Chapter 1: Don’t Look in the Mirror

Diary of Riya Sharma

April 7, 2024

Word Count: ~3000

---

1:00 AM

I don’t know why I’m writing this.

Shayad isliye, kyunki bolne se koi sunega nahi.

But this?

This is mine.

Mera sach.

Aur agar kuch ho jaye... maybe someone will find this diary.

Maybe they’ll understand what happened to me.

---

1:17 AM

This apartment... it’s supposed to be a fresh start.

New job.

New city.

Nayi zindagi.

But I can’t shake this feeling—like I’ve been here before.

Déjà vu, right?

Except it’s not.

I found an old key today.

Under the floorboard, near the mirror.

It has my initials on it.

R. S.

But I’ve never lived here before.

At least... I don’t think I have.

---

2:00 AM

There’s something wrong with the mirror in the hallway.

I covered it with a bedsheet the first night.

Don’t know why.

Bas mann ki awaaz thi.

But tonight, when I walked by...

I saw something under the sheet.

Moving.

I stood there, holding my breath.

The fabric lifted—just for a second.

And I saw an eye.

Mera nahi tha.

It blinked.

---

2:45 AM

I should call someone.

Priya? Maa?

But what would I even say?

“Hi, maa, tere aashirwad se nayi job mili hai, aur haan, mera reflection mujhe dekh ke hans raha hai?”

She’d think I’ve lost it.

Maybe I have.

---

3:03 AM

I found a diary behind the old bookshelf.

It’s worn.

Pages yellow, like they’ve been waiting.

The first page says:

“Don’t look in the mirror after midnight.”

Too late.

I already did.

And I think it looked back.

---

3:33 AM

There’s a smell.

Burnt sugar.

Like prasad in a mandir.

But there’s no stove on.

And the smell?

It’s coming from the mirror.

---

4:15 AM

I had a memory just now.

Or was it a dream?

I was five.

Standing in front of a mirror.

Someone was behind me.

Holding my shoulders.

A voice whispered in my ear, “Say it, Riya. Call him.”

And I said it.

"Main tujhe bula rahi hoon."

Then the glass cracked.

And someone screamed.

Mujhe yaad nahi kaun.

Maybe it was me.

---

4:44 AM

I called Maa.

Her voice shook when she answered.

"Kahan ho tu?"

“Bombay,” I said.

Silence.

Then:

"13B?"

I froze.

“How do you know?”

She hung up.

---

5:15 AM

I checked my birth certificate.

My first home?

Bombay.

Same building.

Same flat.

13B.

I was born here.

But Maa said we lived in Pune.

Why would she lie?

---

5:55 AM

I took the sheet off the mirror.

I don’t know why.

Curiosity?

Or something stronger?

I stared.

It stared back.

Mera reflection nahi tha.

Her eyes were black.

Empty.

And she smiled.

I didn’t.

---

6:33 AM

I fell asleep on the floor.

When I woke up, there were handprints on the mirror.

Small ones.

Like a child.

But I live alone.

And my hands aren’t that small anymore.

---

April 8, 2024 - 11:11 PM

I heard scratching.

Coming from the walls.

Khurch khurch.

It stopped when I stood in front of the mirror.

Like it was listening.

Like it was waiting.

---

April 9, 2024 - 3:00 AM

The diary had more pages.

They weren’t empty.

Blood smeared words.

"The child in the mirror is waiting."

I touched the glass.

Cold.

But it pulsed under my fingertips.

Like a heartbeat.

My heartbeat.

---

April 9, 2024 - 4:44 AM

I think I know who she is.

She’s me.

But from before.

Before I forgot.

Before Maa made me forget.

Before he came.

---

April 9, 2024 - 6:00 AM

I’m not afraid anymore.

Main nahi darti.

She’s waiting.

And I’m ready to remember.

---

End of Chapter 1

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***