan while cleaning the room. It could be a rat! But how could a rat survive in a closed divan? They had dismissed the maid's words thinking it was impossible. But now, hearing it himself, Vinay thought there might be some gap through which a rat had entered. If so, it would be a problem because there were many important files and papers in the divan. They had to find and kill the rat today itself. So, Vinay started searching for the source of the noise.

After paying close attention, he realized the noise was coming from the wall mirror he had placed inside the divan that day. He was extremely surprised and quite scared. The situation was far from normal. He felt like running away from the room but couldn't. Human curiosity is a strange thing. Driven by curiosity, Vinay picked up the mirror.

In the mirror, he could clearly see his face, but another face, Trina's face, was faintly appearing!

In the mirror, he saw Trina standing right behind him, slowly approaching. Scared, Vinay turned around.

There was no one behind him! Terrified, he turned back to look at the mirror and saw that his reflection was no longer there, only Trina's face remained. Vinay wanted to scream but couldn't. No sound came out of his throat. Just as he was about to throw the mirror away, Trina in the mirror spoke, Vinay, I have something to tell you.

Will you believe me?....