Whispers of the Chilling Breeze

The city lights, which were a reminder of life going on through the night, were glittering far below Aditi as she stood by herself on the balcony. However, it felt... quiet up here on the fifteenth floor.

Too silent. She trembled, but not from the cold, as a chilling wind blew across her face. It was that unsettling sensation, the one that makes you feel cold inside.

A faint whisper, carried by the wind, brushed against her ear as gently as falling snow, and she heard it just as she turned to head back inside. She stopped. With her heart racing, she muttered back,

"Who's there?" and peered around, praying she wouldn't see anyone.

The wind rustled, but no one responded; the soft murmur of the night filled the void. Nothing, she told herself. Probably her nervousness. She had been working late for weeks and seldom slept, after all.

Back inside, Aditi locked the balcony door, breathing a sigh of relief. But the whisper… it stayed with her. Lying in bed, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something—no, someone—had been there. Just outside. Her eyes wandered over to the balcony, now shrouded in darkness. It’s just your imagination, she repeated to herself, pulling the blankets closer.

Suddenly, she felt the icy wind again, although the balcony door was shut tight. And then, unmistakably, a voice—soft, airy—whispered her name, “Aditi…”

Her breath caught in her throat. “This… this isn’t happening,” she murmured, clutching the sheets tighter. But the whisper continued, like a song that only she could hear, weaving through the cold night air. Aditi’s heart raced.

She wanted to scream, but her voice wouldn’t come. Was this real, or was she simply losing her mind?

In the morning light, she convinced herself it was a dream. Just a bad dream. Yet, when she stepped onto the balcony, a small, folded note lay on the ground, fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

With trembling fingers, she picked it up and read: “Thank you for listening.”

She looked around, half expecting to see someone, but the balcony was empty, and the city below was already moving in the bright sunlight, oblivious to her haunted night.